Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) celebrates a three run home run against Minnesota Twins with second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) and shortstop Zach McKinstry (39) at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Byron Buxton kicked the game off with a homer, his 19th of the year, to put the Twins up 1-0. Taj Bradley had a really rough start again, as Dillon Dingler tied the game in the bottom of the first with a solo homer of his own. Then, in the 2nd, Riley Greene hit a solo shot to make it 2-1, Detroit.
Josh Bell tied the game at 2 with a solo blast in the top of the 3rd inning, and that’s home run number 200 for his career. But, a lead-off walk from Taj scored on Greene’s sacrifice fly in the bottom half, putting the Tigers back on top.
After both teams took a pass on scoring in the 4th, Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens hit solo home runs in the 5th to give the Twins a 5-4 lead. It would be the last lead the Twins would get tonight, as Kerry Carpenter’s two run shot in the bottom of that inning would put the Tigers up for good. A 3-run homer by Dingler in the 6th off of a Taylor Rogers down-and-in sweeper would let us all go to bed early, pretty much.
In the 7th, the Twins had Royce Lewis at the plate with the bases loaded, representing the tying run, but he flew out to the warning track in left. That was the Twins last gasp, and the Tigers tacked on 2 more in the 7th, giving us our 10-4 final score.
Studs:
Brooks Lee: 2-4, HR, BB
Josh Bell: 2-5, HR
Royce Lewis: 2-4, 2B
Buxton and Clemens: Hit a homer, you get a stud, it’s my rule.
Duds:
Taj Bradley: 4.1, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 3 HR
Victor Caratini: 0-5, K
Tristan Gray: 0-4, 3 K
The bullpen except for Cody Laweryson: 2.2 IP, 5 ER
Jun 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) reacts to his two run home run in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Few things are more satisfying for the Colorado Rockies than trouncing the Chicago Cubs, and tonight, they got to bask in the glow of the Cubs flying the L as the Rockies hit their way to a 7-3 win.
Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) gave the Rockies five good innings with the bullpen sealing the deal and putting the Rockies back in the win column.
Their Cubs have lost 21 of their last 28 games.
The Rockies offense comes alive
The Rockies got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first when Hunter Goodman hit a two-run homer (18) to score TJ Rumfield, and the Rockies had a nice 2-0 lead.
By the time the second inning ended, the Rockies had a 5-0 lead.
The Cubs got on the board in the third after Sugano loaded the bases with one out, and Alex Bregman hit a sacrifice fly. However, Sugano managed to limit the damage, and the Rockies left the field with a 5-1 lead.
In the third inning, the Rockies scoring continued, starting with a Goodman lead-off walk, a Troy Johnston double, and a Kyle Karros walk. After that, Julien singled to make the score 7-1.
taco’s anyone?
Things settled down after that.
However, it would be negligent not to show you Cole Carrigg’s first MLB hit, a triple.
He was the first Rockies to have a triple and a walk in his major-league debut.
“Just pure joy, and it couldn’t have been a better hit for a young player like that,” Warren Schaeffer said. “That was vintage Cole Carrigg.”
After Carrigg’s triple and Kyle Karros ground out, Cubs starting pitcher Colin Rea was removed from the game. He finished the evening with 4.2 IP, allowing seven runs (earned) on seven hits. He walked through and struck out two.
The Cubs offense made an appearance in the sixth inning as Michael Busch hit a home run (7) followed by a Bregman single.
And that was it for Sugano. Seth Halvorsen finished the inning, allowing one run to score, but he got the job done with the Rockies leading 7-3.
And then, there was no more scoring.
The Rockies finished the game seven runs (all earned) on 12 hits. They walked six times and struck out four. (You read that correctly: more BBs than Ks.)
Willi Castro had three hits, but did not score while Julien went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Schaeffer noted that Tovar is taking better at-bats, and he pointed to Goodman’s walks as well.
He also praised Castro: “It seems like he always finds his way on base.”
Tomoyuki Sugano does Tomoyuki Sugano things
In a starting rotation wracked by injuries and underperformance, Sugano has been a mainstay, and tonight’s game was no different until the sixth inning when a Busch home run followed by a Bregman single chased him from the game. It was his fifth start of giving up no more than three runs.
Even though that was the 12th home run he was surrendered, Sugano yet this year to give up a multi-run homer.
His final line was 5.0 IP, allowing three runs (earned) on six hits. He struck out three and walked two on 93 pitches. Sugano has a 4.08 ERA.
For those keeping score at home, he relied primarily on his four-seamer (34%) followed by his slider (19%) and splitter (16%).
“Maybe some abnormally deep counts, but he made pitches when he had to,” Schaeffer said. “I thought he battled without getting ahead like he normally gets ahead.”
After the game, Sugano said, “It’s been a while since I last pitched at Coors, but I was able to keep my pitches down.”
He added, “I definitely felt like they were taking the splitter down.” But he was able to compensate with his four-seamer. He also noted that his slider was “moving really well.”
He gave the Rockies a chance to win.
The bullpen finishes the job
A well-rested bullpen picked up where Sugano left off.
Halvorsen entered the game in relief of Sugano and got the job done after walking the first batter he faced. His final line was 1.0 IP with one walk, one strike out, and no runs. Halvorsen has a 2.35 ERA.
The seventh went to Brennan Bernardino as the left-handed part of the Cubs order came to the plate, but he handled them with ease, retiring the side on 11 pitches. He currently has a 4.44 ERA.
Antonio Senzatela entered the game in the eighth inning He allowed one hit but no runs, striking out one and walking one. He has a 1.93 ERA.
For the ninth inning, Schaeffer turned to Jaden Hill who allowed a lead-off hit, but then shut the Cubs down. He currently has a 5.01 ERA.
Up next
Tomorrow night, the Rockies will meet the Cubs in Game 2 with first pitch at 6:40 pm. Shonta Imanaga will pitch for the Cubs while Michael Lorenzen toes the rubber for the Rockies.
Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) celebrates a three run home run against Minnesota Twins with second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) and shortstop Zach McKinstry (39) at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Storms moving through southeastern Michigan delayed the start of the opener of a three-game home series against the visiting Minnesota Twins, who’d swept the Tigers in a frustrating four-game series in April. Well, the Tigers got a fair amount of revenge on Tuesday night as homers flew fast and furious over various fences for both teams, with the home team prevailing by a 10-4 score. Apparently all that needed to happen was a flip of the calendar to June. Who knew?!
Troy Melton made his fourth start of the season for the Tigers, and he’d been sensational so far. His previous outing, an eight-inning, four-hit, tw0-run victory against the Rays, built on a seven-inning start against the White Sox. By this trend he should be going about thirteen innings per start by the All-Star Break, and no, I’m not a mathematician, thank you.
Facing the Tigers tonight was Taj Bradley, who started off this season with a great stretch of starts but has run into trouble recently. In his previous two starts he didn’t finish the fifth, giving up four runs each time. But he was very successful against Detroit in a start on April 7 during that four-game sweep, striking out ten in 6 1/3 innings.
Byron Buxton turned Melton’s first pitch of the night around and deposited it into the visitors’ bullpen for a 1-0 lead. Dillon Dingler didn’t like that too much, so he took a middle-middle curveball just inside the left-field foul pole for a solo home run to tie the score at one in the bottom of the first.
In the second Melton got into enough hot water with one out to make a Jacuzzi envious: a hit-batsman followed by a couple of singles loaded ‘em up with Twins. Chris Fetter paid Melton a visit, mumbled some secret, ancient incantation and gently waved his arms; Melton then struck out the next two batters, including the aforementioned Buxton, to get out of trouble.
Riley Greene saw what Dingler pulled off, and did exactly the same thing to lead off the bottom of the second with an up-and-away fastball to put the Tigers up 2-1. Josh Bell returned the favour by smashing a line-drive home run to straightaway centre in the third to re-tie the score. The balls seemed to be flying out of the park; the warmer, humid weather was partly to blame, I’d imagine.
Starting in the second and carrying into the third, Bradley’s control seemed to elude him; the first pitch of the bottom of the third soared over the home-plate umpire. Kevin McGonigle walked to lead off the inning, and Dingler followed with a single to put runners at the corners; with one out Greene hit a liner to left that was deep enough to score McGonigle and put the Tigers up 3-2.
(When I was a kid, Global TV had this half-hour nightly sports-highlights show called Sportsline, and it was great for someone like me that didn’t have cable. On that show, Jim Tatti used to sardonically refer to a sacrifice fly as “the most exciting way to score a run” or something along those lines. I think about that line a lot.)
The Tigers got runners on second and third with one out in the fourth via a walk, a single and a wild pitch in the dirt. But Gleyber Torres struck out and McGonigle ripped a line drive right at the shortstop, and that was that.
Brooks Lee hit a slider for the fifth solo home run of the game to knot the score at threes. On the next pitch Kody Clemens hit his own solo home run to put the Twins up 4-3.
The slugfest continued in the bottom of the fifth: Dingler doubled to lead off, and Kerry Carpenter hit a non-solo home run to right to put Detroit up 5-4.
After Greene smoked a 112-mph line drive that was caught by Buxton, Bradley and his multiple splitters-to-the-backstop departed. Melton did the same after five innings, and his final line was pretty weird: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 HR, 0 BB, 5 K.
Brenan Hanifee was brought in for the sixth and it wasn’t great: with one out a fly ball was misplayed by both Carpenter and Matt Vierling. The next batter got plunked, and that was the end of Hanifee, who was replaced by Drew Anderson. He threw a great full-count changeup to strike out Tristan Gray for the second out, bringing the dangerous Buxton up — who also struck out on a changeup. That was one gutsy performance by Anderson there.
Zach McKinstry hit a one-out triple to right-centre on the ninth pitch of his sixth-inning at-bat. Torres was plunked to put two runners on, and Dingler stepped to the plate with two outs and he didn’t miss an inside sweeper from Taylor Rogers.
He needed a triple for the cycle at that point, but I think we’re all satisfied with his result. That was his fourth hit of the night, and the Tigers were up 8-4.
Tyler Holton came into the game after Anderson walked a batter to start the seventh, and his outing didn’t turn out so hot either: Clemens struck out, but a single and yet another hit-batter loaded the bases. Holton handed this hot mess off to Kyle Finnegan, who struck out Victor Caratini for the second out. Royce Lewis lifted a fly ball to left and Greene caught it at the wall — on a night on which balls were flying out of the yard everywhere.
The Tigers started the bottom of the seventh with a pair of walks. With two out McKinstry walked to load the bases, and Torres’ grounder to the left side went right past two infielders to score a pair of runs and put the Tigers up 10-4 there, good buddy.
Enmanuel De Jesus, who was last seen finishing up a game in Tampa in which he went four innings, pitched the ninth, which was pleasantly boring, as ninth innings in such games should be.
Riley Greene leads the Tigers with an OPS of .844 (.305 batting, .396 on-base, .448 slugging). That’s an OPS+ of 136, or 36% above league average.
The interesting thing about that is that he’s nowhere close to the team lead in home runs: he has six, but Dillon Dingler had 14 coming into tonight (and added another pair, as you well know). Greene’s 16 doubles certainly helped his cause.
Johann Galle was born on this day in 1812; he was the first person to identify the planet Neptune, after a suggestion about where to look was given by fellow astronomer Urbain Le Verrier. That’s nice, but have you seen Venus and Jupiter in the western sky after sunset lately? Holy moly, are they close to each other!
Jun 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Dbacks dropped the series opener in Miami on Tuesday 10-6 as the Arizona pitching was unable to keep any momentum this whole game long. The Dbacks offense would score, and then the pitching would immediately cough the lead right back up. The offense would come back, and then the pitching would give the lead right back.
Zac Gallen started the game for the Dbacks and he looked very much just ok. Certainly not the player the Dbacks spent 20 million dollars on this offseason, and certainly not a player who is raising his stock and betting on himself to get a big contract. He was just ok going 5.1 innings allowing 4 ER and getting just 3 strikeouts. Despite just the 3 strikeouts, the one positive from this outing was Gallen was able to get 14 swings and misses which is a good sign. However, his struggles to put guys away with 2 strikes persisted as he would dance around the corners of the zone hoping for chase and the Miami hitters much like every other team were simply not fooled.
The Dbacks offense tonight was much improved with Ketel Marte, Carroll, Gabi, and Perdomo going a combined 7-15 with 6 RBI. These are the guys that this team needs going and it is kind of a shame that when you got this kind of production from this core tonight, you still weren’t able to come away with a win. Carroll hit a big home run in the first inning to put the Dbacks on the board that went 400 feet and hit off of the upper deck. Gabi also launched a long ball going 417 feet, a really encouraging sign after the team really needed him to step up into the 3 hole. Perdomo looks much like the move down in the order has gotten him back on track as he was able to look much more like the Perdomo we all know working 3 walks and getting 2 hits. Just great at bats all game long from him, a really encouraging sign. It is also worth noting that Ketel responded to the drama in a big way tonight going 3-5 with 3 RBI as he continues to prove to everyone that he is a leader of this offense and of this team.
Unfortunately even after all of this offense, the bullpen was also not able to maintain any of the momentum. Taylor Clarke came in in relief of Gallen and immediately allowed his inherited runner plus 2 more to score. A guy that usually can spot the ball almost anywhere and had only walked 5 guys all season proceeded to walk the 9 hole batter for the top of the order. Hopefully this is just another weird 1 off like he had in the Dodgers series to start the season and he locks it back in and goes on another run. Garcia also had an uncharacteristic clunker as he gave up some contact on some fastballs that just caught way too much of the center of the zone giving up the lead again to a 7-6 ballgame. Torey brought in Ginkel in the middle of the inning to try and get out of it, and Ginkel proceeded to give up a single and a double allowing Garcia’s runs to score and for the Marlins to blow open the game for a final time in the 8th inning. A rare clunker for these guys and hopefully a strange blip on the radar for a couple of guys who have been really solid lately.
The Dbacks will look to get back on track tomorrow and even the series by sending Ryne Nelson to the mound. Getting Meyer out of the way the rest of the Marlins starters for the rest of the series look to be gettable, but this pitching needs to rebound in a big way and maintain momentum.
The five-time All-Star and former NL MVP exited in the fourth inning after appearing to suffer an injury while attempting to make it safe to first base.
Atlanta led 4-2 at the time of his injury but lost 6-5 in extra innings. The White Sox won on a walk-off home run from call-up Braden Montgomery, who was making his MLB debut.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is exiting the game after suffering an injury running to first base pic.twitter.com/iJfDcF1BCV
Braves manager Walt Weiss addressed the Acuña injury with reporters after the tough loss. He indicated the Braves think they lucked out with their star’s injury, saying Acuña's previous hamstring injury earlier this year (suffered on May 2 against the Colorado Rockies) was worse.
With that, Weiss said that Acuña won’t be placed on the injured list and his status remains “day-to-day."
Ronald Acuña will not be placed on the injured list at this time. He’s day-to-day for now. Walt Weiss also added that they don’t think it’s “as bad as the last one” (referring to his hamstring injury earlier this year)
The Braves have the best record in baseball at 45-22. Acuña has contributed to their success, hitting .254/.373/.798. He has 49 hits, 22 RBIs and seven home runs so far through the 2026 season. Through nine seasons with the Braves, he’s compiled 193 home runs and is nearing his 1,000th hit with 962 total. His career splits are .287/.383/.901.
DENVER, CO - JUNE 09: Cole Carrigg #16 of the Colorado Rockies runs the bases during his Major League Debut during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Jun 9, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Seattle Mariners players celebrate a win against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
5,000 light years from Birdland But I’m still preachin’ the Trident Long-gone, uptight years from Birdland And I’m still watchin’ it with ’em
Years from the land of the Bird And I am still feelin’ dispirit 5,000 light years from Birdland But I know we still hear it
Goms named it Goms made it Goms heard it Then played it Well-stated! Birdland- It happened down in Birdland
Oh!
The Mariners needed Logan Gilbert to go deep on Tuesday. The team is down a reliever because they ditched the ham sandwich for a six-man rotation, for reasons I do and don’t agree with. But regardless, it means they’re short in the bullpen for a bit. After leaning on the leverage arms the last few games, this would have been the time for Gilbert to snap out of his funk, go deep in the game, secure a Mariners win, and help reset things for the week ahead.
That seemed unlikely early. Gilbert threw 31 pitches in the first inning. He loaded the bases, but allowed just one run on a sac fly (which could have been much worse without a great catch from Julio). He threw 27 pitches in the second inning. He put a couple runners on but escaped without a run (thanks to a great throw from Cole Young). This felt like a disaster in the making.
And from there, Gilbert was perfect. He set down the side in order the third, fourth, and fifth innings. I began writing in this very recap that Gilbert’s day ended after five at 96 pitches, then whoa, he stepped out of the dugout for the sixth. He got Pete Alonso to line out on a first pitch slider. He worked a full count against Colton Cowser but dropped a slider on the black for strike three. Then he got Leody Tavares to ground out to first, racing to cover the bag, stomping down for the final out. Six innings, five strikeouts, three hits, two walks, one run. This was roughly the vibe by the end.
I don’t even really know what to say about Gilbert at this point. His FIP still begins with a 4. So many of his outings this year have looked like Tuesday. Well, he’s typically dominated early and struggled late. But every game there’s a handful of batters he can’t quite sit down or even simply move on from, throwing full-count pitch after pitch after pitch. It’s just weird. The arsenal metrics suggest Gilbert should have some resistance to these specific issues. Like, his stuff is sharp, hard, diverse, and deceptive. He got Alonso to whiff so bad he threw his bat into the stands, giving us one of the all-time Brad Adam in-game interviews with Craig from Richland. (Craig kept the bat despite cash offers from Orioles fans! Nice. An all-time Logan Gilbert trophy, in the hands of a Mariners fan.) So I don’t know. I think there’s something to be said for Gilbert tonight. I gave up on this one. He didn’t.
It’s a good thing he didn’t, because the Mariners won 6-5 in extras in what turned out to be a ridiculous, sloppy, fever-dream of a game that the Mariners had no business winning in Birdland.
In the middle of that hub I remember one ball club
Where we went to try and sweep Down on Eu-taw street
Some ornithology nerds That they named it for a Bird
Where Ayala swooped and swirled And League made me want to hurl
Adam Jones was sent there To the distance we stared
The lineup the Mariners together tonight was… uh… not the plan from Spring Training. They’re dealing with a rash of injuries at the moment, and so it’s been the, “We need some guys to step up” time of the season. And step up they, ultimately, kinda, in a way, did.
Randy Arozarena led off the third inning with a line drive single, and Rob Refsnyder followed with one of his own. Mitch Garver fell behind quickly, but laid off a few great pitches out of the zone. Trevor Rogers came back in with a fastball, and Garver was ready, giving us the latest Mitch Garver Exasperated Bat Drop.
This was huge to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead. Again, Gilbert was clearly not long for this game, and they were going to need some runs to survive a shallow bullpen. After the homer, the vibes were roughly here:
Once Gilbert miraculously cleared six with the game still 3-1, the lineup did well to scratch across some cushion. Victor Robles beat out a squibber with two outs, and Julio rocketed another single through the infield. That brought up Arozarena, who picked up a third-straight, two-out single, scoring Robles on a close play the plate.
Unfortunately, the Orioles would get that run right back. An error by Cole Young, a single, and a double play put a runner on third. Alex Hoppe brought him home with a spiked pitch to the backstop. 4-2. The walls of Birdland were closing in.
Jose Ferrer got the ball in the ninth. He threw 42 pitches.
Ferrer quickly got ahead of Tavares leading off. But Tavares battled, working the count back to 2-2. Ferrer threw him a fastball way outside for ball three. Tavares thinking it was ball four started toward first and began to derobe, unbuckling his elbow guard. He tried to play it off cool once he realized, slowly returning to the box. But he’d forgotten about the pitch timer, and when it expired, the umpire called him out. Vibe check:
Still, this is Birdland. Coby Mayo immediately homered to make it 4-3. Jeremiah Jackson singled, and Tyler O’Neill nearly ended the game with a barrel to right. But it landed short and skipped over the wall, crucially, for a ground rule double.
Samuel Basallo then hit a ball just three feet. Ferrer went charging after it down the first base line. He grabbed it and made a desperate, tumbling throw for home that was neither accurate nor on time, scoring the tying run. He probably should have thrown to first.
Ferrer walked Taylor Ward to load the bases. Again, there was still just one out in the ninth inning of a tie game. Gunnar Henderson pounded a one hopper to third. Patrick Wisdom, playing in, leaped high to snag it and made a strong throw home to get the lead runner.
Up stepped Pete Alonso. Ferrer threw him six sinkers to work the count full. He went to the sinker again. It caught the center of the plate and Alonso rocketed a grounder up the middle. Right there was Bliss, who snagged it and raced to the bag to get the runner by a step. The Mariners, somehow, survived.
Arozarena took the lead right back in the 10th. With the Manfred Man on second, he poked a slider way out of the zone to right. It looked like a fly out off the bat, but it just carried and carried and carried the Mariners to a 6-4 lead. It can’t be state enough: What a season he’s having.
Nick Davila got the 10th with a 6-4 lead and the Manfred Man. It didn’t start well. Hoppe hit Blaze Alexander with the first pitch of the inning to bring the winning run to the plate. Tavares followed with a hard grounder through the right side to make the game 6-5 with nobody out.
Davila got Mayo to pop up to Bliss, who made a tremendous diving effort near the foul line for the first out. Jackson then hit a chopper to third. Wisdom, again playing in, cut the ball off perfectly with a backhand ranging toward the third base line. He contorted his body to get off a quick throw, which was right on target to Garver, who slapped down the tag to deny the tying run.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JUNE 9: Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox bats in the top of the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on June 9, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Aroldis Chapman was warming up in the top of the ninth inning with the Red Sox down a run just in case he was needed for the bottom half of the frame; but with the way this offense has performed all season, that felt like ownership drawing up World Series parade routes for the fall, just in in case.
Unsurprisingly, the Red Sox went down like church mice for the final three outs to fall to:
11 games under .500 for the first time since 2020
0-27 on the season when trailing by three runs or more at any point in the game
0-35 when trailing after eight innings
Perhaps the most surprising stat to go along with that last bullet is that the Red Sox actually lead all of baseball in runs scored in the ninth inning in 2026 with 40. They just never score when they actually need the runs to tie the game or take the lead. Yes, the offense is bad, but it’s specifically abysmal when the game is on the line in a way that’s all but mathematically impossible.
Tonight was just another verse in the same rancid, repeating song that is the 2026 Red Sox season. The twist on this particular stanza is that the bottom third of the lineup actually performed pretty well while the top six guys when 2-24 with zero walks.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the bottom of the eighth inning when right after a Marcelo Mayer double cut a 4-1 Rays lead to 4-3. In this moment, the first three guys of the inning reached, the top of the order was coming up, and the Rays still had six outs to negotiate before the end of the game. How did the top six guys in the Sox lineup handle the opportunity? They went 0-6 and blew a golden opportunity to avoid all three deadly bullet points above.
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve never seen a team quite like this one. It’s not just that they’re the worse offense in baseball in high leverage situations (batting .214 with a .609 OPS), it’s that they’re 11th in baseball in medium leverage spots to go along with that. For instance, they actually have a higher OPS than the Yankees in medium leverage spots, but are almost 200 points behind them in high leverage situations.
One of the reasons this season feels like such a joyless slog is because there’s never any nights where they randomly come through in a big spot and mix in a comeback win amid the flood of loses and other deficiencies. Those are the beautiful breaths of fresh at the surface that keep you coming back in a season where you’re otherwise drowning. Even most bad teams with bad lineups find a way to sprinkle them in every once in a while, but not this group.
I keep thinking this has to change somewhat just by random chance, but maybe I’m just an idiot. (On a related note, I’ll be going to Boston to catch the games this weekend.)
Three Studs
Marcelo Mayer: One nice thing about tonight is that there’s more signs Marcelo Mayer’s new toe tap might be paying dividends. Not only did he follow up yesterday’s home run with a big eighth inning double, but he also had a nice at bat in the third inning with a runner in scoring position where despite making an out, he got the ball in play with 107mph exit velocity.
Caleb Durbin: 1-3 at the plate, and he also flashed some leather with this wonderful double play in the field in the first inning, which felt really important in the moment:
Isiah Kiner-Falefa: The only man in the Red Sox lineup with a multi-hit game, which is pretty much an automatic ticket into the stud section of the game wrap in 2026.
Five Duds
Ceddanne Rafaela: 0-4 with the lowest WPA in the lineup tonight.
Willson Contreras: 0-4 with the second lowest WPA.
Masataka Yoshida: 0-4 with the third lowest WPA (and boy has he looked awful over the last month).
Mickey Gasper: 0-4 with the fourth lowest WPA.
Together, these four went 0-16 and had a -0.58 WPA.
NESN: They didn’t get back in time from commercial to show the first pitch of the bottom of the third inning. Under no circumstance can this be allowed to slide!
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 09: Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37) is congratulated by Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (44) after making a defensive play to end the fourth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians on June 9, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Cleveland Guardians fell to the New York Yankees, again, tonight. Dropping game two in this series gives New York the series win and puts the Guardians five games above .500.
Slade Cecconi had a strong outing and is looking like he is hitting a groove. Cecconi went 5.0 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. He struck out two batters.
The Guardians scored 2 runs on 10 hits and 4 walks. Both runs came in the bottom of the third inning.
With two quick outs to start the inning, José Ramírez hit a single to center, then reached second on his 24th stolen base of the season. Chase DeLuter singled to center, scoring José from second. Kyle Manzardo drew a walk and Rhys Hoskins was hit by pitch to load them up. Angel Martínez singled to Paul Goldschmidt at first base who made a diving catch. Goldschmidt lobbed the ball to the pitcher with just enough arch that Angel was able to slide into first and beat out the tag.
In the top of the fourth, Travis Bazzana made a great sliding catch to end the inning.
The Guards bullpen did their best to hold it down, all things considering. Colin Holderman walked a batter in his inning of work. Tim Herrin gave up a run in his second inning of work, a solo shot to Jazz Chisolm Jr. He fell to 0-2 on the season, recording the loss. The home run was the only hit he allowed. Matt Festa finished the eighth inning, allowing only one other hit. Shawn Armstrong closed the game, keeping the Yankees at bay, but the damage was already done
This team is going through a funk that seems like it could be easily fixed with a couple of pieces or strategic moves. Tonight they left 13 runners on base and were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. While the hot start to this season is providing the buffer they need for these sorts of slumps, something needs to improve soon or the White Sox will be taking ahold of first place in the AL Central before we know it.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 08: Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves reacts during a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 08, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves started a series against the Chicago White Sox after a 5-1 run at home where they took two of three from the reigning AL champ Blue Jays and swept the Pirates who at the time had scored the fourth most runs in MLB.
This matchup was going to be fun because it featured the Acuña brothers playing each other. Unfortunately, that fun was short lived.
Grant Holmes has struggled the second time through the order all season long and was hoping to avoid that tonight, although he was going against a red hot offense that is fourth in MLB in HRs.
Brandon Eisert was the scheduled opener for the White Sox, and has actually had a decent season thus far, but the Braves jumped on him quick. After an Acuña strikeout Harris singled in his return to the starting lineup and Matt Olson followed that with his eighteenth HR of the season to put the Braves up by two.
Albies then singled and Dubón walked to have two runners on with one out. Eisert then got Dominic Smith to fly out on a ball that went three-hundred feet, and then he was replaced by former Braves pitcher Erick Fedde who got Riley to strikeout.
Grant Holmes started off the first inning almost perfect like he seems to always do by producing two fly outs and and a ground out. The Braves then showed of possibly getting some insurance in the second when Acuña reached via HBP with two outs, but then he was caught stealing to end the second inning.
In the second, Holmes gave up a single, but that was the only damage done picking up two strikeouts along the way. In the third for the Braves Harris smoked a liner, but it was caught, but Matt Olson then launched a HR again to make it 3-0 for his nineteenth HR of the season. Albies then doubled and then we saw a somewhat rare catcher interference call that sent Dubón to first. What followed was a weird play where Smith should have hit into a double play, but the pitcher, Fedde, straight up missed a perfect throw and that allowed Albies to score to make it 4-0. Riley then singled, but the scoring ended with a Yastrzemski strikeout.
As stated earlier, Grant Holmes has struggled the second time through the order all season with hitters having an OPS north of 1.000 against him the second time they face him. That did not stop tonight. After getting two outs to the bottom of the order in the third inning, Antonacci who hits first in the order, walked. Vargas then followed that with a two run shot to make the game 4-2. Holmes was able to settle down and get the third out via fly out.
In the fourth is where the bad news hits Braves Nation. After Wynns flied out Acuña appears to have majorly injured his leg running out a grounder.
Ronald Acuña Jr. pulled up just after being thrown out at first and limped to the dugout with a trainer
Maybe the last step or two before the bag? Looked like he was trying to keep weight off the left leg there pic.twitter.com/OkR0WNbk0s
— Lindsay Crosby, big baseball guy (@CrosbyBaseball) June 10, 2026
After the injury delay Harris hit a single and Olson almost hit his third HR of the night, but the ball was caught right at the yellow line on the wall.
The bottom of the fourth is where Holmes fell apart. Again, he is still facing batters for the second time in the game in this inning. He gave up a single, a HBP, then a single to Braden Montgomery for his first career RBI. After a line out and a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners he walked backup catcher Drew Romo to load the bases. Luckily Dylan Dodd is having the best season of his career and came in and got the out. Holmes finished the night with three earned runs on four hits, two walks, and a HBP on 3.2 innings while picking up two strikeouts.
The Braves were sat down in order in the fifth, but Dodd continued to do well. Outside of a walk, he was able to sit the other three hitters down, to include Vargas who homered in his last at-bat.
It looked like the Braves may score again in the sixth, but it did not happen. After an all too common Riley strikeout, Yastrzemski singled. Then, believe it or not, a catcher got a hit when Wynns singled as well. Unfortunately, in a base running blunder Yastrzemski was thrown out at home when Eli White hit the ball to first baseman Jacob Gonzalez who made the wise decision to throw home for the out. Fedde was then replaced by Tyler Gilbert who got Harris to ground out.
Dodd stayed in the game to pitch the sixth. He got Montgomery to strikeout, but then walked Grichuk which prompted Weiss to replace him with Carlos Carrasco. This move seemed odd considering the close game, and the Braves having the lead, but in a situation where your starter only went 3.2 innings you have to get creative. Carlos Carrasco gave up a single to the first batter he faced, but then settled down forced a fielders choice for the second and and then with the help of Eli White making an epic throw to home plate, he got the third out to end the inning.
Matt Olson led off the seventh inning and walked on a failed ABS challenge by Gilbert. Albies then had his third hit of the night with a single. Tyler Davis then came in for Gilbert and got Dubón to pop up. The White Sox then got redemption on Dominic Smith and forced him into a double play that was actually executed this time to end the top of the seventh.
In a rare questionable move, Walt Weiss left Carlos Carrasco in the game to pitch the seventh with the heart of the order set to bat. He then walked Vargas and then gave up a single to Benintendi to put runners on the corners with no outs. Gonzalez then singled to tie the game with zero outs. Carrasco then was somehow able to get out of the jam by inducing a double play and then a line out.
In the eighth inning Riley walked, then Yastrzemski flied and Mateo pinch hit for Wynns. Unfortunately, Riley got “caught stealing” via pick off, and then Mateo flied out. Sandy León came in to catch and Robert Suarez came in to pitch for the first time since Friday. He was able to retire the side with ease.
In the ninth Eli White flied out, but Harris was able to reach via single. Matt Olson just missed again with a ball that flied three-hundred-thirty feet to RF, and Albies struck out. The Braves at this point have missed insurance runs by mere feet twice to this point.
In the ninth ABS showed its usefulness. In was originally called a ball that would have been a leadoff walk, the call was overturned for a strikeout for Iglesias who relieved Saurez. Vargas and Benintendi were both sat down via ground out and fly out respectively, and it was time for extra innings.
The tenth started out great for the Braves. Albies was the runner on second and Dubón came up clutch yet again and scored Albies with a single on the very first pitch he saw after squaring up like he was going to bunt. Dubón was also able to move to second on the throw home, which worked out great because when Dominic Smith hit another grounder it was not a double play and Dubón moved to third. Unfortunately, for the second time this game a runner was thrown out at home on a grounder that was not a force out when Riley hit a grounder to third and Vargas got Dubón at home. Yastrzemski then flew out to third to put the end to what looked like would be a great inning.
Raisel Iglesias stayed in the game to pitch the tenth making it only the second time this season he pitched more than one inning. He was able to strike out the first batter he saw and then induce a ground out right off the bat, but the ground out moved the runner to third. Braden Montgomery, who made his debut tonight, then hit a walk-off home run to end the game.
The Braves had one of their saddest games of the season this evening. Not only did they lose in extras, but they were 0-8 with RISP if you don’t count the ghost runner and potentially lost Acuña to injury. Matt Olson was a few feet shy twice of hitting a HR to make the outcome much different. Hopefully the Braves can rebound tomorrow when former White Sox ace Chris Sale takes the mound for the Braves.
Following the Mets' 7-0 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday night, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about several aspects of the game...
Cardinals' play at the plate
In the third inning with the Mets down 3-0 with runners on second and third and one out, Lars Nootbaar grounded the ball to Marcus Semien at second base. Semien looked the runner at third base back, but Ivan Herrera took off for home as Semien threw to Jared Young at first base for the second out of the inning.
Young threw it home to Alvarez, but Herrera made a nifty swim move to avoid the tag and give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.
The Mets skipper was asked about the play and if his infielders could have done anything differently, but Mendoza said he believes the St. Louis baserunners made a mistake and they got away with it.
"They kinda messed it up, because the runner at third base was not going on contact," Mendoza explained. "It was a play that took Marcus to the gloveside. He can’t see the runner on second base, who was playing it like they were going on contact. Looking at the video there, once the ball came out of Marcus’ hand, he took off. At that point, you see JY, you play catch. Looking back, I’ll have to talk to [bench coach Kai Correa] and all that, it was kind of a messed up play there."
At the time, it was a big run, as it was still early in the game. Unfortunately, Cardinals starter Dustin May held the Mets hitters down.
Why May was unhittable
May entered Tuesday's series opener with a 4.59 ERA and a WHIP of 1.29, but he looked like the young arm the Dodgers hoped he would be when he was drafted in the third round of the 2016 draft.
The 28-year-old pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and one walk. It was May's best start of the season, and he didn't give the Mets many chances -- the Mets had just two batters reach second base against him.
"The sinker was good against righties today. Had a lot of movement," Mendoza said of May. "The cutter against lefties and he was finishing them off with fastballs at the top of the zone. You get down 4-0, it’s different at-bats. This guy is working ahead and he’s going to attack. Once we got down, we couldn’t do much with him."
What happened with Gerber?
Joey Gerber allowed one run on three hits across two innings after taking over for Freddy Peralta on Tuesday.
Mendoza was hoping Gerber could finish the game and save his bullpen, but the right-hander was removed in the ninth inning. It seemed as if the 29-year-old was picking at one of his fingers and Mendoza confirmed that Gerber is still dealing with a blister.
"Same blister he went on the IL," Mendoza said. "Started to flare up again. Not going to risk it there."
Gerber was placed on the IL back in mid-April and didn't return to the Mets until mid-May. After being recalled and optioned a couple of times, Gerber finally had a chance to stick with the big league club. Tuesday was his second appearance this month, pitching a scoreless inning back on June 3 against the Mariners, and third overall this season.
In his three appearances, Gerber has pitched to a 1.80 ERA, striking out six batters across his 5.0 innings of work.
Jun 9, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Bryan Baker (47) reacts after the final out against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
The Rays were the kings of the two-out rally on Tuesday night in a 4-3 win over the Red Sox.
Tampa Bay put Payton Tolle to the test early when Yandy Díaz lined a single to right, Junior Caminero followed by smoking a ball to the wall in center, and suddenly Tampa Bay had runners on second and third with nobody out to get the game started.
Well, sort of suddenly.
Caminero got to second, but not before giving us one of the less graceful slides you will see from a professional athlete. It was part stumble, part survival tactic, part “please just let the bag still be there when I arrive.” He made it, and the Rays were in business.
Then Caleb Durbin ruined the fun.
Chandler Simpson hit a hard liner to third, and Durbin made a terrific reaction play, snagging it and doubling Yandy off third before the Rays could cash in on the scoring position. It was the kind of play that flips an inning in one blink. Tampa Bay had Tolle wobbling, had a chance to grab an early lead, and came away with nothing.
The baseball gods did briefly offer them a second chance when a popup in foul territory near the mound turned into a three-person Red Sox game of “not it” for the baseball. Tolle dropped it while multiple Boston defenders stood around as if catching the ball were not the object of the game. Sometimes big leaguers look like little leaguers. The Rays still could not take advantage, even after Ryan Vilade singled and a passed ball moved him into scoring position. Austin Slater grounded out, and the first inning became a collection of missed chances.
Thankfully for the Rays, Nick Martinez was doing his part to keep the game settled.
Martinez worked a clean first, then started the second by striking out Willson Contreras swinging. He kept Red Sox hitters uncomfortable and did not let Boston stack together the kind of loud inning that can make a game feel uphill early. Masataka Yoshida grounded out, Mickey Gasper popped out, and Martinez had the Rays right where they needed to be.
Boston broke through in the third when Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled to left, Marcelo Mayer moved him to third with a groundout, and Jarren Duran lined a single to center to make it 1-0 Red Sox. Annoying, but effective baseball from the Red Sox is doing the boring things that matter.
The Rays, meanwhile, had to get to Tolle before the game got away from them. After going quietly in the third, they finally cracked him in the fourth, with quite the two-out rally.
Vilade started it with a double to left with one out. Slater popped out, and it looked like another inning where another runner might be stranded. Then Cedric Mullins put a hard grounder through the infield and into right. Vilade rounded third, Wilyer Abreu came up throwing, and Vilade beat the play at the plate to tie the game. It was a welcome pressure release valve after the Rays had let Tolle off the hook earlier.
Then Ben Williamson followed with a shot to the wall in left center for a stand-up double, scoring Mullins and giving the Rays the lead. Nick Fortes kept things moving with another double, bringing Williamson home for a 3-1 lead.
Three doubles in the inning. Three runs. All scored with two outs.
Tolle had spent the first few innings bending but not breaking. In the fourth, the Rays finally found the weak spot and pushed through it.
Martinez took that lead and protected it. In the fifth, Austin Slater helped him out with a leaping catch in right field, robbing what could have been an extra bae hit off the bat of Mickey Gasper. Instead of a leadoff problem, Martinez had an out. He followed with two more lineouts to Chandler Simpson, and the Red Sox were back in the dugout.
The sixth was more of the same. Martinez got Mayer on a flyout, struck out Duran, and then retired Rafaela.
Tampa Bay added what felt like an important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Ben Williamson singled with two outs, Fortes was hit by a pitch, and Richie Palacios lined a single to center to score Williamson and make it 4-1. Again, it came with two outs. Again, it showed the kind of inning extension that has not always been easy for this lineup. A three-run lead with Martinez dealing felt comfortable.
Baseball enjoys mocking comfort.
The Rays had a chance to push for more in the seventh after Vilade singled and Slater reached on a soft grounder to third. For a moment, it looked like another two-out rally was forming. Instead, Vilade got caught in a rundown between second and third, and the inning ended. The Rays still led by three, but leaving extra runs out there always has a way of becoming relevant later.
Sure enough, the eighth inning arrived with trouble attached.
Durbin singled. Kiner-Falefa singled. Then Mayer pulled a ground ball down the right field line that stayed just fair, scoring both runners and cutting the Rays’ lead to 4-3. The barely fair ball left the Rays barely leading. Martinez’s night ended there, and despite the late damage, it was still a strong outing.
Kevin Kelly entered with the tying run at second and nobody out, which is a lovely little stress test for a reliever. He got Duran to ground out, moving Mayer to third, then retired Rafaela and Abreu to escape with the lead intact, which was huge in this game.
The bottom of the eighth offered one more weird twist. Mullins reached on a strikeout and passed ball, giving Tampa Bay a needed baserunner. Williamson then lined a ball to center, but Rafaela made a great play and an even better throw to double Mullins off first. It was impressive for the Red Sox and inconvenient for the Rays.
So the Rays carried a one-run lead to the ninth, because of course they did. Thankfully, the Red Sox had no plans of ending their winless streak when trailing after eight innings this season.
Bryan Baker handled it with no drama, which felt like a generous gift at that point. Contreras popped out, Yoshida grounded out, and Gasper grounded out to finish a 4-3 Rays win.
The Rays look for the sweep on Wednesday with Drew Rasmussen slated to take the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm EDT.
Jun 9, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone (14) runs the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Don’t look now—but the Kansas City Royals officially have themselves a win streak. The Royals secured their third consecutive win (and fifth of their last six games) with a gutsy, impressive come-from-behind 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers.
The first few innings of the game were not particularly kind to the Royals. Texas starter and longtime veteran Nathan Eovaldi was initially excellent, navigating the first four innings without allowing a hit. Meanwhile, though Kansas City starter Stephen Kolek was plenty competent, the Rangers were able to chip away. They scored one in the second inning from a Wyatt Langford walk and back-to-back hits by Ezequiel Duran and Jake Burger. The Rangers—or, well, Evan Carter—scored in the fourth inning with a single, some baserunning gumption, and bad Royals defense. Afterwards, it was 2-0, Rangers.
By the fifth inning, you started to wonder if Eovaldi would be able to shut out the Royals offense and send Kansas City sports fans home sad yet again; they only scored four runs total in their previous series at Kauffman Stadium against the Yankees, after all.
Fortunately, Jac Caglianone said no. After working a wildly impressive 11-pitch walk his first time up, it was time to hit. And Cags did, uncorking a beauty of a home run to right field for a solo shot to disassemble Eovaldi’s no-hit bid and put the Royals on the board.
Though the Royals wouldn’t score that inning, Cags’ home run broke the seal. The Royals started making hard contact on Eovaldi left and right. Carter Jensen led off with a ringing double in the sixth inning, and scored two batters later off a Maikel Garcia triple. Vinnie Pasquantino summoned the right field Pasquatch by launching a ground rule double to center field. That gave the Royals a 3-2 lead.
Then, Cags came up to bat against a brand new pitcher, lefty Jalen Beeks. Jac saw one pitch. He hit one pitch. And thus, a two-home run game was his. That gave the Royals a 5-2 lead.
The Rangers would claw another run back following a Joc Pederson triple in the seventh inning. Fortunately, that was the last run they would score. For a minute there, it sure looked like the Royals would need that extra insurance. Alex Lange came out of the bullpen to secure a save in the ninth inning and uncorked seven consecutive balls—well, six, and then a generous “strike” that the Rangers fortunately did not challenge. Two passed balls skipped by Jensen’s, which put Burger at third base. But Lange struck out Pederson to end the inning and the game.
One thing to keep an eye on after tonight’s contest is Kyle Isbel. Isbel rounded first base a little gimpy, and he was immediately taken out of the game to be replaced by Tyler Tolbert on the bases and then in center field. Hopefully it’s nothing too major.
Regardless, this was an impressive win for the Royals. It was the type of game two weeks ago that would have gotten out of hand, but Kansas City fought their way back. Caglianone finished the night with another single, putting him on base four times. The sooner he can get ahead of Salvador Perez in the lineup (who went 0-4 to lower his on base percentage on the year to an even .250), the better it will be for everyone. And just like that, the Royals are 4.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot.
Jun 9, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Jesus Sanchez (12) congratulates catcher Brandon Valenzuela (59) on his game winning walk off RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Phillies 2 Jays 3
Man, baseball is great.
In the top of the ninth, Louis Varland gave up his first run since Jesús (Sánchez) was a boy (yes, I’m going to hell). Well, since April 25th. Varland walked Bryce Harper to lead off the inning. Then got Brandon Marsh to strike out. Alec Bohm ground out, moving Harper to second and Bryson Slott doubled. A ground out (great play by Charles McAdoo at first base) ends the inning, but it seemed too late.
In the bottom of the inning:
Sánchez singled to start the inning (his homer was the Jays only run of the first eight innings). Myles Straw came in to pinch run (good move John). Yohendrick Piñango singled on a hit and run (our hardest hit ball of the game 103.9 MPH). I really don’t like the hit and run, but it looks so good when it works (it might have been a straight steal, and a hit by Lips). Runners on the corners. Daulton Varsho pinch ran for Lips. Varsho stole second. Pretty brave of the Jays. A wild pitch scored Straw.
And then Brandon Valenzuela played hero again, lining one over the drawn in infield. That was Jhoan Duran’s first blown save of the season. His ERA jumped all the way to 2.00 from 1.25.
Dylan Cease was amazing in his first start back after being on the IL. He went 6 innings, allowing just 3 hits, 1 earned (he gave up a pair of doubles in the first inning), a walk with 11 strikeouts. Sportsnet tells us he set a new Jays record with 29 whiffs. He was amazing.
Jeff Hoffman allowed a hit in the seventh, with two strikeouts. Before Bryson Stott’s single, he popped one up to near the Phillies dugout, Valenzuela and McAdoo both were close but it seemed neither called it and Brandon made a less second lunge towards it but missed. Plays like that really need to be made. Then, the ‘hit’ was a ground ball to short (not an easy play) but Andrés Giménez seemed to be a little slow in throwing it, and Stott was barely safe. Called out on the Phillies’ Challenge,
Mason Fluharty had a very quick eighth. Two lineouts and a strikeout.
The Phillies Zack Wheeler also had a terrific start. 6 innings, 6 hits, 1 earned, no walks and 5 strikeouts. Sánchez’s solo homer (he had a game) was the run against.
We had nine hits. Sánchez had 3, single, double, homer. Piñango 2. Ernie Clement, Giménez (with a hit by pitch) and McAdoo had 0 fors.
Jays of the Day: Sánchez (0.35 WPA), Piñango (0.27), Cease (0.19), Fluharty (0.11) and Hoffman (0.09). It also has Straw at 0.28 (for running the bases???) which I’m thinking is a typo of some sort.
The Other Award: Varland (-0.30 for the run in the ninth, the lead off walk was costly), Clement (-0.13) and McAdoo (-0.10). It has Valenzuela at a -0.13 but he had the game winning hit, so I think that must be an error.
Tomorrow we have game 3 of this series. Jesús Luzardo (4-4, 4.56) vs. Max Scherzer (1-3, 9.64) back from the IL.
I really enjoyed the GameThread again tonight. I will say that, you can call a player’s performance lousy, but if you (over and over) insult a player in a way that gets your comment deleted, don’t be surprised when the system bans you. A player’s play can be bad, but don’t make your complaints about him personal. If you do, I won’t miss you.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 09: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates with Julio Rodríguez #44 after hitting a two-run home run in the tenth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 09, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Over a two-week stretch from May 22 to June 5, the Orioles won ten of fourteen games, and looked to be edging their way back into a playoff position. Well, just a few days later, those good vibes seem pretty distant. It’s not that, numerically, the Orioles have dug themselves into an impossible hole, but that the on-field play looks so uneven that even if they did play themselves into a Wild Card, you doubt they’d do much with it.
Tonight’s 6-5, ten-inning loss was ridiculous in a couple of ways. Start with the offense making Seattle’s Logan Gilbert look like a sitting duck in the first inning (he had to throw 31 pitches and gave up a run to break his 17.2-inning scoreless streak), then disappearing for six innings, during which Gilbert retired fourteen in a row. Equally ridiculous: the Birds mounted a two-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth (against a lefty!), but they had to do it after Leody Taveras struck out by automatic violation after losing track of the count. Likewise ridiculous: after tying it, 4-4, to go to extras, the game-winning home run was a two-run bomb hit off Rico Garcia by Randy Arozarena on a slider that was half a foot off the plate. Finally, really ridiculous: the Birds were thrown out at the plate three times tonight. Tyler O’Neill accounted for two of them, including in the bottom of the ninth, with the game tied, 4-4. Blaze Alexander was the other one, in the bottom of the tenth, with his team down, 6-5, a run that would have staved off a loss.
I’m still processing through my feelings on this one. It felt, first and foremost, like offensive opportunities were wasted, both at the plate and on the basepaths. As I said, if you watched just the first inning, you’d have thought the O’s were on their way to an easy win. Five of the first nine O’s hitters reached off Gilbert, who, true to his scouting report, looked like his fastballs are a weakness.
That run, which feels like it was ages ago, came on two singles by Taylor Ward (solid as DH tonight) and Pete Alonso, who lost his bat in the stands before hitting a single the other way, a great walk by Colton Cowser, and a sac fly by Leody Taveras that would have been a hit but for M’s centerfielder Julio Rodríguez running to gobble it up.
At that point, I would have been stunned to hear that the O’s would rack up one hit and no more runs against Seattle’s starter, or that the latter would go six. But that’s exactly what we got. Stupid baserunning “helped,” as it has with the Orioles of late, when O’Neill, standing at third with two on and one out in the second, tried to score on a grounder. He failed, and the Orioles’ best chance for the first six innings evaporated.
After that: bupkis. After third-string catcher Sam Huff hit a one-out double in the second, Gilbert kept the O’s hitless between the second and seventh innings.
As for Trevor Rogers, he feels like an afterthought today. This start was [shrug]. His line—three runs in 5 2/3 innings—isn’t terrible, and he had just one bad inning, the fourth, when he gave up an Earl Weaver Special to Mitch Garver.
But more concerningly, this makes his third straight start in a row with obvious stamina problems. And he had just three strikeouts, none before the fourth inning. This might be the most concerning thing about Rogers this season (although I’d be open to other suggestions): his strikeout rate, which was a ludicrous 12.54 per game in a brief rookie debut in 2020 and an admirable 10.62 in his All-Star 2021, is down to 6.60 this year.
Back to the blow-by-blow. Andrew Kittredge was summoned to help Rogers close out the sixth inning, which he did nicely, but then he allowed a fourth run in the seventh, all on two outs, when with one on, Julio Rodríguez murdered a Kittredge sinker—I mean it, that thing left his bat at 115 mph—and Arozarena dumped a run-scoring single into left, making it 4-1. This felt insurmountable, and ultimately, it was, but not in the way you expected.
The Orioles got the run back in the bottom of the seventh, though I can’t say they made impressive contact doing it. Coby Mayo reached on an error and Jackson Holliday just legged out a bunt (it was fun to see him flaunt the speed). But then, whomp whomp, Tyler O’Neill hit into a double play. A buzzkill, but not a total rally-killer. Mariners reliever Alex Hoppe uncorked a dreadful curveball, and Mayo trotted home.
Keegan Akin and Tyler Wells pitched competent innings each of them, Wells, especially, with a pickoff of Victor Robles at first. Nice to see for the big guy.
Then came the fireworks. The Orioles had one more chance at a comeback in the ninth, although the odds felt long against a lefty in José Ferrer. Longer, even, when Leody Taveras led off the ninth by striking out in the stupidest way imaginable, losing track of the count with two strikes, and stepping outside of the box so long he got rung up for an automatic third strike.
The Birds weren’t deterred, though, and Coby Mayo, next man up, worked a great at-bat, fouling off a bunch of outside fastballs until he got a meatball down the middle. It was a beaut, the O’s’ biggest big blast of the game, and here is a link to balance out the bad with some good:
Now 4-3, the M’s probably still weren’t breaking a sweat, but maybe they started to when Jeremiah Jackson legged out a swinging bunt. Nothing seemed likely to happen with Tyler O’Neill up next, but O’Neill got a fastball from a lefty and did what we hoped he’d do all year: smack it. The ball went for a ground-rule double, but Jackson scored when pinch-hitter Samuel Basallo bounced a grounder to the right side of the infield. The game was tied, 4-4. There was a chance for more, as Taylor Ward walked (of course) to load the bases, but unfortunately, Gunnar (bad game for him today), hit a quick grounder, and lead runner O’Neill was thrown out at the plate for the second time tonight. We went to extras.
With a man on and reliable Rico Garcia on the mound, Randy Arozarena got this pitch and still managed to send it, oppo-style, to the flag court. Garcia looked amazed. So, if you’d seen me on my couch, did I.
Could the O’s counter?? Almost, is the answer. More shenanigans sunk them. Their ghost runner was Pete Alonso, exactly the last person you’d want. But he was actually fine. Blaze Alexander, who’s already done everything humanly possible for this team, took an HBP and then, with two on, no out, Leody Taveras made up for his boneheaded strikeout in the ninth, serving a single to right to score the Polar Bear. The lead was down to one. But Mayo hit a weird pop-out that Seattle second baseman Ryan Bliss fully laid out for. A stupid first out. More stupidity next: Jeremiah Jackson hit a grounder, and the speedy Blaze took off from third. Blaze wasn’t fast enough, and became the third Oriole to get cut down at home plate tonight. The comeback stalled, and the score stayed right there, 6-5 Seattle.
What a weird game. Give the Birds credit for rallying, down two in the ninth, against a lefty. So there’s some gumption here. But my sense, with three runs left at home plate, is that their baserunning game stinks. Just a thought. They’ll try to salvage what they can of this series tomorrow with Brandon Young facing George Kirby at 6:35 Eastern. Sheesh.
