Category: MLB

67.7%.

That’s how much of Northwestern baseball’s offensive production, by RBI, is departing Evanston.

Ben Greenspan had done well in his first three years with the ‘Cats, building back toward conference tournament contention. But year four for him seems like it will be the toughest of all — most of the guys he’s recruited to be the building blocks of a Wildcat rebranding on the diamond will be gone, leaving him with more questions than answers as to how he’ll find success.

There’s a tornado tearing through Greenspan’s roster this summer, and there’s no telling what the wreckage will be once the dust settles in the fall.

Who’s gone?

Among the names to depart Northwestern this summer, the one that hurts the most is MLB prospect Ryan Kucherak — the ‘Cats’ most disciplined hitter this past season, leading the team with 27 walks.

Kucherak has the five-tool player “starter pack,” per se: power to all fields, the ability to hit for average and drive in runs, a plus glove at shortstop, the ability to steal bags and an above-average baseball IQ. The integration of all these aspects of his game immediately makes him one of the top available players in the portal, which is further supported by his performance at the MLB Draft Combine last week, where he topped out at a 106 MPH exit velocity.

NU loses its spark plug in the two-hole, as Kucherak slugged .521 last season with 23 extra-base hits, second on the team behind another draft prospect in Jack Lausch.

Lausch made a major improvement in the middle of his junior season and hasn’t looked back since. This past year, he settled into the cleanup spot for the ‘Cats and proved himself to be one of the best bats in the Big Ten with a .312 average, 1.047 OPS, 41 RBI, 16 home runs and a 131 wRC+, while his pure athleticism made him a sure-handed fielder in center field.

Owen McElfatrick and Matt Kouser are another two departures that pain Northwestern. McElfatrick was one of the ‘Cats’ most consistent hitters — a .250 average doesn’t necessarily scream that, but he still managed to slug .475 and drive in 39 runs last year.

Kouser hits the transfer portal alongside Kucherak after pitching to a 5.02 ERA in 15 appearances. He’d consistently been in a top-two starter role in his freshman season, this year being more of a Swiss army knife for the ‘Cats’ pitching staff, slotting in wherever Greenspan sees fit. A very valuable addition to whichever program is able to secure him out of the portal.

That brings us to first baseman Nick Barron, whose last-minute departure has completed a demolition of NU’s infield. Barron showed power in droves in his first season of college baseball, leading the team with 15 doubles and tacking on nine home runs and 33 RBI batting in the middle third of the order.

A major positive to having Barron back is his plate discipline — his 14.6% strikeout rate was the second lowest on the team in 2026. He would have likely seen himself in the heart of the Northwestern order. Instead, he’ll look to claim that spot elsewhere.

NU is in deep trouble, simply put. It needs corner infielders, a shortstop, a center fielder and a No. 1 starter for next year. Not a great place to be, but maybe it’s not as bad as we’re making it out to be.

What’s left?

In the wake of massive turnover in Evanston, Greenspan has gathered a quartet of transfers for the 2027 season.

Let’s start with a pair of former Duke Blue Devils in Jeff Lougee and Andrew Bell — a pair of athletic infielders who will compete for jobs that seem up in the air as of now with Kucherak’s absence and a lack of an everyday second baseman in 2026.

Lougee only played a total of eight games in Durham last season and struggled, hitting .176 in 17 at-bats. However, much of his true promise was shown in his 2025 Cape Cod League campaign with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, hitting .288 in 80 at-bats, logging eight extra-base hits and 16 RBIs. By season’s end, he was No. 8 on D1Baseball’s top-10 position player prospects list for the 2027 MLB draft.

Bell, on the other hand, is more of what one would call a “raw talent.” He saw a total of 25 plate appearances at Duke, posting a career .158 average in his two seasons there, but his 2025 summer with the Keene SwampBats of the NECBL gives a much larger sample size of his archetype as a middle infielder.

Bell made plays like these, which proves that he has the tools to be one of the Big Ten’s best defensive shortstops.

Graduate transfer Jonathan Kim had his 2025 season ruined by injury, only making 17 appearances on the year. However, he’s proven himself to be consistent when healthy, leading the Wolverines with a .322 batting average in a freshman season that landed him on the All-Big Ten Third Team. Kim hovered around the .270 mark in the seasons after, logging 10 doubles and 15 RBI in 2025.

Rounding out the transfer class is Eddie Albert from Dartmouth, who won the team’s Big Green Rookie of the Year award in 2023 — a year that saw him fan 22 batters in 28 innings. Albert pitched to a 3.72 ERA in 9.2 innings last year in appearances against Gardner-Webb and LSU, and is looking to replicate flashes of reliability with the Wildcats.

The new guard for NU baseball stems far beyond this transfer class — in fact, it includes changes in its coaching staff. Former Washington and Texas A&M pitching coach Jason Kelly is expected to make his way to Evanston in the coming months.

Kelly was named D1Baseball’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018 — the year of the Huskies’ first-ever trip to the Men’s College World Series. He’d lead one of the most efficient pitching staffs in the nation in his first year as an Aggie — a staff that ranked top-three nationally in walks allowed per nine (2.89) and in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.31).

After seeing an early exit in the College Station regional, Kelly looks to revitalize a youthful Northwestern pitching staff which, right now, seems centered around promising sophomores in Jake Rifenburg and James Whitaker.

All that being said, the backbone to next season’s team will be its most crucial returner in Jackson Freeman, who’s still searching for his freshman season swing that carried him to all-conference freshman team honors. While his 2025 season was more reflective of that year than 2026 was, Freeman seeks to build upon the potential he showed three seasons ago.

Above all, this team lives and dies with Ben Greenspan staying true to himself and his coaching philosophy, and not letting the chaos dictate his decision making.

NU is in a developmental phase, where it’s seeking its core pieces for the future. It thought Barron and Kucherak would be those pieces, but now it finds itself back at square one.

Next year will say a lot about Greenspan’s readiness to be the head coach of a struggling program that has been treading water in the Big Ten for the past decade. If he can find a way to move the needle upward, despite the massive turnover, that means that he’s the man for the job.

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Brett Renfrow scouting report.

The 2026 draft is less than a week away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at Virginia Tech righthander Brett Renfrow.

Brett Renfrow is a 6’3”, 220 lb. righthanded pitcher who just finished his junior season at Virginia Tech. Undrafted out of high school in Manassas, Virginia, Renfrow has been in the rotation for VaTech all three seasons. He turned 21 in January.

Renfrow has a mid-90s fastball that grades out around average and that works well up in the zone, but that isn’t a bat-missing pitch. He’s reportedly been able to touch 97 mph with it. Renfrow also throws a cutter, a slider, a curve and a changeup, though there appears to be a lot of similarity between his cutter and his slider. As with his fastball, the secondaries all grade out as more or less average, though Keith Law gives his curve a plus grade.

Renfrow has the size and build of a workhorse starting pitcher, as well as the repertoire. He improved his walk rate in 2026, and the grades on his control all come in around average. However, MLB Pipeline notes that he’s currently a control-over-command guy, and has gotten punished at times due to not locating his fastball in the zone where it needs to be.

Renfrow made 15 starts in each of his three seasons with the Hokies, and logged between 73.2 and 75 innings in all three seasons. After putting up a 4.92 ERA with 78 Ks against 32 walks as a freshman, he improved to a 3.89 ERA in 2025 despite the K and walk rates being very similar, primarily due to cutting his home run rate in half. This year, he improved to 88 strikeouts and 25 walks, though his home runs increased from 7 to 11, resulting in a 4.64 ERA.

Baseball America has Renfrow at #68 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Renfrow at #123 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Renfrow at #76 on his top 150 list. Keith Law has Renfrow at #40 on his board. Fangraphs does not have Renfrow on their board. Baseball Prospectus does not have Renfrow on their top 30 draft board.

Renfrow is not a particularly sexy draft candidate, with grades coming in at around average across the board. He does have a track record of durability, though, and has the build and pitch mix that you want to see in a potential starting pitcher.

To avoid being an up-and-down guy, Renfrow is probably going to need to improve one or two pitches by a grade, and tighten up his command. He seems to offer the upside of a mid-rotation starter, and you could see the Rangers taking him in the second or third round.

Previously:

Liam Peterson

Tyler Bell

Aiden Robbins

Jared Grindlinger

Logan Reddemann

Cooper Harris

Justin Lebron

Cameron Flukey

Derek Curiel

Hunter Dietz

Logan Hughes

Carson Wiggins

Peyton Bonds

Ace Reese

Sawyer Strosnider

Gio Rojas

Chris Rembert

Jack Natili

Andrew Williamson

Trevor Condon

AJ Gracia

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Welcome back to another edition of our Brewers Reacts Surveys, and this week, we’re asking fans if they think it’s time for veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff to retire.

Woodruff, 33, has spent nine seasons in the majors, all with the Brewers, and he’s pitched to a solid career stat line with a 55-30 record, 3.10 ERA, 3.19 FIP, and 918 strikeouts over 790 1/3 innings. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy, though, with an injury on the Fourth of July in Phoenix the latest in a long string of frustrating setbacks.

While he has a solid 2.98 ERA and 3.20 FIP this year, he’s pitched just 45 1/3 innings over his nine starts, and he hasn’t exceeded 70 innings since the 2022 season. In fact, since the beginning of 2023, he’s pitched just 177 innings, and while he has a 2.80 ERA in that period, that’s simply not sustainable for a team like the Brewers, as they’re paying him $22 million, plus $10 million from his opt-out of a mutual deal last offseason.

While there’s no doubt Woodruff provides value as a veteran in the clubhouse and is a fantastic pitcher when healthy, that leaves the question: Is it time for him to retire? He’s spent more days on the IL with a variety of arm injuries than he has healthy, and it seems like a perfect fit for him to find a home with Milwaukee’s coaching staff in some form or another.

I know nobody wants him to retire, but what’s the right call here? Weigh in below and stay tuned for results later this week!

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

It’s Paul Skenes Day, and that means the odds have lost their bearings. With the Pittsburgh Pirates starting their most well-known player since a much smaller Barry Bonds was in Pittsburgh, plenty of casual bettors are backing the Bucs.

That means the better team is a heavy underdog, which means a chance to cash in. It’s why my Braves vs. Pirates predictions and MLB picks are calling for an Atlanta win.

Who will win Braves vs Pirates today: Braves moneyline (+132)

Even at the height of his powers, Paul Skenes shouldn’t make the Atlanta Braves +132, and he’s far from his height.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost their last nine starts. It’s not merely a lack of run support — Skenes has a 5.36 ERA over his last nine games, and he’s coming off a career-worst day — eight runs and two homers in four innings.

It doesn’t guarantee a Braves win, but it’s the smart-money play if the Braves are heavier than +120. Atlanta is seven games better, has a run differential 62 runs higher, and is better on the road than Pittsburgh is at home.

COVERS INTEL: Paul Skenes' four-seamer and sinker have both lost almost one full MPH from last season and are spinning 90 revolutions less. His whiff rate on the sinker is 8.8%, about half of last season’s. His changeup is the same speed as before, and the lack of difference between that and his fastballs is affecting that pitch as well. Batters are hitting 100 points higher against the change this year.

Braves vs Pirates Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+109)

Skenes is affecting these odds as well. However, he's not pitched in the seventh inning in his last nine starts and has failed to complete six in six of them. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has a 6.75 ERA in the last three games, in which they’ve pitched a total of 16 of the 27 innings.

Both teams are stroking the ball. Pittsburgh has scored five or more in each of the last five games. Atlanta has done one better, scoring a total of 44 in the last six.

The Braves start Hurston Waldrep, who's making just his third appearance since returning from February arm surgery.

Braves vs Pirates weather

Braves vs Pirates odds

• Moneyline: Braves +144 | Pirates -150
• Run line: Braves +1.5 (-144) | Pirates -1.5 (+133)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+117) | Under 8.5 (-122)

Braves vs Pirates trend

The Pirates have cashed the Over in 30 of their last 45 home games for +13.8 units and a 28% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Pirates.

How to watch Braves vs Pirates and game info

Braves vs Pirates latest injuries

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

The Cubs enter this series just 9-14 vs. American League teams. Just five of those 23 games have been against AL East teams, and the Cubs are 3-2 in those (2-1 over the Rays and splitting a pair with the Blue Jays, with the third game of that series rained out and to be made up next month).

So perhaps they can improve on that mark with this visit to Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.

For more on the Orioles, here’s Mark Brown, manager of our SB Nation Orioles site Camden Chat.

The Orioles were supposed to find a way to improve on last year’s 75-87 record and all they’re managing to do is be a disappointment again. They enter this series on pace for that exact same record. Almost every player on the roster has shouldered some of the blame for that at some point during the season, with many fans also pointing fingers at first-year manager Craig Albernaz as well as president of baseball operations Mike Elias.

A lot of things have gone wrong. One that stands out to me is that these guys just aren’t hitting left-handed pitchers. That’s good news for the Cubs, since two of your three scheduled pitchers are lefties. The Orioles are also struggling to hit away from Camden Yards, less relevant to this coming series in Baltimore. Everyone’s hoped-for return to superstar status for shortstop Gunnar Henderson has not happened. He brings an OBP under .300 into this series and is a below league-average hitter overall this season. It was supposed to be better.

So was the starting rotation! Elias made a big swing on a trade with the Rays that brought Shane Baz to the Orioles, gambling that there was top-of-the-rotation stuff in there after Baz had a 4.80 ERA last year. The O’s also gave Baz a contract extension — the first Elias has given to a pitcher — before the season even began. They’re not getting No. 1 or No. 2 stuff from Baz; he has a perfectly average 100 ERA+. Thursday’s starter Trevor Rogers is not repeating his magical 2025, though he’s looked better lately after some early season struggles. Expensive veteran starter signings didn’t work out. The bullpen is mostly not working out. Nobody’s ERA is helped by the defense being an absolute mess on a regular basis.

All of this has added up to the Orioles not managing to win more than three games in a row at any point this season. They are 6-14 in one-run games. This team ain’t got it. The weird shape of the American League this year means they’re only 3.5 games out of a wild card spot. If they can ever find that winning streak, they’ll be right there in the mix.

Fun facts

Since 1876, first season of the National League, the Cubs have played 128 games against the Baltimore Orioles — but only 25 against THESE Orioles, who began play in 1901. The earlier 103 were against an NL version of the Orioles, in 1892-99.

The Cubs were just 14-32 at Baltimore vs. the 19th Century Orioles. They are 9-2 there vs. the current flock, having won two of three games in 2003, sweeping three in 2017, splitting two in 2022 and sweeping three again in their last visit, two years ago. In that visit, the Cubs held the Orioles scoreless through the final 24 innings, as they won by 9-2, 4-0 and 8-0.

Last year, at home, the Cubs posted a third straight shutout, 1-0, then blanked the Orioles for seven more innings, for a total of 40 in a row, before giving up four in the eighth and losing, 4-3. The Cubs won the rubber game, 5-3, on Justin Turner’s walk-off homer in the ninth, to make the Cubs’ 17-8 in all games vs. the current Orioles.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Tuesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (3-1, 5.08 ERA, 1.396 WHIP, 3.44 FIP) vs. Shane Baz, RHP (4-8, 4.19 ERA, 1.366 WHIP, 3.79 FIP)

Wednesday: Colin Rea, RHP (6-5, 4.74 ERA, 1.433 WHIP, 4.86 FIP) vs. Dean Kremer, RHP (1-1, 3.18 ERA, 0.882 WHIP, 5.11 FIP)

Thursday: David Peterson, LHP (4-7, 6.75 ERA, 1.668 WHIP, 4.09 FIP overall; 1-1, 11.57 ERA, 1.821 WHIP, 5.79 FIP in two starts with Cubs) vs. Trevor Rogers, LHP (6-7, 4.70 ERA, 1.316 WHIP, 4.02 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Tuesday: 5:35 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Wednesday: 5:35 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Thursday: 5:35 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

The Cubs were 34-34 after losing to the Rockies June 10. Since then they’re 16-6, the best record in MLB. Meanwhile, the Orioles took two of three from the Reds over the weekend (thanks Orioles!) but overall have lost seven of their last 11.

Two of three.

Up next

The Cubs travel to Cincinnati for a three-game series against the Reds that begins Friday evening.

Fresh off a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) the Boston Red Sox head to Chicago to take on a rejuvenated White Sox team. Possibly outsmarted by (checks notes) Chris Getz, Craig Breslow’s team has been taking a step back while the other Sox skipped the “improve’ step of the rebuilding process and went right to Division Leader.

Chase Meidroth is hitting .268/.339/.378 with 7 homers.

Brandon Montgomery is at .233/.309/.395 with 2 homers.

Kyle Teel has missed most of the season but in the 11 games he’s played he’s put up a .220/.304/.390 slash line with 2 homers.

Garrett Crochet, who the Sox got for this haul, hasn’t done much in 2026.

So, the White Sox owe a little “thank you” to Boston for their bounce back.

Payton Tolle was ambushed by the Washington Nationals for 6 runs in just 3.0 innings. He wasn’t throwing hard. It was almost 100 degrees. Hopefully he bounces right back with Connelly Early and (probably) Ranger Suarez joining Crochet in the IL void. Mass Pike is opposed by Noah Schultz. A 22-year-old southpaw, Schultz is in his first major league season. In 9 starts he’s tossed 43 innings while striking out 40, walking 26, and allowing 29 runs (28 earned).

Another one of the Sox young lefty starters, Jake Bennett has been cruising. His outing against the Angels was 7.2 innings of two-run ball with 6 Ks against 0 walks. You might say “well that’s the Angels” and he was basically as good against the Yankees. Regardless of opponent right now, Bennett looks like a promising major league starter. Righthander David Martin has been a real gem for the White Sox, but not without his struggles. Two of his last five starts have been 3.1 innings including his most recent. He can struggle with walks in his down outings but overall doesn’t walk many people. So patience might be a good plan for Boston batters.

The finale is currently TBD but that’s likely to be Patrick Sandoval. The lefty was last seen in 2024 when he needed Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2025 season. Finally healthy, across two levels in the minors during his rehab, Sandoval put up a 3.42 ERA over 23.2 innings. He’s struck out 22 against 13 walks. His best year was 2022, so it’s been a minute since he was both healthy and good and 25. Now 29 what does he have left? OTM’s own Jake Roy answers that question in detail. With starts dropping like flies and Sonny Gray possibly on the trade block, we’re about to find out. Anthony Kay, a lefty who spent the last two years in Japan, has been a bit better than he was during his first five major league seasons in MLB. But he’s still not great. He’s leading the league HBPs. He has 67 Ks over 84 innings against 33 walks.

Munetaka Murakami hit 20 homers before hitting the IL.

Old friend Andrew Benintendi is still in Chicago hitting .240/.298/.424 with 10 homers.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Tuesday, July 7: Payton Tolle (3.39 ERA / 3.53 FIP) vs. Noah Schultz (5.86 ERA / 4.85 FIP)

Wednesday, July 8: Jake Bennett (3.10 ERA / 3.13 FIP) vs. Davis Martin (3.08 ERA / 3.08 FIP)

Thursday, July 9: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Anthony Kay (4.39 ERA / 4.93 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Tuesday, July 7: 7:40 PM ET on NESN

Wednesday, July 8: 7:40 PM ET on NESN

Thursday, July 9: 2:10 PM ET on NESN

After two tough losses in a row, the Atlanta Braves will head to PNC Park to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Tonight’s matchup will feature newly returned Hurston Waldrep against reigning Cy Young Award winner, Paul Skenes. Both pitchers have something to prove. Waldrep is likely looking to show he is fully good to go, and Skenes is looking to prove his 3.62 ERA is a fluke.

Skenes is clearly having a down year by his standards when comes to ERA. In his previous two seasons his ERA stayed within 0.01 point of each other with a 1.96 and 1.97 respectively. However, it does appear that he has been a bit unlucky. If you look at his expected ERA (xERA) of 2.76 it is not far off from his previous two seasons of 2.65 and 2.50.

Skenes has been plagued by a terrible left on base percentage. In his previous two seasons his strand rate was 82.4 percent in 2025 and 85.6 percent in 2024. This season his strand rate is 65.8 percent. Odds are we could see his ERA go down just based on that.

One area that could be good for the Braves is that Skenes’ fastball velocity has dropped every single month this season. In April his average fastball was 97.4 MPH and so far in July it has been 96.3. If we go back to the start of his career his velocity has gone down every season. In 2024 there were months when he was averaging 99.3 MPH.

It should be no shock the Braves have struggled against Skenes in their limited sample sizes against him. Five players on the roster have faced Skenes before and none of them have faced Skenes more than three at-bats. Albies has one hit in two at-bats, and Olson has one hit in three. Riley, Smith, and Yastrzemski are all hitless.

Waldrep will be making his third appearance and second as a starter this season. In his last start he lasted 5.1 innings where he gave up five hits to include a HR, three earned runs, a walk, a HBP, and accumulated four strikeouts. It should be noted that all three of those runs happened in the first inning and he was able to settle down and have a solid start overall. In his lone relief appearance, he went 2.0 innings and struggled with command, giving up four walks, but did not give up a run.

The only player on the Pirates that Waldrep has faced in the past is Brandon Lowe, and surely, he remembers it because it was only one at-bat and Lowe took him deep for a solo shot.

On paper it appears that the Pirates have the upper hand as they usually do with Skenes on the mound, but Skenes just came off of his worst start of his career where he gave up seven earned runs in 4.0 innings against the Phillies, and he gave up four earned runs in the start before that. If the Braves were to ever want to face Skenes, now is the time.

Waldrep is going to have to be on his A game. The Pirates have scored the fourth most runs in MLB since the start of June, and the fourth most in the last two weeks. They are staying steady as an offensive force.

First pitch is at 6:40 EDT.

Game Info

Game Time: Tuesday, July 7th, 6:40 pm EDT

Location: PNC Park, , Pittsburgh, PA

Watch: BravesVision, Gray TV

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Quick Background of Michael Soroka.

The Braves drafted him in the first round of the 2015 draft. 

Perhaps, 2019 was the best season of his career (All-Star, received votes for rookie of the year and Cy Young awards).  In 2020, he was the Braves’ youngest opening-day starting-pitcher in the team’s modern history.

A series of injuries over several years kept him from achieving his potential.  In 2025, he started games for the Nationals, then was a reliever (with one game as opener) for the Cubs. 

Why did the Diamondbacks acquire him?

Mike Hazen said Soroka had a combination of stuff, bounce-back potential, and upside to make him a good fit for the Diamondbacks.  What he did NOT say (but is likely true) is that the acquisition was risky (both under-performance and injury were possible), but with risk limited by a one-year contract.

Perhaps the Diamondbacks knew about his new pitch before they signed him. In 2026, he added a cutter to his arsenal so batters would be concerned with the other half of the plate.  In 2026, it was 11-12% of pitches to each of left-handed batters and right-handed batters. 

One aspect of Michael Soroka’s mental attitude is shown in the following quote:

“It’s all about getting out there and getting the next out.” — Michael Soroka, May of 2026

Concerns about injury risk were expressed by AZ Snakepitters in a roundtable.

• “Mike Hazen and his staff are mad if they think Soroka is going to be able to provide 120 IP out of the rotation. He might not even reach 80 IP.” —  James Attwood
• “…That’s not to say ERod hasn’t had the better career thus far, but if I’m going for ceiling and floor, I’m riding the potential of Soroka knowing he’s only good for 20 starts at most….” —  Spencer

Soroka pitching for the Diamondbacks was outstanding.

An immaculate inning is rare (only 121 times in MLB).  It requires striking out three consecutive batters with exactly 9 pitches (the least possible pitches).

“On March 30, 2026, in his first start with the Diamondbacks, Soroka threw the 120th immaculate inning in MLB history against the Detroit Tigers.” — Wikipedia

This season, his best stat is 5.1% walks (94th percentile).  Two other Baseball Savant stats of note: 

• His 33.6% Chase is at the 81st percentile.
• His 34.1% hard hits is at the 79th percentile.   

My view is that for the Diamondbacks, there are two more general stats that will indicate the teams winning chances:

• Percentage of Quality Starts (at least 6 innings with 3 or less earned runs).
• Percentage of games with 3 or less earned runs.

The following table looks at those two stats for all the Diamondbacks starters except Cabrera and Bratt (who together have accumulated 4 games started through 5 July).  Based on the table, my view is that Soroka is the second best pitcher in the Diamondbacks rotation.

Soroka was injured, but is expected back soon.

Soroka injured his left glut on 19 June (after 15 starts, 82 innings pitched). Although some might say I told you so, it was a relatively minor injury and he is expected back this season.

“That glute injury is fairly asymptomatic, so he’s going to begin his throwing program, bullpens, etc., and building up as best he can, as fast as he can to return to us.” — Torey Lovullo

“It’s a fast turnaround.  Once he gets back on the bump, and starts that progression we want to be as quick as possible.” — Torey Lovullo

Outlook for 2027 and 2028.

My view of the Diamondbacks’ starting pitchers who could be part of the rotation is summarized in the following table.

One view is that next season’s return of Corbin Burnes will cover the loss of Soroka, and at least one of the other pitchers will be ready to cover for the loss of Gallen. In that view, there is no reason to extend Soroka.

My view is that at least seven starters will be needed in each of the next two seasons. Subject to changes made via trades and off-season acquisitions, the quality of Diamondbacks pitching would be significantly improved by acquiring one additional starting pitcher for each of 2027 and 2028. Therefore, extending Michael Soroka would fill a need. Let’s look at whether it would be a good move.

Four reasons to extend Michael Soroka.

This season, his performance in percentage quality starts is better than all the other Diamondbacks starters except Rodriguez.

The Diamondbacks have made some bad signings of starting pitchers, such as Madison Bumgarner. That stands in stark contrast to Soroka’s signing, which helped the Diamondbacks. 

Next season would be Soroka’s second season with the Diamondbacks. That is significant because this AZ Snake Pit article found data that showed that newly acquired starters (age 30 and older) tend to perform better their second year with a new team.

Soroka is a known quantity, reducing acquisition risk tremendously. 

Summary.

The Diamondbacks acquired Michael Soroka because he had a combination of stuff, bounce-back potential, and upside to make him a good fit for the Diamondbacks.  The acquisition was risky (both under-performance and injury were possible), but the risk was limited by a one-year contract.

For the Diamondbacks, Michael Soroka’s pitching was outstanding. His excellent stats included percentage walks, chase percentage, and hard hit percentage. His percentage of quality starts ranked second best in the Diamondbacks rotation.

On 19 June, after starting 15 games, Soroka was injured. He is expected back soon.

Looking at the rotation in the next two seasons, my view is that the Diamondbacks would benefit from extending Soroka’s contract. Reasons include high percentage of quality starts, my expectation of improved performance in his second season with the Diamondbacks, and he is a known quantity which reduces risk.

The last year has been a whirlwind for 19-year-old Dominican second baseman and center fielder Roldy Brito. After a solid–if unremarkable–2024 season in the Dominican Summer League, the unranked and relatively unknown prospect saw his stock and national recognition explode after a standout 2025 campaign.

Brito was named the Arizona Complex League MVP after hitting .368/.445/.555 with 13 doubles, six triples, three home runs, 21 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases over 51 games with the ACL Rockies. He then handled the transition to affiliated minor league baseball by putting up a fantastic debut with the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies. With the Grizzlies he hit another seven doubles, a triple, a home run. In addition, he had 17 RBIs and stole another 13 bases while slashing .375/.442/.463 over 33 games to finish the season.

For his efforts, Brito rocketed up the prospect rankings.

He is now the Rockies’ no. 3 organizational prospect per MLB Pipeline, no. 71 in the MLB Top 100, and our no. 11 PuRP in Purple Row’s pre-season rankings.

Brito was re-assigned to Low-A Fresno to start the 2026 season, where he has continued to build on his previous season. Through 76 games, he is hitting .325/.388/.492 with 20 doubles, eight triples, six home runs, 63 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and a solid 2:1 ratio of strikeouts to walks.

“A lot has happened in this last year, but I think it’s been awesome to be a part of,” Brito said in a recent media availability through interpreter Edwin Perez. “I think it’s been a good start to my career, something that I’ve put on myself as a player to achieve the goals that I have achieved.”

Brito described how grateful he has been for his experiences over the last year.

“I’m thankful to God that I’ve been given this opportunity, and it’s been exciting to be a part of this journey,” he said. “This year, just being able to grow in the game and continue to rise, but it’s not something that I take for granted. I’m thankful to God. I’m thankful to be able to be in this place.”

Brito credits his dad, whom he has described as not only his biggest supporter but also his manager and his best coach, for helping him keep his head down and continue to work and find success.

“He’s given me good advice ever since I was a kid,” Brito said. “About my game, about when things go wrong or right, he’s the one that tells me the adjustments that I need to make when I’m going through a bad hitting streak or a bad streak overall in my game. He’s the one who puts his hand on me and tells me what I need to fix, what needs to get right.”

He continued to express gratitude for his father.

“I think my dad’s just been the biggest rock in my life and the biggest support ever since I was a kid. He will keep it real when he needs to keep it real about me and what I need to do. I’m thankful for every day that he’s helped me improve as a player.”

Brito has also praised members of the Rockies organization and his coaches in Fresno for their work with him.

“All the hitting coaches here and all the coaches overall in Fresno have been such a huge help for me,” he said. “It’s been a huge learning experience for me down at this level because every day we’re looking at every aspect of the game. how I can improve as a player, how can I avoid mistakes when I go up in my future. But also, I give a big shoutout to Rolando Fernandez (the Rockies vice president of international scouting and development) because without him, I would not have had the opportunity to sign with this organization.

Brito described the significant influence Fernandez has had on him since the young player signed with the organization as part of the 2024 international class.

“He’s been just an overall huge help getting me in the door, but also on me as a player and as a person off the field,” Brito said. “He’s been just a huge support, but also understanding that he wants me to have success. He’s been big in that aspect.”

Brito also heaped praise on his fellow teammates with the Grizzlies.

“It’s a group that I’m thankful to be a part of,” he said. “We truly have the best intentions for each other. We want to grow as a group. It’s like a family. We’re supporting each other every day, every at bat. It’s sad when someone leaves us — we lost [Ethan] Holliday, we lost [Jack] O’Dowd, we lost [Tanner] Thach, it’s sad when those guys go. But it’s a group that we’re truly friends outside of the field. But when we’re on the field, we’re playing for each other. We’re not just playing for ourselves.”

Brito has enjoyed immense success with his newfound family in Fresno. However, he also recognizes his need to continue to grow and push towards the future in his professional career.

“I’m not looking just at the past,” he said. “I want to keep it going. I want to have the courage, I want to continue to have the faith and trust in myself that I can keep doing this stuff. And trust me, I’m not done. I’ve put so much on myself to accomplish this year—and obviously this Futures Game is one of them, but I have more to accomplish, and I’m excited for it. It’s been an awesome journey, a marvelous journey for me, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

What’s next for Brito will bring him even more national recognition. He was selected—along with fellow top prospect Charlie Condon (no. 1 PuRP)—to represent the Rockies at this year’s All-Star Futures Game.

“I’ve always wanted to get selected to an important game such as this,” Brito said. “I think it’s going to be something that’s going to be very beautiful. It’s going to be a game that I’m just going to go out there playing and enjoy it. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity that I have.”

Brito is one of just three players currently playing in Low-A to be selected for the Futures Game rosters. He’s also the fourth-youngest representative on a Futures Game roster this year.

“It feels very good to be a part of it, one of those three that were able to do so at this kind of level,” he said. “I put it on myself that I want to be part of this kind of thing, and I’m able to be part of it. I think it’s just special for me, so I’m excited for the opportunity.”

Not only does the Futures Game and increased national attention come with the opportunity shed positive light on both Brito and the Rockies organization, it also gives Brito the opportunity to show the world just who he really is.

“This last year, people are paying more attention. This last year has been beautiful as a whole just to experience it,” he began. “For me, on the baseball side, I want them to focus on that I’m aggressive. When I’m out there playing, I’m going to give it my all. I’m not just focusing on the bat. Sometimes you can see the numbers and think ‘they’re just focusing on the bat,’ but I don’t think that’s the case for me. I’m also working on my fielding, I’m working on my running game, I’m working to improve on every aspect of the game. I’m not just a bat and a guy that can swing it well.”

Off the playing field, Brito also expressed how he wants to be seen as a person—especially when it comes to working with his found family in the Rockies’ minor leagues.

“I think the personality that they’re going to see is just a friendly guy. A guy that no matter what a teammate or a person needs around me, a staff member, whatever, they’re going to get that on me,” Brito said with a smile. “Whatever I can do to help someone out, that’s the person I want to be. I want to be that person that can be helpful to everyone. I want to be that upbeat guy that, if someone’s going through a bad stretch or anything like that, I can be the upbeat guy that can help them keep their heads up high. Just an overall friendly guy that they can trust.”

The 2026 All-Star Futures Game will take place on Sunday, July 12th at 10:00 AM MDT to kick off All-Star Week in Philadelphia.

Weekly Pebble Report: June 29th- July 5th

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (3-3, 45-42 Overall)

Albuquerque’s road week at Round Rock (Texas Rangers) was a study in whiplash. The Isotopes let leads slip late in each of their first two losses — a grand slam surrendered in the eighth, then a walk-off, two-run homer in the ninth the next night — before steadying themselves to win three of the last four. The bats never went quiet, but the bullpen made several nights harder than they needed to be. Albuquerque holds third place in the second-half PCL East standings with a record of 6-6

⬆️ Stock Up: Condon Keeps Raking

There’s no slowing Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP). For the second week in a row, the 23-year-old was the best hitter in the lineup, going 10-for-22 (.455) with three home runs, a triple, two doubles, and a hit in four of the five games he played. His power has become a nightly expectation, and the sustained tear has pushed his season slugging past the .600 mark. Whatever adjustments Triple-A pitchers are trying, none of them are working.

⬆️ Stock Up: Shawver Slams the Door

Evan Shawver was a quiet source of order in a chaotic week for the pitching staff. Across two outings, the left-hander tossed four scoreless innings, striking out five without issuing a walk and allowing just four hits. On a week when several arms struggled to hold leads, Shawver simply attacked the zone and got outs — the kind of steady, no-drama relief work that’s easy to overlook until you tally it up.

Upcoming

The Isotopes stay on the road for a six-game series against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston Astros).

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (3-3, 44-36 Overall)

Hartford’s week in Somerset (New York Yankees) started rough and finished strong. The Yard Goats lost three of the first four, before salvaging a split in the final two — including back-to-back gems from Jack Mahoney and Jackson Cox, the latter tossing six no-hit innings to key a shutout finale. Hartford sits in fourth place in the Eastern League Northeast second-half standings at 5-7.

⬆️ Stock Up: Riggio Runs the Show

Roc Riggio (PuRP No.14) set the table and cleared it all week. The second baseman hit .409 (9-for-22) with three home runs, two doubles, four RBIs, and a team-high eight walks, reaching base at a clip that made him a consistent headache at the top of the order. He homered in the series opener, again the next night, and once more in the finale — a steady power-and-patience combination that lifted his season slash line and anchored an offense that came and went around him.

⬇️ Stock Down: Longwell Goes Quiet

Aidan Longwell couldn’t get untracked, managing three hits in 20 at-bats (.150) with seven strikeouts across five games. Two of those knocks were doubles, so the pop wasn’t entirely gone, but the swing-and-miss piled up and the production dried up, dropping his season average to .240. A reset over the coming week would go a long way heading into the All-Star break.

Upcoming

The Yard Goats return home for a six-game series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets)

High-A: Spokane Indians (6-0, 40-41 Overall)

The Indians ran the table at Hillsboro (Arizona Diamondbacks), sweeping all six on the road behind pitching that rarely gave an inch. Spokane threw two shutouts — including a 1-0 nail-biter — and edged the Hops in a 5-4 game before closing with a 5-3 romp, a staff ERA under 2.00 for the week doing most of the heavy lifting. The sweep lifted the Indians to the top of the Northwest League second-half standings at 11-4. They’ve now won nine in a row.

⬆️ Stock Up: Hopfe Stays Hot

Tommy Hopfe kept his season-long roll going, hitting .400 (10-for-25) with two home runs, two doubles, three steals, and a hit in every game. He scored a team-high seven runs and gave the Indians a spark at the top of the order night after night. There’s no cold stretch in sight for one of Spokane’s steadiest bats.

⬆️ Stock Up: Herrera Deals

Yujanyer Herrera (PuRP No.22) bookended the sweep with two dominant starts. He opened the week with six shutout innings and six strikeouts in a 2-0 win, then returned in the finale to fire five more strong frames. All told: 11 innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts, and a single walk. On a week defined by Spokane pitching, Herrera was the tone-setter at both ends.

Upcoming

The Indians stay on the road for a six-game series against the Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants).

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (3-3, 44-37 Overall)

Fresno split six at home with the Ontario Tower Buzzers in a week of wild swings. The Grizzlies piled up runs in a 13-4 rout and a 10-9 walk-off, but absorbed lopsided losses on the other side, closing the series with a 13-0 shutout defeat. The offense mashed, and the pitching wobbled — a fitting summary of a .500 week that keeps Fresno tied for third in the California League with an 8-7 record in the second half.

⬆️ Stock Up: Brito Won’t Make an Out

Roldy Brito (PuRP No.11) turned into an on-base machine. He hit .529 (9-for-17) and reached base at a staggering clip, drawing nine walks and getting hit three times on top of the hits — a triple, a double, and a steal mixed in for good measure. Brito rarely gave the opposition a free out all week, and the .325 hitter did as much as anyone to keep the Fresno lineup churning even in the losses.

⬇️ Stock Down: Kelly Roughed Up

Riley Kelly (PuRP No. 27) couldn’t find any traction in either of his two starts, taking the loss both times. He surrendered 12 earned runs over eight innings (13.50 ERA), gave up 16 hits and three home runs, and exited early in each outing. The strikeouts were there — nine on the week — but the hard contact kept coming, and his season ERA climbed to 6.39.

Upcoming

The Grizzlies stay home for a six-game series against the Stockton Ports (Athletics)

ACL: ACL Rockies (3-2, 33-13 Overall)

The ACL Rockies kept rolling, taking three of five. The offense did the heavy lifting all week — Colorado posted 13, 11, and 13 runs in its three wins — while the pitching had a harder time keeping pace, surrendering nine-plus runs on multiple occasions. The league’s hottest team stays comfortably atop the ACL East at 33-13.

⬆️ Stock Up: Ugarte Powers the Offense

Ronny Ugarte was the engine of the loaded lineup, hitting .400 (8-for-20) with two home runs, a triple, and a team-high nine RBIs across all five games. He drove in runs in bunches and rarely gave away an at-bat, pushing his season line to a robust .357 clip. In a week where the Rockies’ bats carried the club, Ugarte’s was the loudest.

⬇️ Stock Down: Cubilla Clipped

Efrain Cubilla ran into trouble in his lone outing of the week, a relief appearance in the game against the Giants. He was charged with six runs on eight hits over two innings, unable to find the strike zone’s edges as the Giants teed off. It was a single rough night rather than a trend, but it was a costly one, briefly threatening a game the Rockies would go on to win.

DSL: DSL Colorado (4-1) & DSL Rockies (4-0)

Both Dominican Summer League affiliates had strong weeks. DSL Colorado won its first four before dropping a 12-9 slugfest to DSL NYY Yankees in the finale, holding first place in the DSL Southeast at 16-9. DSL Rockies, meanwhile, ran the table — four straight wins, capped by an 8-7 walk-off over the DSL Tigers 2 — to climb to 11-13 and up to fourth in the DSL East.

⬆️ Stock Up: Montiel Mashes (DSL Colorado)

Adafel Montiel was the centerpiece of Colorado’s offense all week, hitting .471 (8-for-17) with a team-high seven RBIs, two steals, and a hit in nearly every game. His biggest blow came in the opener, a grand slam that keyed a 15-run rout of the DSL NYY Bombers. Now up to .362 on the season, Montiel supplied both the power and the consistency of a first-place lineup.

⬆️ Stock Up: Cancro Rakes (DSL Rockies)

Danny Cancro carried the bat for a Rockies club that won all four of its games. He hit .545 (6-for-11), reaching base in every game and delivering four RBIs while striking out just once. The .346 hitter has become a dependable table-setter, and his steady contact helped power an offense that overwhelmed its opponents throughout an unbeaten week.

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The St. Louis Cardinals will have their work cut out for them in game 1 of a day/night doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. The St. Louis Cardinals have announced they’re starting Matt Svanson in game 1 while the Milwaukee Brewers are sending likely All-Star game starter Jacob Misiorowski to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm central time at Busch Stadium.

Injuries are a real party pooper. Just like with the major league roster, the Yankees’ top prospects are dropping like flies. With several top hitters and pitchers injured, the guys on the periphery are going to get a chance to shine, and there’s one guy in particular who’s starting to gain some real helium down in Tampa.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Record: 7-4 (44-41), 2 GB in the International League East after a 4-1 week against the Norfolk Tides (Orioles)

Run differential: +13 (+16)

Coming up: Away @ Buffalo Bison (Blue Jays)

It was a good start to July for the RailRiders in the win column, bouncing back from a loss on Tuesday to win four straight to close out the week. Saturday’s game was postponed due to rain and was never made up, as only one game was barely squeezed in on Sunday. But while they picked up some wins, this level’s prospect pedigree is shrinking fast.

George Lombard Jr. should be back soon, though probably not until after a Futures Game he’ll likely miss. Garrett Martin went on the injured list a week ago. Brendan Beck filled in for the big league club on the Fourth of July due to Carlos Rodón’s injury, and while he was optioned shortly after, you’d expect Elmer Rodríguez to get promoted in his place for this week. The big kicker, though, is Carlos Lagrange’s season potentially being over because of a shoulder injury. He’s in no-throw for six weeks, which makes a September return the best-case scenario. So much for a 2026 big league debut…

In a depleted lineup that will, at least, welcome back Spencer Jones this coming week, there’s not too much to write home about. JC Escarra has been good as he stays ready for his next big league opportunity, while Ernesto Martinez Jr. and Marco Luciano have hit well. The team’s most reliable hitter, though, has been Jonathan Ornelas, as the 26-year-old journeyman has been hitting over .300 all season long and came through with a walk-off grand slam on Sunday.

Beck’s emergency promotion thinned the rotation. Dom Hamel allowed six runs in six innings, Alexander Cornielle didn’t finish the fourth in a choppy outing on Friday, and Adam Kloffenstein pitched well on Tuesday. Rodríguez tossed a quality start on Wednesday, getting through 6.2 innings, but the main storyline was the promotion of former third-round pick Kyle Carr, who didn’t allow an earned run in 5.2 innings on Sunday in his Triple-A debut.

The Scranton Shuttle keeps on shuffling the bullpen. Jake Bird and Angel Chivilli are up, while Yovanny Cruz is back down and has really strung together some good outings to get out of a minor funk he had prior to his second promotion. Outside of him, Danny Watson and Zach Messinger have remained under-the-radar, low-velocity arms that have been effective in their roles.

Players of Note:

George Lombard Jr.: .231/.381/.385, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 16 XBH, 8 SB, 109 wRC+ (injured)
Garrett Martin (AA/AAA): .270/.337/.570, 24 HR, 64 RBI, 18 SB, 135 wRC+ (injured)
Brendan Beck: 7-2, 3.07 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.02 WHIP, 18.1 K-BB% (88 IP)
Elmer Rodríguez: 4-3, 2.93 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 11.4 K-BB% (61.1 IP)
Carlos Lagrange: 1-4, 4.55 ERA, 4.84 FIP, 1.36 WHIP, 17.8 K-BB% (63.1 IP) (injured)

Double-A Somerset Patriots

Record: 5-7 (42-39), 3 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 3-3 week against the Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies)

Run differential: -1 (+35)

Coming up: Home vs. Reading Fightin’ Phils (Phillies)

It was a week of inconsistency down in Somerset, as two early-week victories weren’t able to yield anything other than a split after they scored just one run on Saturday and Sunday combined.

Because of promotions, the offense is a shell of what it was when they dominated the Eastern League with gaudy power numbers for the first two months. They’re leaning on Jace Avina and Coby Morales right now for production, with DJ Gladney and a resurgent Jackson Castillo helping out. They really need some other bats to step up, but where will it come from? The catching room is depleted, Connor McGinnis has been so-so in the infield, and others haven’t picked up the slack.

It was a tale of two starts for Cade Smith, who got a rare double this week. He was great on Tuesday with six strong innings, but didn’t record a strikeout in five rough innings on Sunday. Xavier Rivas lasted just two innings after struggling with the ridiculous heat on Wednesday night, Jack Cebert (6 IP, 2 R, 6 K) tossed a quality start on Thursday, Chase Hampton tossed four shutout innings, and Ben Hess allowed three runs in four innings.

The bullpen welcomed back a key piece from injury in Geoffrey Gilbert, but they continue to rely on Tony Rossi to throw big innings, in which he’s been up and down. Harrison Cohen has been good in relief since he was sent back down, while Ben Grable finally allowed a run on Thursday, but continues to be the man to watch in that bullpen. Hayden Merda also bounced back big time with a five-strikeout outing.

Players of Note:

Jace Avina: .272/.360/.540, 16 HR, 44 RBI, 34 XBH, 28.3 K%, 137 wRC+
Jackson Castillo: .273/.355/.424, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 7 SB, 112 wRC+
Coby Morales: .278/.359/.513, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 12 SB, 131 wRC+
Xavier Rivas: 4-3, 4.82 ERA, 4.95 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 22.4 K-BB% (52.1 IP)
Ben Grable (A+/AA): 3-1, 2.70 ERA, 2.75 FIP, 0.80 WHIP, 30.5 K-BB% (30 IP)

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades

Record: 7-8 (38-42), 4 GB in the South Atlantic League North Second Half after a 3-3 week against the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)

Run differential: +8 (+17)

Coming up: Home vs. Rome Emperors (Braves)

The Renegades basically had the exact opposite week as Somerset. They got off to a bad start, going 1-3 heading into the weekend before back-to-back wins on Fourth of July weekend to salvage a sweep. Sunday’s game was especially thrilling, as Hudson Valley blew a 4-3 lead in the ninth, but rallied to come back on a massive walk-off homer by Kyle West.

Wilson Rodriguez, a former 18th-round pick out of Puerto Rico, has silently become their best and most consistent hitter, carrying an offense that’s struggling. Kaeden Kent is still around .300, but he’s not slugging much and just hit the shelf with an injury. Enmanuel Tejada has struggled of late, Kyle West hasn’t made enough contact around his light-tower power, and guys like Roderick Arias and Camden Troyer are the human embodiment of hot and cold.

Bryce Cunningham (5.2 IP, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K) took a step back in his Tuesday start, struggling with command. Luis Serna and Allen Facundo had identical starts, each allowing four runs over six innings. Franyer Herrera and Sean Paul Liñan scuffled, but there was some progress in one regard this week as 2025 sixth-round pick Rory Fox allowed just one run in 5.2 innings in another strong start.

The bullpen was good all week. Wilmy Sanchez and Bryce Warrecker got big outs, with the latter continuing a terrific season that’s seen him pitch to a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings across two levels. A few of them got screwed over with shoddy defense, like with what happened to Jack Sokol on Sunday when he “blew” the ninth inning with three unearned runs.

Players of Note:

Kaeden Kent: .302/.359/.433, 6 HR, 43 RBI, 28 XBH, 20 SB, 107 wRC+
Core Jackson: .248/.344/.452, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 23 SB, 106 wRC+
Wilson Rodriguez: .262/.381/.437, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 18 SB, 116 wRC+
Luis Serna: 3-4, 4.18 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 16.4 K-BB% (71 IP)
Bryce Cunningham: 2-4, 4.19 ERA, 5.44 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 9.3 K-BB% (43 IP)

Single-A Tampa Tarpons

Record: 11-4 (46-35), 2.5 GA in the Florida State League West after a 5-1 week against the St. Lucie Mets (Mets)

Run differential: +21 (+44)

Coming up: Home vs. Clearwater Threshers (Phillies)

Tampa keeps cooking. They won three games via shutout and dominated from Tuesday to Saturday with five consecutive wins before a bullpen collapse spoiled the sweep on Sunday. They led 5-1 after seven before allowing nine runs in two innings.

They’re doing it mostly with pitching, but don’t confuse that with bad offense. Sure, they’re no longer getting carried by the likes of Jackson Lovich and Hans Montero while Luis Escudero’s hot bat is on the shelf. It’s the depth of the lineup with guys like Luis Puello behind the plate, JoJo Jackson in the outfield, Logan Maxwell returning from injury, and a blistering hot bat from 2025 UDFA David McCann:

Onto the pitching, which is downright incredible. Justin West got things started with 5.2 shutout innings on Tuesday, followed by Thatcher Hurd (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K) completing five innings for the first time as a pro on Wednesday. JT Etheridge followed up Wyatt Parliament’s mediocre start on Thursday with four shutout innings as a piggyback; Henry Lalane continued to be incredible on Friday; Tyler Boudreau tossed a quality start on Saturday, and Brennan Stuprich tossed four strong innings on Sunday.

The bullpen was inconsistent. Jose M. Rodriguez continued to impress, now holding a 2.51 ERA in 32.1 innings with 45 strikeouts, but a blowup on Sunday soils a lot of numbers for his teammates. Brian Hendry continued his rehab with 1.1 innings on Wednesday, and I’m curious what the team’s plan is for him. He’s already 26 but has dominated in the limited time he’s been on the mound. I’d compare him to Brendan Beck from a few years ago, but his stuff is quite a bit better.

Players of Note:

Jackson Lovich: .284/.357/.513, 14 HR, 52 RBI, 30 XBH, 20 SB, 127 wRC+
Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: .258/.368/.413, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 25 SB, 112 wRC+
Hans Montero: .238/.363/.426, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 27 XBH, 21 SB, 114 wRC+
Tyler Boudreau: 4-2, 3.31 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 19.7 K-BB% (68 IP)
Henry Lalane: 4-1, 2.74 ERA, 2.58 FIP, 0.99 WHIP, 23.9 K-BB% (62.1 IP)

FCL Yankees

Record: 23-24, 7 GB in the FCL North after a 2-3 week.

Run differential: +14

The FCL Yankees are all but dead in the playoff race, sitting five games behind the wild-card spot occupied by the FCL Orioles with just 13 games to go. The bats cooled off this week, but Wilberson De Pena and Dexters Peralta continue to be the two most prolific home run hitters in all of rookie ball.

Blake Gillespie’s season is likely over due to injury, so the rotation is just a hodgepodge right now. Jerson Alejandro, a mountain of a man at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds, has re-emerged after injuries but is struggling. Sabier Marte continues to slowly improve, while Austin Breedlove and Edinzo Marquez are dominating in the bullpen.

Players of Note:

Wilberson De Pena: .342/.399/.663, 13 HR, 53 RBI, 31 XBH, 18 SB, 148 wRC+
Jose Castro: .297/.492/.538, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 25 SB, 158 wRC+
Richard Matic: .309/.427/.481, 20 XBH, 27 RBI, 14 SB, 126 wRC+
Sabier Marte: 34.1 IP, 5.77 ERA, 4.85 FIP, 1.46 WHIP, 16.3 K-BB%
Austin Breedlove: 21 IP, 1.71 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.14 WHIP, 18.0 K-BB%

DSL Yankees & Bombers

DSL Yankees:
Record: 15-10, 0.5 GB in DSL East after a 3-2 week
Run differential: +94

DSL Bombers:
Record: 11-15, 6 GB in DSL Southeast after a 2-4 week
Run differential: -26

Did you know the DSL Yankees have the best run differential of any Dominican affiliate? They’ve won by some truly comical margins with a ferocious offense powered by Isaias Castillo and Juan Torres, but have lost some brutal close games. That first week of the season where they seemed to choke every other game away in the late innings hurts.

Not much is going on with the Bombers, who have seven-figure prospect Mani Cedeno struggling. It’s still early in his pro career, but the more the last few classes of international prospects struggle, the more you understand why Danny Rowland was canned when he was, sacrificing the most recent international class.

Players of Note:

Isaias Castillo: .330/.444/.699, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 20 XBH, 10 SB, 159 wRC+ (124 PA)
Juan Torres: .373/.436/.686, 5 HR, 33 RBI, 20 XBH, 11 SB, 151 wRC+ (117 PA)
Stiven Marinez: .289/.420/.567, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 18 SB, 145 wRC+ (119 PA)
Fredy Penuelas: 20.1 IP, 0.44 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 1.03 WHIP, 26.8 K-BB%
Yunior Jerez: 20.2 IP, 3.05 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 0.87 WHIP, 17.7 K-BB%

Prospect of the Week: Henry Lalane

Weekly Stats: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K
Season Stats: 4-1, 2.74 ERA, 2.58 FIP, 0.99 WHIP, 23.9 K-BB% (62.1 IP)

This is now the third time in the last month and a change that we’ve had Lalane as Prospect of the Week, and for good reason. In his most recent dominant start, he was absolutely untouchable in the early innings, eventually racking up 11 strikeouts in another walk-less start. Since May 17, he’s allowed just five earned runs in 42.1 innings with 61 strikeouts to just 10 walks. This is phenomenal stuff.

It’s getting to the point where I actively question if he might be the team’s best starting pitcher prospect. Hess, Cunningham, and Hampton’s stocks are all down this year. ERC is going to graduate in the coming weeks. Lagrange is in the bullpen. There’s real runway to get to Top 100 prospect status with a strong summer from Lalane.

Monday night was a notable game in franchise history for the Dodgers, and not just because the team played their first extra-inning game of 2026, snapping a 91-game stretch that was the second-longest to open a season without playing past nine innings, seven games behind the 2005 Boston Red Sox.

The series opener against the Colorado Rockies was more historical, encompassing the entirety of 143 years as a franchise. Between the regular season and postseason combined, the Dodgers in Brooklyn played 11,109 games. Monday night was the Dodgers’ 11,109th such game since moving to Los Angeles.

The franchise started in Brooklyn in 1884 in the American Association, where they would play for six seasons before joining the National League in 1890.

The World Series as we know it didn’t begin until 1903, but earlier attempts to determine a champion were less series. For example, the Dodgers won the National League in 1890 and played the American Association-champion Louisville Cardinals in the “World’s Championship Series,” but the series ended in a tie (3-3-1) and was never settled. The Dodgers’ only other 19th century postseason was in 1889, when they lost in the postseason to the NL-champion New York Giants, six games to three.

Brooklyn also finished first in the National League in both 1899 and 1900, but had no postseason to play.

In the modern era, the Brooklyn Dodgers played in nine World Series, totaling 56 games. Since moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers have played in 14 World Series and 79 Fall Classic games, but also 174 other postseason games.

At the moment, 143 years of Dodgers history is perfectly balanced between Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Orioles fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

More than halfway into the 2026 season, the Orioles have not yet emerged from the disappointing rut they fell into early on. They have avoided the kind of disaster that destroyed their season early last year. That’s something. However, they still have to actually find success. As we experience weekly, they just can’t manage to do this consistently.

In this week’s survey, the question is very simple. Are the Orioles going to figure this thing out and make it into the postseason? Vote below:

The odds are not in their favor as they sit 3.5 games out of the third AL Wild Card spot. At Baseball Reference, the team has a 10.9% chance of getting into the playoffs. FanGraphs currently gives the Orioles a better, but still bad, 19.9% chance of making it. No one would want to have their life or any meaningful amount of money staked on odds ranging from 5-1 to 9-1.

Even after three months of watching these doofuses, and even considering my inherent pessimistic streak, it’s still hard to avoid wondering what this team could look like if just a couple more pieces fall into place. Gunnar Henderson starting to hit like a star again would be the biggest help. Maybe ahead of the trade deadline, Mike Elias will acquire someone useful, sorry, he won’t, I don’t know why I even said that.

The vibes remain confusing. How are you feeling now? Let us know in the comments below.

Following a fantastic 5-1 homestand, the Mariners head to Florida for a six-game road trip during the final week of play before the All-Star break. If they win both of these series, Seattle will effectively match their first-half record from last year — they were 51-45 at the break in 2025. For a season that’s felt so up and down, the M’s really aren’t in such a bad position. They definitely haven’t played up to their talent level, and they’re benefitting from a thoroughly mediocre American League, but FanGraphs gives them the highest odds to win their division of any of the division leaders around the league.

The Marlins were the best team in baseball in the month of June, running a 20-6 record that vaulted them into the thick of the NL Wild Card race. Their pitching staff was characteristically fantastic, allowing just 3.1 runs per game last month. The real surprise has been the offense; they scored 5.1 runs per game in June and their lineup now has a 103 wRC+ on the season. That would be the highest mark in franchise history, and two of the four times the team has had a wRC+ of 99 or higher, it won the World Series. No big deal.

The Marlins don’t have a superstar anchoring their lineup. Instead, they’re benefitting from breakouts from a bunch of their young role players all at the same time. Liam Hicks, Otto Lopez, and Xavier Edwards are the core trio that have been driving the production all season long. The thing all three of them have in common is an excellent approach at the plate and elite bat-to-ball skills. They may not produce the loudest contact, but they rarely strikeout, take their walks, and maximize every ball they put in play. For the loud contact, the Marlins turn to Kyle Stowers. He enjoyed a huge breakout last year but injuries caused him to get off to a slow start this year. Since the beginning of June, he’s posted a 159 wRC+ with eight home runs.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Max Meyer was the Marlins’ number three overall pick in the 2020 draft but has had to overcome a bunch of obstacles en route to his breakout season this year. Tommy John surgery cost him two years of development and he’s struggled with inconsistency and additional injuries since returning from that elbow surgery. He added a sweeper and a sinker to his pitch mix last year, but he’s finally found a feel for that new breaking ball. It’s become his primary pitch alongside his sharp gyro slider and that’s made all the difference. 

The Marlins have essentially been using a four-man rotation for the past month after Janson Junk and Robby Snelling went down with injuries in May. Junk is finally close to returning — he completed a three-inning rehab outing on Saturday — though Miami hasn’t officially announced a starter for Wednesday’s game yet. Junk enjoyed a small breakout last year by honing his command to an elite level; his 2.9% walk rate led all starting pitchers with at least 100 IP last year. He doesn’t really possess a swing-and-miss weapon, though the development of a new changeup this year has given him something to build on.

Tyler Phillips bounced around a few organizations before landing with the Marlins as a multi-inning reliever last year. He saw a little bit of high-leverage work, but was mostly used as a fireman who could eat up a couple of innings before giving way to the setup men or closer. This year, Miami has used him more frequently as a bulk reliever operating behind an opener, though seven of his last eight outings have been traditional starts. He’s got a really weird profile: he has three bat-missing weapons in his two breaking balls and a splitter but he relies too heavily on a mediocre sinker instead of featuring those secondary pitches. The result is far too many balls in play early in the count before he can finish off batters with one of those swing-and-miss pitches.

The Big Picture:

The Rangers wound up dropping the final two games of their series against the Tigers to fall to 1.5 games back in the division; they’ll host the Angels for three games this week. The Astros managed to win their series against the Rays last weekend but dropped the first game of a series in Washington yesterday; they’re now three games back in the division and just 1.5 games back in the Wild Card race. The Athletics are on the verge of dropping entirely out of the playoff picture — they were swept by the Marlins over the weekend and head to Detroit to face the Tigers this week.

One last road trip on deck before the All-Star break, and the Braves are making some roster moves ahead of tonight’s opener in Pittsburgh.

Yesterday it was Eli White, and now reliever Tyler Kinley will hit the paternity list as he welcomes a new addition to the family. Congratulations, Tyler! May the paternal powers bless you and Eli both as they have Michael Harris II and Dylan Lee this season thus far.

The Braves have recalled righty James Karinchak in Kinley’s place. Optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, July 3, he had a 2.08 ERA in 8 games with the Braves since having his contract selected on June 10.

Karinchak will share Gwinnett shuttle to the airport with LHP Connor Thomas. A Georgia native and Georgia Tech alum, he was signed to a minor league contract this offseason. Thomas debuted last year and pitched in two games with the Milwaukee Brewers before spending some time on the IL with left elbow arthritis. He began the season on the IL with the Stripers before heading on a rehab assignment in Rome. He has a 1.14 ERA in 10 games / 23.2 innings pitched with Gwinnett. Farewell to Daysbel Hernández, who was released in order to open up the spot on the 40-man.

Owen Murphy’s call-up resulted in a kind of nightmarish scenario last night – he entered in the 10th inning tasked with keeping the game tied with the ghost runner lurking on second base. He got two quick outs, but a double by Luis Torrens drove in the aforementioned ghost runner and a Met he’d clipped with a pitch. The Braves only getting one run back in the bottom of the tenth and leave Murphy on the hook for the loss. A valiant effort by the rookie in a tough situation. But he’s Gwinnett-bound after being optioned in the other side of the move for Thomas.

What will be next on the carousel of arms?