Category: MLB

First Career Pitcher of the Month Award for Astros hurler.

HOUSTON, TX – Major League Baseball announced today that Astros RHP Spencer Arrighetti has been named American League Pitcher of the Month for May. It is the first Pitcher of the Month Award and second monthly award overall for Arrighetti. He was also named AL Rookie of the Month for August of 2024.

Arrighetti was outstanding in the month of May, posting a 4-1 record in his five starts with an 0.93 ERA (3ER/29IP) and a .165 opponents batting average. He led the AL in ERA and opponents batting average and was tied for first in wins. Arrighetti allowed just three earned runs in his five May starts, allowing one or no earned runs in all five starts. For the season, he is 7-1 in his eight starts with a 1.34 ERA and a .167 opponents batting average. Despite making just eight starts, he is tied for third in the AL in wins and would be leading in ERA as well if he had enough innings to qualify.

Arrighetti is the first Astros hurler to earn Pitcher of the Month honors since RHP Hunter Brown won the award for June of 2025. He is also the Astros second monthly award winner in 2026 as Yordan Alvarez was named AL Player of the Month for March/April of this season.

Worcester: W, 3-2 (BOX SCORE)

Jake Bennett threw five innings of great work, allowing just one hit to propel the WooSox to a lead, but they couldn’t get any run support for him and so they pulled into the ninth inning trailing the Bison (Blue Jays AAA) 2-1. Enter a rally that got everyone involved: Anthony Seigler lead-off double, Kristian Campbell groundout to advance Seigler, Mikey Romero triple to tie it up, and then Tsung-Che Cheng scored on a wild pitch that ended the game. Before that Seigler hit, the WooSox had one hit all game (also from Seigler), but they got the two other knocks exactly where it counted.

Portland: W, 9-0 (BOX SCORE)

This game had everything in 2026 Red Sox farm team tropes. Anthony Eyanson going five and not allowing a run, the team unloading their offense as if there won’t be close game where one run is needed later, a Brooks Brannon home run, and of course, a Franklin Arias home run, just as his OPS began to hover dangerously close to that 1.000 mark. The home run gave Arias 13 on the season and put the Sea Dogs up 6-0 on the Yard Goats (Rockies AA) but, with the way Eyanson, Halligan and Erik Rivera pitched, it would never have gotten close.

Greenville: L, 2-8 (BOX SCORE)

Marcus Phillips put in one of his best starts of the season, albeit a short one, but it didn’t stop Joe Vogatsky from melting down to start the seventh and allowing six total runs to the Emperors (Braves High-A), putting the team down much more than they could muster in a four-hit night.

Salem: L, 7-14 (BOX SCORE)

And speaking of “more than they could muster,” though the RidgeYaks pitching staff struck out thirteen Warbirds (Brewers A) they also walked thirteen and gave up fourteen, twelve earned. Not that the RidgeYaks were going down without a fight. Skylar King hit two home runs to boost his season total to 7 (and who also only seems to homer in losing efforts), and Kleyvar Salazar nuked a ball in about the biggest no-doubter I’ve seen in A-ball. Still, it’s tough to win when you’re going against 14 runs, and this one was never close.

After early reports of a heat wave, the expectation tempered down to about 80 here in the Albany area and it’ll be milder still in Boston. Perfect baseball weather in the evening. So, have a well-rounded Wednesday.

How about a spicy, hot take to start things off? The 2015 draft was a pretty good one, but probably isn’t as valuable these last couple of years as maybe it was three or four years ago. The first round of the 2015 draft produced 33 players who reached the major leagues. To date, those players have accumulated 262.1 WAR. Just one year earlier, the draft yielded 30 players who reached the majors from the first round for a total of 244.9 bWAR. The 2017 draft actually saw 36 players reach the majors. But boy did things fall off of a cliff, just 83.4 bWAR between them. The top three players in terms of bWAR from the 2015 draft, have more bWAR between them than the whole first round in 2016.

Why do I bring up this seemingly arbitrary observation? Those top three players in bWAR? Alex Bregman (44.6), Dansby Swanson (29.7) and Kyle Tucker (28.1). For good measure, fourth is Ian Happ (24.2). I’d say at this point there is a better than even money shot that Ian Happ ends up being the second most productive (by bWAR) player in that draft when all is said and done. Maybe Tucker rebounds his career and makes me look silly on that. Or even Austin Riley, who is a bit lower on that list.

We certainly know by now that I’m a bigger Ian Happ fan than most of you. And I’m not sure I’ve ever had a bad word for any of Bregman, Swanson or Tucker here. But can we please ask that the Cubs stop pinning such a large chunk of their future on a draft class that is 10 years old this month? That should mean that the majority of these players are on the back 9 of their career by now. The Swanson signing was certainly a good one early in its existence. Right now, the last few years of that deal are beginning to look like quite an albatross. Kyle Tucker looked like a shrewd trade for the first few months of 2025. By the end, it was hard not to see it as unfortunate, even if you could see the wisdom of it at the time it was made. The Bregman signing??? The early returns say he’s a great teammate. But boy, the results have been rough to look at.

The irony is that Ian Happ has been the most productive of the four through the first part of 2026 and he’s set to be a free agent and quite possibly follow Tucker out the door while Swanson and Bregman stay here on hefty contracts that appear to be underwater. It’s really hard to win when you have a lot of dead money on the payroll. It doesn’t matter if you are a top spender or a spendthrift. Though Tucker’s future contract for the Dodgers is obscene. Amusingly, doing a little googling of blog posts about worst baseball contracts, I came across Andrew Benintendi another 2015 1st round pick comes up, as does Ke’Bryan Hayes, who I’ve seen rumored a few times as a Cubs trade target.

Just step away from that draft. Okay?

I didn’t talk much about the Cubs/A’s game here. But you get it. Bregman, Happ and Swanson all came up empty in this game. And so did the rest of the offense not named Nico Hoerner, really. Jameson Taillon showed signs of life, but it just didn’t matter. The Cubs managed four hits and drew two walks. Six baserunners is pathetic, particularly since three of those were Nico. Two more would be Pete Crow-Armstrong. The rest of the team was missing in action.

The cushion from the 20-3 stretch is gone. The team will start tomorrow off a game back in the Wild Card race. It’s too far from the end of the season to spend any time on that. But over the last 101 games, the Cubs will have to fight off teams in front and behind them in order to achieve one of the coveted playoff spots in the NL. As it stands right now, it appears that the target is going to be a little higher than usual to get into the playoffs. The Cubs are one of 11 teams with a .500 or better record. They’ll feast on each other some and reduce that number. But it might easily take 88 or more wins to get in. There’s a lot of work to be done. It didn’t have to be this way, but here we are.

Three Positives:

• Nico Hoerner had a single, drew two walks, stole a base and scored a run. The Cubs needed a lot more Nicos.
• Jameson Taillon threw 6.1 innings, allowing six hits, a walk and two runs. He struck out six and had a wild pitch. He pitched well enough to win.
• Hoby Milner just keeps on getting it done. Five up and five down. One strikeout.

PCA had a couple of singles, one off of a lefty. Had he not been caught stealing, I’d have listed him above.

Game 61, June 2: A’s 2, Cubs 1 (32-29)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Nico Hoerner (.193). 1-2, 2 BB, R, SB
• Hero: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.155). 2-4, CS
• Sidekick: Jameson Taillon (.086). 6.1 IP, 26 BF, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K, WP (L 2-5)

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Alex Bregman (-.260). 0-4, RBI
• Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.249). 0-4
• Kid: Ian Happ (-.192). 0-3, HBP

WPA Play of the Game: PCA’s single with Nico on first in the ninth inning and no outs. It set the table for late game heroics by the middle of the Cub order. (.185)

A’s Play of the Game: Alex Bregman followed with a strikeout. Hat tip to Scott Barlow. (.184)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 60 Winner: Alex Bregman received 40 of 99 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Michael Busch +21
• Ian Happ +10.5
• Nico Hoerner/Michael Conforto +10
• Alex Bregman/Ben Brown +9.5
• Ryan Rolison/Phil Maton -8
• Jameson Taillon -9
• Matt Shaw -10
• Dansby Swanson -13
• Seiya Suzuki -28.5

Current Win Pace: 85 wins

Up Next: Back at it Wednesday night at Wrigley. Pitching definitely wasn’t Tuesday’s problem, and Colin Rea (5-3, 4.70, 59.1 IP) has been one of the better Cub starters. Last time out, he was a winner, allowing two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings. He had a dip in May. Hopefully getting home gets him to bounce back. The A’s lineup isn’t particularly formidable.

Another lefty pitcher after the Cubs have lost consecutive starts against lefties. 33-year-old Jeffrey Springs (3-6, 4.07, 66.1 IP) is making his 13th start. He’s in a rough rut. In his last seven starts, he is 0-5 with a 4.66 ERA. He’s allowed 39 hits and 11 walks. That’s lead to 19 earned runs in just 36.2 innings. This team needs to get back to grinding teams down. It just hasn’t been there for weeks now.

Bounce back. A couple of weeks ago was the best time. Absent that, might as well start with this one.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 6-5 at Syracuse Mets

3B George Lombard Jr. 1-3, 3 BB, RBI, K — celebrated 21st birthday with a bunch of walks and a 111-mph single
CF Spencer Jones 2-4, 2 BB, RBI, K
SS Oswaldo Cabrera 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 SF
1B Tyler Hardman 0-5, 2 K
DH Seth Brown 2-5, 2B, RBI, 3 K
C Payton Henry 0-2, K
PH-C Ali Sánchez 0-2, BB, catcher interference error
RF Ernesto Martinez Jr. 2-4, HR, BB, RBI — solo shot to put RailRiders ahead in sixth
PR-RF Duke Ellis 0-0, SB — swiped his 25th base in 26 chances
2B Jonathan Ornelas 2-4, BB, K, CS
LF Kenedy Corona 1-3, 2 BB

Dom Hamel 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, HR (win)
Danny Watson 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K — the funk was funkin’
Yovanny Cruz 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Carson Coleman 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 1 K — turned a 6-2 lead into a one-run edge, hence Montero
Rafael Montero 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (save) — got Kevin Parada to fly out with winning run on in the ninth

Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 4-3 at Harrisburg Senators

CF Jace Avina 0-2 — left the game after running the bases in the top of the third
1B Miguel Palma 1-2, BB, RBI, K, throwing error
RF-CF Garrett Martin 3-4, 2B, HR, BB, RBI, K — 17th homer in 48 games at Double-A
1B-RF Nicholas Torres 0-5, RBI, 2 K, SB
LF DJ Gladney 1-4, 2B, RBI, K — 108 mph on ripped double in the third
DH Jackson Castillo 0-4, 2 K
C Manuel Palencia 1-2, 2 BB, CS
2B Connor McGinnis 0-4, K, throwing error
3B Kevin Verde 2-4, 2B, K, GIDP
SS Owen Cobb 1-4, 2 K, throwing error — yeah the Pats were chucking the ball around a little

Trent Sellers 6.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, HR (win)
Will Brian 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Ben Grable 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (save)

"A laser of a BOMB!" 🗣️

Garrett Martin SMASHES his @Yankees farm system and Eastern League-leading 17th HR of the season! pic.twitter.com/6oUzT6vqee

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 2, 2026

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 3-7 at Frederick Keys — held to five hits despite the three runs

2B Kaeden Kent 0-5, RBI, K
SS Core Jackson 3-5, 2B, RBI, K, SB — briefly put Hudson Valley ahead in the second with an RBI single
DH Eric Genther 0-5, 4 K — golden sombrero among 14 K’s for ’Gades on the day
1B Kyle West 1-2, 2B, BB, RBI, K, SF
RF Wilson Rodriguez 0-4, K, outfield assist
3B Roderick Arias 1-4, 2 K, throwing error
C Josue Gonzalez 0-1, 2 BB, HBP
LF Josh Moylan 0-4, 4 K — another golden sombrero and a no-contact day
CF Camden Troyer 0-2, 2 K

Bryce Cunningham 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 2 WP (loss) — 2024 second-rounder has just had a tough go of it this year
Andrew Landry 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Thomas Balboni Jr. 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K — good relief from Landry and Balboni
Aaron Nixon 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, HBP
Tanner Bauman 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 12-1 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals — 12 runs on 8 hits, sounds like A-ball

SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 2-4, 3B, HR, BB, 2 RBI, K, throwing error — went oppo taco into the Short Porch at GMS Field
3B Hans Montero 2-3, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, K, SB — solo shot in the third
DH Luis Puello 0-4, BB, 2 K
LF JoJo Jackson 1-3, 2 BB
RF Willy Montero 2-3, 2 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, SB — cleared the bases on an excuse-me double in the eighth, pretty great day for the Monteros!
C Engelth Urena 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, K — a fun, majestic dinger
CF Luis Durango 0-4, BB, K
1B Austin Green 0-4, BB
2B Luis Escudero 0-3, BB, K

Thatcher Hurd 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 4 K — better second start than his Tampa debut
Luis Velasquez 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (win) — sat just shy of 97 with the sinker and fastball
Justin West 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, pickoff (save)

Hans 7th @Colonygrill ‘Hot Oil Homer’ of the year! ⚾️ 💥 #tampatarpons#MakingWavespic.twitter.com/nkY1KJNvSv

— Tampa Tarpons (@TampaTarpons) June 3, 2026

Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 4-3 vs. FCL Blue Jays

1B Richard Matic 1-4, K, SB
CF Wilberson De Pena 0-4, 3 K
DH Queni Pineda 1-4, RBI, K
3B Leni Done 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 K, SB
LF-RF Estivenzon Montero 1-3, BB
SS Dexters Peralta 2-3, BB, K
C Justin Capellan 1-3, BB, CS, passed ball
2B Christofer Reyes 0-2, BB, K
RF Isael Arias 0-2, K
PH David McCann 1-1, HR, 3 RBI — clubbed a go-ahead, three-run blast in the seventh for decisive blow
LF Gabriel Lara 0-0

Blake Gillespie 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HR
Brian Arias 1 IP, 0 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, HBP, WP
Austin Breedlove 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, WP (win) — wonderful work from a wonderful name

Dominican Summer League Yankees:L, 14-15 vs. DSL Mets Blue — led 9-0 after three innings and blew it, woof; allowed seven in the fifth, three in the seventh, and five to let the Mets go ahead in the ninth

CF Isaias Castillo 4-6, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, K, 2 fielding errors, outfield assist — finished hitting for the cycle with a double in the sixth, very nice; the defense less so
DH Stiven Marinez 1-3, 3 BB, RBI, SB
RF Yostin Pena 3-5, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, K — the second of four multi-hit games for DSL Yanks
SS Juan Torres 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI, K, GIDP
C Cesar Lopez 1-6, 2B, RBI, passed ball, missed catch error
3B Abrahan Pichardo 1-2, 2B, 4 BB, K, 2 SB — made last out as DSL Yanks went 1-2-3 in the ninth to end it after the Mets’ five-run frame
1B Edgar Jimenez 0-5, RBI, 3 K, fielding error — only guy without a hit
2B Emmanuel Orozco 1-3, BB, RBI, HBP
LF Kendry Diaz 3-3, BB, HBP, SB — perfect (if somewhat painful) pro debut for 2026 IFA signee

Sebastian Rivas 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K — perfect pro debut for 2026 IFA signee; game got silly from there!
Dalvin Taveras 2.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 5 K— pro debut for 2026 IFA signee, defense didn’t help him
Emanuel Vargas 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 5 K, 2 WP
Brandon Rodriguez 1.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, HR, WP — pro debut for 2026 IFA signee, tough one, as he was largely behind the ninth-inning collapse
Varis Villarreal 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K (loss)

DSL: 🚨Isaías Castillo hits a 3-Run (1) Blast! 5-0 vs DSL Mets!#RepBx#Yankeespic.twitter.com/7FHj0zOuOK

— YankeesFarm (@YankeesFarm) June 2, 2026

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 3-9 (7) at DSL Miami

DH Dariel Santana 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, K — pro debut for 2026 IFA signee, tied game with a two-run double in the third, his first-ever hit
SS Mani Cedeno 1-3
3B Germayhoni Beltre 0-3, GIDP, throwing error — tough day at the office for the kid
RF David Carrera 1-3, K, CS
LF Richard Meran 0-3, K, GIDP
1B Stalen Ramirez 0-3, K, fielding error
C Jesus Guerrero 1-3, 2 K
2B Adrian Feliz 2-3, HR, RBI — first pro homer in the fifth, a solo shot
CF Alfiery Matos 0-1, BB

Junior Tavera 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 4 BB, 5 K, HR, HBP, WP, pickoff error (loss)
Mauricio Vargas 0 IP, 1 H, 5 R (5 ER), 4 BB, 0 K, 2 WP — no control at all, not the 2026 debut he wanted; DSL Bombers allowed four runs to score in the fourth on wild pitches, and two of them came from Vargas
Lenin Caceres 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 3 K, HBP, WP
Ronald Tejada 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

It’s one thing to be bad. It’s worse to be bad when you were supposed to be good.

It’s another thing altogether to be historically bad, ranking among the worst teams in the history of the franchise, when you were supposed to be good.

The Phillies’ offense is off to a historically terrible start. Coming into Tuesday’s three-game series against the Padres at Citizens Bank Park, their .224 team batting average is 2nd-worst in MLB (Padres, .218). Even in a season in which offenses throughout baseball are generally struggling, it is particularly terrible.

But even worse, their .224 average is the worst, through any team’s first 59 games in franchise history, of all time. The previous worst average, .226, belonged to the 1941 Phillies, the subject of a recent book by my Hittin’ Season podcast co-host and former Good Phight site director Justin Klugh, Summer of the Cheap Wieners. That squad lost 111 games. They did not have one of the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball.

They were so bad, their manager even went temporarily blind.

Their OBP is only 5th-worst, so at least they have that going for them!

They haven’t scored more than four runs in a game, since May 18. They haven’t reached double figures in hits since May 18. Over their last 11 games, they’ve scored 26 runs and tallied 59 hits. During their 4-2 road trip, the offense put up a slash line of .169/.229/.339.

Oh, and that $300+ million payroll features an active roster of position players that has tallied the 3rd-fewest Fangraphs WAR so far this season. Here are their rankings by position in terms of fWAR through May.

• Catcher (19th)
• First Base (21st)
• Second Base (T-16th)
• Third Base (27th)
• Shortstop (24th)
• Left Field (29th)
• Center Field (24th)
• Right field (T-20th)
• Outfield (29th)
• Designated Hitter (7th)

There are only three positions in which the Phillies rank inside the top-20 (2B, C, DH), but only Kyle Schwarber ranks among the top-half at his position. And Kyle doesn’t actually play a position.

Now, we can certainly argue about the value of WAR if the position primarily played by Bryce Harper is ranked 21st, although according to Fangraphs, Harper has been worth 1.0 WAR at that position, while Dylan Moore accumulated -0.2 fWAR and Felix Reyes -0.4 in their very brief moments at first. So yeah, there’s some noise there.

That being said, these are not the results one would, or should, expect from a $300+ payroll.

Adolis Garcia entered the week hitting .191/.274/.296 with just four home runs. He has 3 hits in his last 57 at-bats, with 30 strikeouts. The easy decision would be to sit him and replace him with someone else. The problem is there is no one in AAA worthy of doing that.

The same can be said for Bryson Stott and his .217/.264/.380 slash line. Or Bohm’s .210/.271/.335. Or J.T. Realmuto’s .220/.296/.299. Or Trea Turner’s .223/.273/.349. Or Justin Crawford’s .234/.297/.341.

There will be no hot prospect to ride to the rescue. Moving Bryce Harper to right field and trading for Boston’s Willson Contreras or Houston’s Christian Walker might be beneficial, but cannot overcome five regulars with OBP’s under .300. Same with adding Mike Trout.

I wish I could tell you there was a solution, but we both know there isn’t. At least not here in the middle of the season.

I do know that if the offense doesn’t improve, they will not go 18-10 in June, July, August or September. They cannot rely on Cristopher Sanchez never giving up another run again. They should not rely on Zack Wheeler to keep posting ERAs under 2.00. They should expect uneven pitching from Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter.

The Phils will hang around the wild card race all season. Their pitching is good enough, and the competition around the rest of the NL after the Big Three (Dodgers, Braves and Brewers), is middling (8 teams are no more than 2 1/2 games apart for the three wild cards).

All the Phillies can do is hope the breakout is right around the corner.

The Atlanta Braves DSL level squad, the lowest level in professional baseball, opened their play on June 1st to become the final affiliated league to get underway in 2026. I thought now would be a good time to take a look at that roster and give you some players to watch from that team.

Unlike the other rosters, this team is filled with all international signings, mostly between the ages of 16-18. Some of these guys are still very much unknowns, so there isn’t much talk or data surrounding them. However there are definitely some players worth tracking this summer on this team as there are both some six and seven figure bonus guys and lesser known talents on the roster – and you never know who will grow into the next Ronald Acuna Jr, Didier Fuentes, or even Michael Martinez – all players the Braves signed for little money without a ton of hype.

Pitchers

Hector Aguiar is a 18-year-old Panamanian right-handed pitcher signed this year for an unreported signing bonus. He won’t turn 19 until mid-August, but has reportedly touched 97 MPH with his fastball already.

Jonathan Hechavarria only turns 17 on June 4th, but signed for $340k out of Cuba this year. He is presently listed as being out on the 60-day IL, but he is an outfielder turned pitcher that is already up to 94 MPH.

Diego Ramirez is a Venezuelan lefty who turns 17 on June 12th, but is already to to 92 MPH from the left side at the age of 16.

Efrailin Caminero is a 17-year-old who doesn’t turn 18 until after the season. The Braves signed him out of the Dominican for six figures this winter ($150k).

Catchers

Jorwin Pulido is a 17-year-old Venezuelan catcher that won’t turn 18 until after the season. The Braves gave him $350k this year as the fifth biggest bonus in their class. He’s an athletic catcher with some power in his bat that hit in the three-hole in his first game and went two for three with a walk.

Infielders

Jose Manon was the Braves biggest international signee this year, getting $1.5M out of the Dominican. He projects as a solid all around shortstop. In his first pro at bat he homered, and added another hit in that game. Manon already ranks on our refreshed Top 30 as reports on him have been positive.

Edelson Cabral is a 16-year-old Dominican who doesn’t turn 17 until July. He signed for $600k and has also earned a spot on our most recent Top 30 because of strong reports. Cabral is known for his advanced feel for hitting at a young age and is a solid runner with a chance to grow into average power, though there is some question about where he sticks defensively. He was one for three with a walk in his first professional game, and is sounding like a potential steal for under a million dollars.

Yassel Pena is formerly known as Yassel Garcia, a player the Braves signed last year for $247.5k out of the Dominican. He debuted last year and hit .202/.404/.282 in 38 games. He is a switch hitting middle infielder with some speed, though can definitely get a little more strength – though he will still just be 18 until December.

Angel Carmona got $447.5k out of Venezuela last year and debuted with a slash line of .253/.374/.453 with nine extra base hits in 20 games. Unfortunately the now-18-year-old is listed as being on the restricted list, but he is still young and has shown promise both before and after signing.

Durban Arnedo is a Colombian infielder who just turned 17 in mid-May. The Braves gave him $275k this winter and is seen as a potential source of power. He is likely to get looks at third base.

Luis Fortunato is a 17-year-old Dominican shortstop who signed for six figures this winter ($150k). Fortunato was in the lineup for the first game and scored a run.

Outfielders

Starlyn De La Cruz was the Braves second largest signing this year, getting $1.2M out of the Dominican. He is 17-years-old all season. His power and speed are what sticks out, despite not being especially big at 5’10, 170-pounds. The hope is that he will be able to stick in center defensively. De La Cruz was one for four in his pro debut.

Osmar Torrealba is a 17-year-old who won’t hit 18 until next February. The Braves signed him for $400k out of Venezuela. Torrealba went one for four in his pro debut.

Elias Reyno is an 18-year-old Dominican outfielder that signed for $297.5k last year. He debuted last year and hit .178/.397/.271 in 42 games. He only turned 18 back in April and has shown an ability to get on base.

Sherrintely Da Costa Gomez received $250k to sign out of Curacao this winter and made his debut in the team’s first game with a single and two walks in four plate appearances. He is seen as a contact hitter who could develop more power and already has strong athleticism. He won’t turn 18 until the winter.

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The Seattle Mariners will look to complete a series sweep as they host the New York Mets on Wednesday afternoon.

Seattle profiles well against New York starter Freddy Peralta, which is why I’m taking the home team to bring out the brooms in my Mets vs. Mariners predictions below.

Read on for more analysis and to get my free MLB picks for Wednesday, June 3.

Who will win Mets vs Mariners today: Mariners moneyline (-138)

The Seattle Mariners should be able to get another win behind George Kirby this afternoon. Kirby has an outstanding chase rate of 35.8% in 2026, which will play well against a New York Mets lineup chasing out of the zone 31.4% of the time.

Freddy Peralta has labored over his last four starts, putting up an ERA of 4.37 and a 1.54 WHIP in 22.2 innings of work. The Mariners' lineup has a .757 OPS against righties this season, and should hit Peralta hard. I’m taking Seattle to win as long as I can get at least a -150 payout.

Mets vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (+113)

While Kirby should get the best of the Mets this afternoon, there are reasons to expect they’ll put up a little offense. New York has scored at least two runs in eight straight games, and Kirby is going through a rough patch, posting a 6.88 ERA over his last three starts.

If the Mets can post a couple of runs, I’m confident that Seattle will handle the rest of the total against Peralta, who is posting the worst hard-hit percentage (39.6%) and strikeout rate (23.9%) of his career so far in 2026. I’m backing the Over at even money or better.

Mets vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Mets +133 | Mariners -138
• Run line: Mets +1.5 (-163) | Mariners -1.5 (+156)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+113) | Under 7.5 (-117)

Mets vs Mariners trend

The Mariners are 8-0 straight up in their last eight games overall. Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Mariners.

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Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks Multiple Comebacks Fall Short
The Dodgers found a way to scratch out just enough against a struggling Michael Soroka and Jonathan Loaisiga in order to level the four-game series at one a piece.

Missed Chances Cost Diamondbacks Against Dodgers
When one is playing a team the caliber of the Dodgers, missed opportunities will often come back to bite.

Corbin Carroll Has Lefties in a Blender
Having the current-best lefty-on-lefty hitter in the game is fun.

Diamondbacks Must Face Ugly Truth About Win-Loss Record Splits
The Diamondbacks simply must get better against teams with a winning record if they want to remain in contention.

More ABs in the Complex League last night for #Dbacks OF Jordan Lawlar, he finished 1 for 3 with a run scored, stolen base, and a walk. He did not play in the field, and served as the DH. https://t.co/FCOZkJ95sI

— Arizona Diamondbacks | Stats & Info (@DbacksStatsInfo) June 3, 2026

Other Baseball News

Just Baseball’s Power Rankings Update for June
The Diamondbacks climbed to #7 while the brewers surged up the rankings all the way to #3.

Nothing Is Going Right for the Cubs
The pre-season favourite to win the NL Central is currently in freefall.

How Padres’ Sale Complete Peter Seidler’s Legacy
Seidler’s decision to allow A.J. Preller to “spend recklessly” has paid off in spades for the Padres and now sees them competing with the Dodgers for the NL West.

Who Are These Guys?
The batting leaderboards are becoming littered with a bevvy of new names.

NL Cy Young Race Shaping Into Epic Showdown
What’s even more fun is that the four big contenders are all going about their particular blend of dominance in different ways.

This season the Nats have matched up well with high priced teams like the Braves, Padres and Mets. However, the scrappy Marlins have given them all sorts of issues. They have lost four straight games against the fish, and these games follow familiar patterns. The Marlins are able to quiet the Nats bats, and then the Nats eventually lose a battle of the bullpens.

The Marlins are following the Rays and Guardians model of being a high contact team that is very annoying to play against. They pepper you with bloop singles, and then get that one big homer to put the game away. At this point, Nats fans would rather play the Braves for all 162 games than deal with the Marlins gritty brand of baseball.

Marlins are the most annoying team to play in the division and it’s not even close lmao

— t (@DAVEY_FIRED) June 1, 2026

It just seems like the Fish are a uniquely bad matchup for this Nats team. They are the only pitching staff to figure out this Nats lineup for an extended period of time. I am not really sure what it is though. The Marlins have a good pitching staff, but it is not elite. They do throw fewer fastballs than just about anyone, so that could be a reason for their success against the Nats.

Another reason for the Marlins success just comes down to some luck in my opinion. It feels like every time the Nats do put pressure on the Marlins, the wrong guy is up with runners in scoring position. Jorbit Vivas or Jose Tena always seem to come up in big spots against the Marlins. Those guys have not been clutch against anyone, but especially not against the Marlins. The Nats were 0/5 with a runner on third in the 7th and 8th innings.

Final: Marlins 7, Nats 3. Miles Mikolas and Mitchell Parker combined to allow 4 homers. The lineup went 0-for-5 with a runner on third in the 7th and 8th innings. Nationals fall back to .500 and are 1-4 vs. Miami this season.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) June 3, 2026

These losses are just a lot more frustrating than when the Nats fall to a team like the Dodgers or the Braves. I truly think that the Nats are a more talented team than the Marlins, but it consistently feels like they get out-executed in these matchups. Last night was a little bit different though. The Nats were the ones relying on small ball and the Marlins mistakes, while the Fish were blasting homers.

However, when the Marlins had runners in scoring position, they usually executed, while the Nats did not. I hate to say it, but Blake Butera has also gotten outmanaged badly in this series. Butera’s decisions to go to Cole Henry and Mitchell Parker in one run games allowed the Marlins to open up the floodgates. I also did not love his decision to pinch hit Jose Tena for Jacob Young, and then put Tena in the outfield.

Lot of head scratching decisions tonight from Blake Butera

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) June 3, 2026

Butera just had an off night in my opinion. Between the Tena decision, sticking with Mikolas for as long as he did, and then turning to Parker, Butera’s decisions turned out to be costly. He is a rookie manager, so you cannot reasonably expect him to be perfect, but it was not great last night.

I think Butera has done an excellent job this season. He has control of the clubhouse, some of his unorthodox lineup decisions have paid off and he hired a great staff. However, the bullpen management this series has been shaky at best.

The Nats still have a chance to salvage a game in this series this afternoon. Staying above .500 and avoiding a June swoon is very important for this team. That makes today a big game. Andrew Alvarez will be starting, and hopefully we see a heavy dose of Brad Lord. This has been a deflating series, but today is a chance for some damage control.

Wins and losses were somewhat overshadowed by a couple of memorable individual performances in the Dodgers’ minor league system.

Player of the day

It was a toss-up between Zyhir Hope’s six-RBI effort in Double-A and the fabulous start by Zach Root in High-A. Between the two, we’ll go with Root, who shattered his season-high mark in length, which had been the four innings covered in his previous start, delivering seven one-hit innings in a 4-0 win for the Loons.

For the second game in a row, Root struck out nine hitters, earning his first win of the season, hardly a surprise since he hadn’t yet pitched deep enough into a game to qualify for one.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Comets were out-hit nine to three and thus unable to overcome the three runs allowed by starter Christian Romero in a 3-2 loss. Despite their bullpen wrapping up this game with 4.1 scoreless innings, they saw a somewhat familiar face wrap up the save for the Express in Alexis Díaz, his first of the year.

Responsible for scoring one of the Comets’ two runs, Tommy Edman continued his fine form in Triple-A, working his way back, currently with a .375 batting average after going one for three. Edman was defensively replaced at the top of the eighth. Now, for the visiting Express, two of their three runs came on solo shots from their sixth-hole hitter, John Taylor.

Double-A Tulsa

It’s not too often you see a game with three errors from each team, but that set the stage for a high-scoring win by the Drillers over the Sod Poodles on the road. Starter Evan Shaw couldn’t pitch past the first inning after allowing four runs, but the Drillers countered with seven in the fifth and were able to hold onto that lead.

Second baseman Taylor Young started the scoring for the Drillers and would go on to reach base safely in four of his five plate appearances with a couple of walks and a pair of hits, but the big star was Hope, responsible for six of the Drillers’ 13 RBI. Hope went deep twice in back-to-back innings, homering in the fifth and sixth frames.

Back ✌️ Back swings with a 3-run homer for @Dodgers No. 2 prospect Zyhir Hope🤯 pic.twitter.com/PdUDOhHywO

— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) June 3, 2026

High-A Great Lakes

There was no stopping Zach Root as the twenty-two-year-old delivered seven magnificent scoreless innings to lead the Loons to a 4-0 victory—Root was efficient and deadly, needing just 88 pitches to do so, and striking out more than a batter per inning in the process. Relievers Robby Porco and Dilan Figueiredo tripled the number of baserunners the Loons had allowed by letting one reach in both the eighth and ninth innings, but they kept the zeroes on the board.

Offensively, the Loons did the most out of a slow day, managing to scrape together those four runs on just three hits. Leadoff man Charles Davalan began the scoring with a sac fly, and a couple of innings later, Eduardo Quintero had the big hit with a two-run double to triple the lead.

Eduardo Quintero doubles, scoring 2! pic.twitter.com/M6f26FLM7i

— Great Lakes Loons (@greatlakesloons) June 3, 2026

Single-A Ontario

What looked to be a high-scoring win for the Tower Buzzers as they led 7-6 heading into the eighth turned into a blowout defeat in a matter of a couple of innings, with the Ports jumping on relievers Jecsua Liborius and Jose Cabrera to run away with this one by a score of 16-8, leaving Ontario with a .500 record at 26-26.

Although leadoff hitter Kellon Lindsey managed a couple of RBI, the Tower Buzzers concentrated their production in the bottom of the order, with the eighth and ninth-hole hitters responsible for six of the team’s 11 hits. Catcher Conner O’Neal had himself an outstanding game with a homer and three singles, not only his first four-hit affair of the year but just his second multihit performance.

Transactions

The Tulsa Drillers activated second baseman Taylor Young from the injured list. Catcher Anson Aroz was also activated from the injured list by the Ontario Tower Buzzers and sent to the Great Lakes Loons.

Wednesday’s scores

• Oklahoma City 2, Round Rock 3
• Amarillo 9, Tulsa 13
• Great Lakes 4, Lansing 0
• Ontario 8, Stockton 16

Thursday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Aiden Foeller) vs. Lansing (Samuel Dutton)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Jackson Ferris) vs. Round Rock (TBD)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Adam Serwinowski) at Amarillo (Avery Short)
• 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Stockton (Jackson Nove)

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (24-34) won 7-2 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in a big way in the 5th scoring 4 runs on a Nelson sac fly, Whitcomb 2 run double and Price RBI single. Alexander got the start and pitched well allowing 2 runs over 6 innings. Sugar Land continued to add on getting a run in the 7th on an Alexander solo home run, a run in the 8th on a Loperfido RBI double and a run in the 9th on a Perez solo home run. The bullpen closed it out with 3 scoreless innings as Sugar Land won 7-2.

Note: Price has a .839 OPS this season.

• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 0-for-1, 2 R, 4 BB
• Joey Loperfido, RF: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Shay Whitcomb, 3B: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB
• CJ Alexander, 1B: 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI
• Collin Price, C: 3-for-4, RBI, BB
• Carlos Perez, DH: 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI
• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 2-for-4, R, 2B, SB
• James Nelson, LF: 1-for-4, RBI

• Jason Alexander, RHP: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (WIN)
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Miguel Ullola, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Jayden Murray, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

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AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (24-28) lost 9-8 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the first inning scoring 4 runs on a Whitaker 3 run double and a run on a wild pitch. Nezuh got the start and went 4.1 innings allowing 4 runs. The Hooks got another run in 6th on an Encarnacion steal of home. They got 2 more runs in the 7th on a Whitaker groundout and Brutcher RBI single to take the lead. Arkansas scored a run in the top of the 8th to tie the game at 7. Arkansas took the lead scoring 2 runs in the top of the 9th. The Hooks responded with a run on a wild pitch but that was it as they fell 9-8.

Note: Holy is hitting .275 in Double-A.

• Max Holy, SS: 2-for-4, R, BB, SB
• Lucas Spence, CF: 1-for-5, R
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 0-for-1, 2 R, 3 BB, SB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 0-for-2, R, 3 BB
• Joseph Sullivan, DH: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Tyler Whitaker, LF: 1-for-4, R, 2B, 4 RBI
• Drew Brutcher, 1B: 1-for-4, RBI, BB

• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

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A+: Asheville Tourists (12-39) won 8-4 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville got on the board in the first inning on a Frey steal of third and then he scored on a throwing error. They got 2 more runs in the 5th inning on a Walker groundout and Thomas RBI double. Rodriguez got the start and pitched well allowing one unearned run over 6 innings. The pen allowed 2 runs as the Grasshoppers tied it but Frey gave Asheville the lead again in the bottom of the inning with a sac fly. The offense scored again in the 8th putting up 4 runs on an Ochoa solo home run, Thomas bases loaded walk and Frey 2 run single. Cruz allowed 3 runs in relief but held on as Asheville won 8-4.

Note: Thomas has a .912 OPS this season.

• Kyle Walker, 2B: 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB, SB
• Justin Thomas, CF: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Ethan Frey, CF: 1-for-4, R, 3 RBI, SB
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI
• John Garcia, C: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Zach Daudet, SS: 0-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB
• Mason Lytle, LF: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, BB, 2 SB

• Luis Rodriguez, RHP: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Anthony Cruz, RHP: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (WIN)

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A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (23-29) lost 3-1 (BOX SCORE)

Fraide made his full-season debut for the Woodpeckers and went 4.1 innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 7 batters. Wells tossed 1.2 scoreless and Beck allowed 1 run over 3 innings while striking out 5 batters. The offense got their lone run in the 9th inning on a Huezo solo home run but that was it as the Woodpeckers fell 3-1.

Note: Beck has 41 K in 30.2 innings this season.

• Anthony Huezo, RF: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, BB, SB
• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 0-for-3, BB
• Hector Salas, 2B: 1-for-3

• Juan Fraide, RHP: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
• Jackson Wells, RHP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Jagger Beck, RHP: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

---

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Colton Gordon – 7:35 CT

CC: Bryce Mayer – 6:35 CT

AV: TBD – 5:35 CT

FV: TBD – 10:05 CT

May was not a merry month for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Although they won the final two games of a six-game series last week against the Worcester Red Sox at home at PNC Field, the RailRiders finished May with a 12-15 record. In two series against the WooSox during the month, they went 4-7. They opened May splitting four games against the Buffalo Bisons. They also split six-game series with the Syracuse Mets and Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

As a team, the RailRiders batted .236 with 34 home runs and 129 runs. Jonathan Ornelas led the way with a .305 average (25-for-82) with three doubles, two triples, one home run, a dozen runs, and seven RBIs. He hit safely in 15 of 24 games with seven multi-hit games, including a four-hit game on May 19th at Lehigh Valley.

Familiar face Oswaldo Cabrera batted .275 (28-for-102) with seven doubles, two home runs, 13 runs, and 17 RBIs. Top prospect George Lombard Jr. did not fare as well on the whole with a .192/.351/.298 triple slash, though his numbers from the final two weeks of the month (May 17-31) did look better better at .269/.371/.481. Call it a hot streak or a sign of adjusting to the higher level following an April 30th promotion.

Yanquiel Fernández had a team-high eight home runs during May, including multi-homer games on May 6th at Worcester and May 19th at Lehigh Valley. He also batted .286 (26-for-91) with three doubles, 22 RBIs and 15 runs. He was named the International League Player of the Week for May 18-24. Unfortunately, he also ended the month injured, as he was placed on the seven-day IL on May 29th.

The RailRiders swiped 43 bases, which ranked third in the International League during the month. Duke Ellis led the thievery going a perfect 15-for-15 in steal attempts. Ellis is tied for the league-lead with Worcester’s Braiden Ward with 24 steals.

Duke gets it done 🔥🔥🔥#RepBX#SCTop10pic.twitter.com/cWZIpxKwaZ

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) May 25, 2026

On the mound, the pitching staff had a 4.32 ERA with six saves. It bookended the month with shutouts and Adam Kloffenstein was involved in both.

On May 1st, in the first game of a doubleheader against Buffalo, Kloffenstein and Rafael Montero combined on a two-hit, seven-inning shutout, 2-0. Then on May 31st, Kloffenstein struck out 10 in six innings before Bradley Hanner and Peter Strzelecki finished off a combined three-hit blanking of Worcester, 1-0.

Kloffenstein the Pitcher❓

Kloffenstein the Athlete ✅ pic.twitter.com/i2JF8ZSAc8

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) May 31, 2026

Hanner recorded two of the team’s six saves. He was also 2-0 during the month with a 2.25 ERA. In 10 games and 12 innings, he allowed three runs, eight hits, walked four, and struck out 20.

Brendan Beck went 2-0 in May with a 2.17 ERA. In five starts, he allowed eight runs (seven earned) and 19 hits with 11 walks and 27 strikeouts in 29 innings. The Yankees’ No. 21 prospect also made his MLB debut in a cameo while effectively tagging in for a sick Ryan Weathers on May 7th and was chosen International League Pitcher of the Week for May 11-17.

Carlos Lagrange, the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect, had a team-high 33 strikeouts during the month in five starts and 25 innings. Lagrange ranks second in the International League with 63 strikeouts and Beck is tied fourth with 60. For June onward however, look for Lagrange to build his case to make the 2026 big-league club out of the bullpen.

Carlos Lagrange is being shifted to the bullpen at AAA. The Yankees always believed the hard-throwing RHP could boost the bullpen this year. So this is a major step in that direction. Get ready to see 103 MPH in the Bronx.

— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) June 2, 2026

Zach Messinger did not allow a run during the month in eight appearances covering 15.1 innings. He gave up three hits, walked four and struck out 11. He has not given up a run since April 23.

One thing RailRiders pitchers haven’t been doing is issuing walks. They have allowed 220 walks, which ranks second in the league behind only the Charlotte Knights with 215.

Heading into June, the RailRiders are 28-27 and six games behind the Memphis Redbirds and Nashville Sounds in the International League standings. Three weeks remain in the first half of the season.

Most of this month will be spent away from PNC Field. The RailRiders began a seven-game series in Syracuse last night, one with an extra game via a doubleheader today. This already is the third of four series meetings between the teams with the Mets having win seven of the 11 games played in the first two series.

After facing Syracuse, the RailRiders return home to host Lehigh Valley for six games June 9-14. They then head to Columbus to face the Clippers on June 16-21 and conclude first-half play. They open the second half at the Indianapolis Indians on June 23-28.

He pitched his entire major league career in the 80’s with our Houston Astros.    He’s Mike Madden, and he joins us exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes for our 21st installment of the Legends Series.   

Q:  That 1983 season, you appeared in 28 games, started 13, and won 9 of those.    What was that like?

A:  Boy, joining that staff.   We had Nolan, Niekro, Bob Knepper and Mike Scott came towards the end of that year.   I was really young, coming right out of the University of Northern Colorado, it was one level up.    

I didn’t think my heart rate those first few months would ever come down, everything was going super-fast but once I’d take the mound, it would slow down.    

More than anything, it was educational learning as you saw what hitter’s tendencies were and then you got to learn your body on the flight, the travel, all of those adjustments.   

Q:  Speaking of travel, did you have an opposing city/ballpark that you enjoyed more than others?

A:  I liked all of them (laughs) because it was the big leagues!  I had been to a few of them because my folks were in the Air Force, but playing ball in a city for three days and then jumping on a plane to the next one was different.   

I had parks that I didn’t really like.   Wrigley was so tiny and small.   The field, the clubhouse, the whole thing.    

Q:  Most memorable strikeout? 

A:  I’d have to say Tony Gywnn.   I got him at least 3 or 4 times striking out.   

One time, I went 8 and 1/3 innings in a game against the Padres.  That was a good day.  

Q:  Favorite teammate?

A:  Dave Smith, #45.   He threw that forkball.   

The thing is though; we had so many characters.    Nolan would tell us in the bullpen not even to put shoes on because he was going the distance that day.    Then the game would start, he’d mow down like 17 guys and two hours later, we’d be victorious and onto the next city.     

Terry Puhl was another one.    

God Bless, Phil Garner, that was a team that loved each other.    

Q:  Pitching in the dome, what comes to mind?

A:  I tried to throw pitches that would go to center field because it went on forever.    It was always 72 degrees in there, and the Astrodome was truly the 8th Wonder of the World.