Category: MLB

The Yankees flirted with leaving the weekend against the Red Sox winless, as they were tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the eighth and hadn’t taken advantage of an excellent day from Cam Schlittler. Thankfully the Bombers’ bats came alive at last, Cody Bellinger breaking the ice with a solo shot before a Trent Grisham RBI single and a three-run blast by Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the Yanks some breathing room. Final score: 6-1 Yanks and an offense hopefully back on track.

Here’s what else was going on in American League action on Sunday, which included a key game that brought the Yanks back to the forefront of the AL East.

Tampa Bay Rays (37-25) 1, Miami Marlins (31-35) 4

The Fish really did the Yankees a solid over the weekend, as despite entering with a 29-34 record, they took two out of three from the first-place Rays. In fairness to Tampa Bay, Sunday was a tougher matchup with former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara in control. He went seven strong innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk, the lone score coming in the third when Yandy Díaz singled in Taylor Walls after the latter swiped second.

Griffin Jax isn’t a schmuck though, and for his part, the recently-converted reliever shut the Marlins down in five scoreless frames. With Garrett Cleavinger, however, the Fish fared better. Liam Hicks worked a one-out walk in the sixth and Otto Lopez tied the game with a triple that Cedric Mullins failed to cut off in center.

Kyle Stowers lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Lopez and the Marlins were in front.

Miami added insurance runs after a strike-’em-out/throw-’em-out double play that was part of a three-batter seventh for Sandy. Steven Matz entered for Tampa Bay, fresh off his return to the bullpen with the Rays abandoning their effort to make him a starter again. His first relief appearance didn’t go so hot either. The lefty walked Esteury Ruiz, allowed a stolen base, and then issued a free pass to Jakob Marsee. The duo executed a double steal, and the Rays brought the infield in. Joe Mack grounded to shortstop, but catcher Hunter Fedducia couldn’t handle the throw home. Both Ruiz and Marsee scored to make it 4-1, Miami.

Michael Petersen and Anthony Bender combined to allow a mere Jonathan Aranda single across the final two innings as the Marlins took the series. The Rays are now back in a virtual tie with the Yankees for first place in the AL East, technically percentage points ahead of them at 37-25 (.597) vs. 38-26 (.594), but they have played two fewer games than the Yanks. On the MLB.com standings page, they’re even in terms of games ahead/behind. Regardless, the Rays host the Red Sox for three at the Trop next while the Yanks go to Cleveland.

Other Games

Toronto Blue Jays (32-34) 6, Baltimore Orioles (31-35) 4: The Jays enjoyed beating Baltimore 6-4 so much on Saturday that they did the exact same thing yesterday. There was more drama to this one, as the O’s jumped out to a 4-0 lead with an ambush on Kevin Gausman, Colton Cowser and Taylor Ward both homering in the four-run fifth. An inning later, the Jays stormed back. Yohendrick Piñango led off with a homer against Shane Baz, and after a Jesús Sánchez double and an error by Gunnar Henderson, the floodgates opened. An RBI groundout, single, and double followed, the last an Andrés Giménez hit to tie the game at 4-4. Nathan Lukes then reached on an infield single that caromed off the mound, and the play was just so slow enough for Giménez to come all the way around to score. Brandon Valenzuela later homered off Rico Garcia for an insurance run and Louie Varland retired three batters in a row as the potential tying run to nail down the Jays win.

Seattle Mariners (34-32) 4, Detroit Tigers (27-39) 5: The brutal season for Andrés Muñoz continues. The two-time All-Star closer has been dreadful in 2026, and he blew another game on Sunday, dooming Seattle to a series loss at the hands of the Tigers. They’ve been playing better this past week, but Seattle had this one in hand. Run-scoring hits from Josh Naylor, Cole Young, and Randy Arozarena gave the M’s a 4-1 lead. It was trimmed to 4-3 due to an ineffective Cooper Criswell, and then Muñoz entered for the ninth. He issued consecutive walks with one out to Zach McKinstry and the man whose triple had already cut into Seattle’s lead, Wenceel Pérez. A soft grounder moved the runners over, and down to Detroit’s last out, rookie Kevin McGonigle came through with a two-run single to win it.

Cleveland Guardians (37-30) 0, Texas Rangers (32-33) 10: The Mariners’ loss was the Rangers’ gain, as the obliterated the Guardians to move to within a game and a half of Seattle in the underwhelming AL West race. (The A’s also won to move to within 2.5.) It was a nice atonement for Texas after a 6-0 loss on Saturday. Cleveland’s Joey Cantillo was obliterated to the tune of seven runs on nine hits, three of which came on homers to Josh Jung, Wyatt Langford, and Justin Foscue. Jacob deGrom threw six scoreless for the Rangers, yielding just three hits. The Guardians retained a two-game AL Central lead over the White Sox, who would be leading the AL West. Unfortunately for them, it is not 1983 or 1993.

The Royals have spent much of the season looking like a team destined to sell at the trade deadline. At 27-39, they own one of the American League’s worst records and remain on pace for nearly 100 losses. The starting pitching staff is likely to be targeted by several contenders.

USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale wrote an early preview of the trade deadline, focused largely on Tigers pitching star Tarik Skubal. He reports that Royals pitcher Kris Bubic is drawing interest from the upstart Athletics. But he adds, theRoyals may not be ready to dump their roster despite their record.

The Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins, two more teams going nowhere, say they aren’t ready to sell considering the AL absolutely stinks, and they are somehow still alive in the wild-card race.

Despite all their struggles, the Royals are only 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, and a recent stretch of five wins in seven games has offered a glimpse of the club many expected to contend this year.

Bubic has been out since mid-May with elbow soreness and had a bullpen session this week, but has no timetable to return. The 28-year-old Northern California native was an All-Star last year, and had a 4.11 ERA in nine starts this year, his final year before he is eligible for free agency.

If the Royals decide to become sellers, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha could also draw significant interest, although both are in the middle of multi-year contract extensions. Cole Ragans could be attractive if he can establish his health – he has also been since May and was shut down after he experienced discomfort in a rehab start. Relievers Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, and Alex Lange could also be targeted by teams needing bullpen help.

It was a day of completing series for the minor league teams. How did the team’s youngsters do?

Rochester 7, Lehigh Valley 6

Part of a looming issue facing the big league team right now is depth. What if there was a major injury of some kind, particularly to the pitching staff? Is there someone there that you would feel good about bringing to the major leagues? While the pitching staff would be a problem, what about the outfield? We know that Gabriel Rincones would likely be the initial choice, but outside of that? Keaton Anthony (2-5, RBI)? Dylan Carlson (2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI)? Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Binghamton 4, Reading 2

Speaking of looming things, the trade deadline is coming. The team has a good amount of prospect capital playing in Reading right now, some of it performing quite well. Aroon Escobar (0-3, K) is one of those prospects that might attract attention, as is maybe Bryan Rincon (1-4) and Raylin Heredia (2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI). The pitching prospects? Maybe not so much.

Brooklyn 5, Jersey Shore 3

Pedro Leon (2-3, R, 3B, HR, 3 RBI) is an interesting player. Originally signed to give them some outfield depth at the major league level, he got hurt in spring training and has had to rehab and various parts of the minor leagues. Now in High-A, he’s been mashing the ball….but why isn’t he moving up the ladder? They have Dante Nori at Reading, which is who they’d like to get regular at bats at that level, but what about Lehigh Valley? Why not go there and see if he can be an option in centerfield there? Is Dylan Carlson too much to overcome? Do they like Leon enough to just let him hit the ball hard in Lakewood? I have questions.

Clearwater 11, St. Lucie 8

Nathan Humphreys, have a day. The young DH went 4-4 with two home runs and five RBI, leading the Threshers to victory. He wasn’t alone in the offensive explosion either. Juan Villavicencio and Jonathan Hogart each had three hits on the day, both hitting a home run. Sean Youngerman was pretty bad on the mound, allowing six runs in two innings, but when offenses are doing things like that, you can look past the mound struggles.

Good morning! A tough ending to their game against the Detroit Tigers yesterday handed the Mariners a series loss.

The Mariners will continue their road trip with a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles beginning this afternoon, with Emerson Hancock taking the mound for the 3:35 PM start.

In Mariners news…

• Cal Raleigh reflects on his first rehab start with the Everett AquaSox as he progresses back from an oblique strain.
• Infielder Ryan Bliss has joined the Mariners’ taxi squad as J.P. Crawford remains out of the lineup due to a sore right hand.

Around the league…

• The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed outfielder Max Kepler amid his 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
• Chicago Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon will be placed on the IL after leaving the team’s game yesterday with a left hamstring strain.
• The Los Angeles Angels have placed RHP Jack Kochanwicz on the 15-day IL due to right elbow inflammation.
• Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal threw five scoreless innings in his first rehab start yesterday.

(25-38) Norfolk Tide 6, (32-31) Gwinnett Stripers 0

• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-for-5, .293/.389/.422
• DaShawn Keirsey Jr., CF: 2-for-5, SB, .263/.298/.387
• Brewer Hicklen, RF: 1-for-5, SB, .324/.389/.530
• Aaron Schunk, 1B: 0-for-1, 3 BB, SB, .240/.308/.387
• Luke Williams, 3B: 0-for-1, 3 BB, .227/.305/.367
• Owen Murphy, SP: 5IP 6H 5R 4ER 1BB 6K, 4.91 ERA

Box Score

The Stripers dropped a hard one, getting shut out by the Norfolk Tide and losing 6-0 while splitting the series at three games a piece.

Owen Murphy got the start and had an interesting game as he changed his pitch mix, nearly dropping his curveball entirely, in increasing his cutter usage significantly throughout the outing. Typically, Owen is primarily a fastball pitcher, thanks to his unique fastball that has an IVB that averages 18-22”, but those numbers were way down as he featured his cutter more. Overall, Owen generated 17 whiffs, and most of his trouble came off of a grand slam he allowed to Tommy Pham, also on a cutter. Connor Thomas (2IP 2H 1ER 1BB 1BB 0K) came in relief for Owen and allowed a run of his own across two innings of work. With the offense struggling and still being shut out, Daysbel Hernández (2IP 0H 0R 2BB 2K) worked the final two innings and kept the Tide scoreless.

Unfortunately, the offense struggled throughout the game. They faced six different arms, drew a staggering nine walks, but only had one extra-base hit while going 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and stranding 13 on base. Every time the Stripers would threaten with runners on base they either hit into double plays, or struck out in clutch situations – including the first and second innings when they had runners on but hit into double plays each time. DaShawn Keirsey Jr., fresh off being added to the forty man roster, was the only hitter to collect more than one hit, however three players (Brett Wisely, Aaron Schunk, and Luke Williams) all got on base three times each, drawing three walks a piece.

(26-28) Columbus Clingstones @ (28-27) Rocket City Trash Pandas – Canceled/Rain

(22-32) Greenville Drive @ (30-26) Rome Emperors – Canceled/Rain

(22-35) Delmarva Shorebirds 4, (30-27) Augusta GreenJackets 0

• Conor Esssenburg, CF: 1-for-4, .246/.373/.449
• Juan Mateo, 3B: 1-for-4, .280/.325/.347
• Cooper McMurray, DH: 2-for-3, BB, .212/.361/.364
• Davis Polo, SP: 6IP 4H 2R 1ER 0BB 8K, 3.22 ERA

Box Score

The GreenJackets just couldn’t get things started offensively as they struck out 11 times as a team, while collecting just four total hits all while failing to draw a single walk. They went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, while stranding 10 on base. To put the cherry on top of it all, they also committed three errors in a game they will want to forget.

Davis Polo got the start for Augusta and turned in another strong start generating an astounding 20 whiffs on 84 pitches. The return from a shoulder injury has gone fantastic for Davis as he has leaned into his three pitch mix to great results. The first run he gave up came in the second inning when a triple turned into an inside the park home run, after an error by catcher Nick Montgomery. The second run came in the third inning when he hit Shorebirds catcher Nolaya, who then stole second, and took third on a throwing error by catcher Nick Montgomery. He then scored on a single with one out – that was the final run given up by Davis. Kendy Richard (3IP 4H 2ER 0BB 3K) replaced Davis Polo and gave up a pair of runs himself, one in the seventh and one in the ninth.

Offensively, the GreenJackets were unable to overcome the defensive mistakes as they struggled to get anything done with the bat. Cody Miller, now finding himself at the top of the lineup in Augusta, went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts – continuing his difficult 2026, though he did pick up a pair of stolen bases. Cooper McMurray got on base three times as he picked up a pair of singles and drew a walk. With just six total bases, it was a game to forget for Augusta offense.

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The Milwaukee Brewers enter Monday's series opener in excellent form, and the matchup against Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs only adds to their appeal.

My Brewers vs. Athletics predictions and MLB picks are backing Milwaukee to continue its offensive surge and roll to a convincing victory behind another strong outing from Kyle Harrison.

Who will win Brewers vs A's today: Brewers -1.5 (-105)

The Milwaukee Brewers will see Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs in the series opener. He's struggling immensely over his last two starts, posting a 5.99 FIP while allowing an alarming 3.12 home runs per nine innings. 

Additionally, opponents have generated a 51.7% hard-hit rate against him during that stretch, while his FIP sits at 4.43 at home this season. The Brew Crew comes into this one absolutely red-hot at the dish, hitting .319 over their last seven games while averaging a hard-hit rate of 44.6%. 

Kyle Harrison, meanwhile, has been elite. He has a 2.45 xFIP in his last two appearances, and he's given up just 0.77 home runs per nine innings across those starts.

He also owns an impressive 1.69 ERA on the road in 2026. The Athletics haven't shown much power lately, either, carrying a .163 ISO over the last week. I'd play this pick up to -130. 

COVERS INTEL: Kyle Harrison has limited opponents to a 26.6% hard-hit rate in his last four outings and a barrel rate of just 4.7%. 

Brewers vs A's Over/Under pick: Under 10.5 (+100)

This is an incredibly high total, and I'm expecting most of the runs here to come from Milwaukee. The Brewers are averaging 8.7 runs across their last seven contests, although that number is somewhat inflated after scoring 16 against the Giants and 12 against the Rockies. Nevertheless, they're generating plenty of offense and should have success against Springs.

The A's, however, have struggled at the plate. They own just a 79 wRC+ and .289 wOBA over the last week, suggesting consistent offensive production could be difficult to come by.

Milwaukee's bullpen has also been terrific lately, posting a 3.00 xERA over the last 14 days while allowing just 0.54 home runs per nine innings.

This feels like a game where the Brewers do most of the scoring, while Kyle Harrison and Milwaukee's relief corps limit the damage on the other side. I'll play this up to -110.

Brewers vs A's odds

• Moneyline: Brewers -150 | A's +140
• Run line: Brewers -1.5 (-104) | A's +1.5 (-100)
• Over/Under: Over 10.5 (-117) | Under 10.5 (+113)

Brewers vs A's trend

The Brewers have covered the run line in 27 of their last 45 games for +11.80 units and a 22% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. A's.

How to watch Brewers vs A's and game info

Brewers vs A's latest injuries

Brewers vs A's weather

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Back to even on the week, the Guardians proved that they can come back strong after a rough patch. They took down one of the biggest threats in the American League and avoided getting swept once again.

Bibee Gets First Win

While win-loss record isn’t much of an important stat for pitchers these days, it doesn’t look the greatest when a pitcher is 0-7 to start the season. That was exactly the case for Tanner Bibee who had not earned a win in any of his first 13 starts of the season. The Guardians haven’t lost every game he’s started, he just did not earn a decision in any of those wins. That was until Saturday’s game against the Texas Rangers. Bibee went eight innings, giving up zero runs on just three hits. He walked two and only struck out three, but his eight innings of work in a 6-0 ballgame all but guaranteed him his first win of the season. He acknowledged that wins are “the most useless stat” in baseball but agreed that getting his first was a weight off of his shoulders.

Bazzana Has A Night as Big as Texas

Even though the Guards could not pull off a win in Friday’s 3-2 nailbiter versus Texas, they won the hit column thanks to four huge at bats from rookie Travis Bazzana. He started off hot with a leadoff home run in the first inning, his fourth of the season. In the top of the third, he led off with a single and stole second base. Two innings later, he hit a triple into right field but was not brought home by any of his teammates. He struck out in his final at bat of the night keeping him from the cycle, but he certainly boosted his batting average and slugging percentage with the attempt. He now sits at .271/.355/.444 for the season.

Smith Earns Big Honors

Closer Cade Smith was named the American League Reliever of the Month for May on Wednesday. From May 1st to the 31st, he led MLB with 12 saves while striking out 25 hitters in 13.2 innings. While he had a rough start to the season, he’s gotten right back on track and has become the closer that Cleveland needed after losing Clase. He’s sitting at a 2.83 ERA and 1.08 WHIP for the season and has been a strikeout machine. If he can continue to lock down games late, he’ll be a key part to getting the Guards back to the postseason.

Social Media Spotlight

Doing a bit of a self-plug here, but my favorite social media post from this week was one that I made. I went to the Columbus Clippers game on Saturday, and while I only got to see one inning of baseball thanks to a two-hour weather delay, I got to visit with my favorite former player/current Triple-A pitching coach, Nick Wittgren.

Talk around the San Diego Padres was the offense might have been turning a corner when Freddy Fermin hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning that helped them beat the visiting New York Mets on Saturday night. The teams returned to the field on Sunday, and the Padres proved that theory was inaccurate.

San Diego was down early, and it stayed that way throughout the game. New York scored runs in the first, second, fifth, sixth and eighth innings and took the three-game series with a 7-3 win. The floundering Padres offense was outhit 13-7 and five of the 13 hits for the Mets came from rookie Carson Benge who finished the day 5-for-5 with three singles, a home run and a triple. He also scored three runs and had two RBI.

The offensive bright spot for San Diego was once again Fermin, who hit his second two-run home run in as many days. This is the part where you are reminded that Fernando Tatis Jr. still only has one home run. Fermin finished the afternoon 2-fo-4 with a home run and a double. He scored a run and had all three RBI for the Padres. Tatis, Jackson Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, Miguel Andujar and Samad Taylor each had a hit for San Diego. Andujar came out of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with an injury after he reached base on his single.

Randy Vasquez could not fool the Mets hitters, as evidenced by Benge’s success at the plate, and he allowed four runs on eight hits and lasted just four inning. Vasquez also allowed two walks and recorded just three strikeouts in the game. He was not the only Padres pitcher who struggled against the New York lineup. Yuki Matsui allowed two runs on two hits in 1.2 innings, Ron Marinaccio allowed one run on one hit and a walk in 2.1 innings, and Wandy Peralta did not allow a run but did allow two hits and issued a walk in his one inning of work.

San Diego does not get a break before the Cincinnati Reds come to town. The Padres and Reds open their three-game series tonight at 6:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• The Padres are in need of a spark. It would be nice if that came one the offensive side, but perhaps it can come from adding pitcher Jhony Brito to the MLB roster. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball thinks it is possible.

• German Marquez looked good in his latest rehab start in El Paso, but can he hit? The return of Marquez could help the rotation eat more innings to give the bullpen a break, but the offense will have to support his efforts.

• Sung-Mun Song has not had the struggles at the plate that many international players do when coming to the MLB from Japan or Korea. He has shown an ability to hit the fastball and his contributing on offense, but his greatest contribution has been his defense.

• Manny Machado had one hit in the three-game series against the Mets. His average is abysmal, but he his hitting home runs. Fernando Tatis Jr. has a good average hitting above .270 but still has not found his power stroke and has just one home run on the season. Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribunediscusses the strange season for the two San Diego stars.

• Samad Taylor is a California native who made his first start for the Padres with family and friends in attendance at Petco Park. He was able to give them a hit but unfortunately could not help San Diego give them a win.

• San Diego has not shown any signs of life during their recent struggles, but Dennis Lin of The Athletic says the Padres could still be buyers a t the deadline.

Baseball News:

• Kevin McGonigle hit a walk-off single to give the Detroit Tigers a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners.

• Tarik Skubal is looking to return to the mound as soon as possible and is well on his way after five scoreless innings in his first rehab start.

• The Atlanta Braves completed a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 3-2 win.

• Brandon Marsh homered to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago White Sox.

• The bottom of the lineup for the Los Angeles Angels dominated Los Angeles Dodgers pitching and gave the Halos a 13-5 win.

• The Milwaukee Brewers reached 40 wins on the season with a win and a series sweep over the Colorado Rockies.

• The St. Louis Cardinals completed a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.

Before the Orioles started their little six-game road trip last week, a 3-3 record across the six games would have felt pretty good. The O’s have not been good on the road so far this year, so even holding at .500 while outside of Camden Yards is positive. They just made it feel disappointing to actually go 3-3 since they won the first series plus the first game in Toronto before closing out with a couple of stupid losses.

This week’s episode of the podcast has me thinking about how confusing it is to try to sort out thoughts about these guys because at this point, two-plus months into the season, it’s not totally clear who they are yet. Was the dismal start to May the aberration for an otherwise good team, or was the recent stretch of winning 10 of 14 the departure from an otherwise bad team? We aren’t really going to know until more time has gone by.

Also in this episode, some extended discourse on Adley Rutschman thanks to a reader’s email for my thoughts. Rutschman is a good symbol for this 2026 Orioles team because he’s gone between two extremes as well. Is he bounced back from a couple of rougher years, as evidenced by a great April, or is he continuing on the road to disappointment, as evidenced by a rough May? This question is only going to be answered over time as well.

Listen to my thoughts on the last week of Orioles baseball below:

If the above player isn’t displaying, view this article in Incognito Mode or check it out on the show’s page.

This is my weekly podcast about whatever is going on lately with the Orioles. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe. You can get the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer to access your podcasts.

How are you feeling about the way things are going with the Orioles right now? Answers could make it into the mailbag section of the next episode of the podcast.

Evan Phillips pitched a scoreless inning on Sunday in his second rehab game for Triple-A Oklahoma City, as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery just over a year ago. Phillips got the ball in the eighth inning against Round Rock, then struck out his first batter, walked his second, and induced a groundball double play to get out of the frame on 10 pitches.

Tommy Edman played seven innings at second base on Sunday, and tripled and scored a run at the plate. Edman played in five of six games this week, including all three games this weekend, and has played nine weeks thus far in his minor league rehab assignment.

Here’s what happened in the rest of the Dodgers minor leagues on Sunday.

Player of the day

Mike Sirota hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning on Sunday, turning a two-run Tulsa deficit into a win of a suspended game that began on Saturday.

Sirota had already walked twice in that first game before his game-winning home run, then singled and walked in the second game to extend his on-base to 47 games, which includes his final 30 games for Great Lakes this season.

Since getting promoted to Double-A on May 19, Sirota is hitting .365/.506/.603 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI in 17 games.

With his combined performance in High-A and Double-A, Sirota has moved up prospect lists since the offseason. At Baseball America for instance, Sirota was ranked the 45th-best prospect in baseball in January, and just this week moved up to No. 19.

“Entering the season, the only real question about Sirota’s game was how he’d look after knee surgery that ended his 2025 campaign,” Josh Norris wrote at Baseball America on Wednesday. “Safe to say, the only remnant of the injury is the scar left by the incision. He’s hit for average and power all year, and has shown he fits right in with the Dodgers’ outrageous group of outfielders.”

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Comets peppered offense throughout Sunday’s game to beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers), and The Comet was in the middle of things. Hyeseong Kim had three hits in the win, stole a base, and drove in a pair.

Zach Ehrhard reached base four times with two singles and two walks. Alek Thomas had two hits and a walk.

Jack Suwinski singled, walked, scored two runs, and was on the front end of this unconventional double play to end the seventh inning, with some quick thinking by shortstop Noah Miller.

Double-A Tulsa

Zyhir Hope hit a two-run home run in the first game on Sunday, then homered, doubled, and drove in four runs in Game 2, helping the Drillers to two wins over the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Diamondbacks).

Josue De Paula homered in the second game.

In the completion of Saturday’s suspended game, Wyatt Crowell took over on the mound and allowed one run in his first three innings on Sunday. But then he allowed two home runs and a double in a five-run fifth inning that turned the game around. The left-hander has allowed six runs in four different appearances this season, plus another five-run game, fueling his 7.34 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 32 walks in his 38 innings.

High-A Great Lakes

After winning four of the first five games in this series, the Loons were on the wrong end of a blowout in a loss to the Lansing Lugnuts (A’s).

Sterling Patick had a rough go of things, with six runs allowed on nine hits and a walk in his 4 1/3 innings. The left-hander, who entered Sunday with a 24.6-percent strikeout rate this season, failed to strike out a batter for the first time in his 43 professional starts.

Emil Morales homered, walked, and singled, driving in two of Great Lakes’ four runs on Sunday. He has four home runs and two doubles in 15 games since getting promoted to High-A.

Eduardo Quintero doubled and singled, extending his Loons-record on-base streak to 32 games. It’s his 15th multi-hit game this season, and fifth in the last two weeks. Quintero also stole a base on Sunday, his team-leading 24th of the year on 28 tries. He has 20 steals in his last 22 games.

Class-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers were on the wrong end of a blowout loss to the Stockton Ports (A’s), who scored the first 10 runs on Sunday.

Hyun-Seok Jang started and pitched a scoreless first inning, but was roughed up for seven runs while getting chased in the second inning, after four hits (including a three-run home run), two hit batters, and a walk.

First baseman Easton Shelton hit a solo shot, his fourth home run in the last three games.

Outfielder Landyn Vidourek homered and drove in three.

Transactions

Triple-A: Left-hander Antoine Kelly was traded to the Cubs. A non-roster invitee this spring, Kelly had a 5.14 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 19 walks in 23 games and 21 innings for Oklahoma City. Second baseman Taylor Young, who broke his wrist in spring training and just returned this week in three games for Tulsa, was promoted to the Comets, a few days after infielder/outfielder Tyler Fitzgerald was placed on the injured list.

Sunday scores

• Oklahoma City 7, Round Rock 3
• Tulsa 7, Amarillo 6 (Game 1)
• Tulsa 7, Amarillo 1 (Game 2)
• Lansing 13, Great Lakes 4
• Stockton 15, Ontario 8

The week ahead

• Oklahoma City at Charlotte (White Sox)
• Tulsa vs. Wichita (Twins)
• Great Lakes at Wisconsin (Brewers)
• Ontario at Lake Elsinore (Padres)

A rare interleague series for Oklahoma City, playing the Charlottes Knights of the International League.

When Jameson Taillon went down with an injury in the second inning, it appeared that any chance of the Cubs winning Sunday’s game — especially since they were already down 1-0 with a runner on base — was close to zero.

They didn’t win, losing the game 2-1 and the series to the Giants, but the failure was certainly not the fault of Javier Assad, who had been called up from Triple-A Iowa Saturday to provide “length” out of the bullpen. That he did, and more, throwing 6.1 outstanding innings, allowing one hit and just two other baserunners. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the Cubs to win the game.

Taillon threw 29 pitches in a rough first inning in which the Giants had a walk and two singles that produced a run. After the Cubs went out meekly in the bottom of the first on just eight pitches from Giants starter Trevor McDonald, Taillon walked Matt Chapman leading off the second.

On ball four to Chapman, Taillon immediately signaled to the dugout [VIDEO].

He left the game, and a bit later:

We don’t yet know how serious this is, but I’d imagine this puts Taillon out until after the All-Star break.

As noted above, Assad came in and slammed the door shut. He did hit the first batter he faced, and the two Giants runners were advanced on a sacrifice bunt.

Then this happened [VIDEO].

Great throw by Pedro Ramirez, great tag by Carson Kelly. The play was reviewed and ruled “call stands.”

After that, Assad allowed just two more baserunners, a leadoff walk followed by a single in the fourth. A double play followed, the first of 13 consecutive Giants retired by Assad before he left to a warm ovation in the eighth. The 6.1 inning scoreless relief appearance was the first by a reliever for the Cubs in a very long time. From BCB’s JohnW53:

The last Cubs reliever to pitch at least 6.1 scoreless innings, as Javier Assad did Sunday night, was Tom Dettore, way back on Aug. 16, 1974, at home vs. the Padres. He pitched 6.1, gave up three hits, walked one and struck out six.

There had been only five earlier in the Expansion Era:
7.0: Ray Burris, 1973
7.1: Tom Phoebus, 1972
7.0: Bill Hands, 1967
6.1: Cal Koonce, 1965
8.0: Koonce, 1964

There have been 78 such games since 1901, of which 19 were in the Dead Ball Era.

Here’s more on Assad’s outing [VIDEO].

But the Cubs offense produced… nothing. Well, not totally “nothing,” as they did tie the game in the third. With two out, Kelly singled and went to second on a single by Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Another single by Moisés Ballesteros scored Kelly [VIDEO].

But that was it. The Cubs loaded the bases in the fourth. Ian Happ sent a ball to the right-field corner with one out and legged out a triple. After Seiya Suzuki hit a sharp line drive to short, Nico Hoerner and Ramirez walked. But Kelly struck out to end the inning.

Jacob Webb relieved Assad in the eighth and retired both hitters he faced. He’s really become very reliable.

The Cubs had an excellent chance to score in the bottom of the eighth. Miguel Amaya, batting for Ballesteros, walked. Kevin Alcántara ran for Amaya. Michael Busch dribbled a ball in front of the plate and was safe at first with a hit, and when Giants pitcher Erik Miller threw the ball away, Alcántara took third.

Then this happened [VIDEO].

What was Alcántara thinking being so far off third base? Alex Bregman hit the ball hard, but right at first baseman Rafael Devers, whose throw to Chapman easily beat Alcántara back to the base for a double play.

Daniel Palencia threw a 1-2-3 ninth. The Cubs had yet another good scoring chance in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Hoerner singled and Ramirez walked. The winning run’s on second. But Kelly popped up for the second out. PCA, with a chance to be a walk-off hero for the second time this homestand, grounded to first, so on to extras the game went for the second day in a row.

Trent Thornton threw the 10th, and on his second pitch Chapman singled in the placed runner to give the Giants a 2-1 lead. Thornton got out of the inning with no further damage. Could the Cubs repeat a 10th-inning win?

Well, no, they could not. PCA was the placed runner. Michael Conforto, who hit a walk-off homer earlier this year, batted for Alcántara and struck out.

Then PCA took off for third [VIDEO].

That’s a very risky play when you’re already in scoring position. But now, a fly ball to the outfield could tie the game.

As you know, the Cubs could not produce that fly ball. Busch popped up and Bregman, who has been getting booed lately, also popped up to end the game.

For his part, Bregman acknowledged the boos and that he hasn’t played well:

Credit where it’s due: Bregman is a stand-up guy. He did not make excuses for his poor play so far. He wore it, he gets that fans are frustrated with him. We can only hope that he improves from here.

Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

And then, there’s this summary of the game (and really, this whole season):

You have heard that story before, so I won’t belabor it. This just has to get better or the remaining 96 games are going to be really, really unhappy. Lastly, the Cubs, who started out 18-5 at Wrigley Field, have lost 10 of their last 12 home games and since May 8 are 7-20, the worst record in MLB over that span.

The Cubs have Monday off and then open a three-game series against the Rockies in Denver Tuesday evening. Colin Rea will start for the Cubs and Tomoyuki Sagano will go for Colorado. Game time Tuesday is 7:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

A really good road trip for the Guardians ended on a sour note with a 10-0 loss to the Rangers.

Today is a bit of a busy day for me doing hurricane relief in Jamaica, so this will be your series preview:

Game One, Monday, 6:40PM ET: Warren vs. Williams

Game Two, Tuesday, 6:40PM ET: Cole vs. Cecconi

Game Three, Wednesday, 1:10PM ET: Rodon vs. Messick

AROUND MLB:

Tigers won, White Sox lost and the Royals beat the Twins

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: L, 4-3 at Syracuse Mets — entered ninth down 4-1 but rally fizzled

LF Jasson Domínguez 0-3, 2 K
1B Seth Brown 0-1, BB
SS George Lombard Jr. 2-5, 2B, 2 K, picked off — struck swinging with tying run at second to end game
DH Marco Luciano 0-3, BB, K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 0-3, BB
3B Tyler Hardman 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K
2B Jonathan Ornelas 0-4, K
1B-LF Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-4, RBI, K
CF Kenedy Corona 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, BB
C Abrahan Gutierrez 0-3, BB

Don Hamel 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 6 K
Yerry De Los Santos 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Bradley Hanner 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (loss)

Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 7-3 at Harrisburg Senators

LF Jackson Castillo 0-3, RBI, 2 K, SF
DH Garrett Martin 1-4, HR, 2 RBI — 19th homer leads Eastern League, and is actually second in all of full-season minor-league ball
1B Neil Torres 0-4, K
RF DJ Gladney 2-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB — red-hot with four homers this week
3B Coby Morales 1-3, BB, CS
C Miguel Palma 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, two passed balls
2B Connor McGinnis 0-3 BB
SS Owen Cobb 0-3, K
CF Cole Gabrielson 1-3, SB

Ben Hess 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 2 K — was victimized by passed balls, forced to throw too many pitches in the first
Chase Chaney 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (win) — could do worse for a piggyback outing
Kelly Austin 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (hold)
Hayden Merda 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: L, 16-3 at Frederick Keys

SS Kaeden Kent 1-4, 2B, RBI
LF Wilson Rodriguez 1-4, RBI
C Eric Genther 0-4
DH Kyle West 0-4, K
2B Roderick Arias 1-4, 2B, K, CS
3B Enmanuel Tejeda 1-3, HR, RBI, K
1B Josh Moylan 1-3, 2B, 2 K
CF Camden Troyer 1-3, 2B.K
RF Luis Durango 1-3, K, SB

Sean Paul Liñan 1.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R (6 ER), 1 BB, 5 K, 3 HR (loss) — yikes, right-hander struck out side in first and then imploded
Brady Kirtner 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Franyer Herrera 2.1 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 4 BB, 2 K, 3 HR
Brandon Decker 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Jack Sokol 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: W, 2-1 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals

3B Jackson Lovich 1-3, RBI, SB
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 2-3, 2B, BB, K, CS
2B Hans Montero 0-3, BB, 2 K
LF Luis Puello 1-4
CF Willy Montero 0-3, BB, K
DH Engelth Urena 0-4, K
RF JoJo Jackson 0-1, 2 BB, K
C Ediel Rivera 1-3, SB
1B Austin Green 0-2, BB, K

Brennan Stuprich 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K
Jose Martinez 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (win)
Joshua Tiedemann 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K (hold)
Jose M. Rodriguez 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (save)

Florida Complex League Yankees: Off-day

Dominican Summer League Yankees: Off-day

Dominican Summer League Bombers: Off-day

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Terrance Gore, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1933 – Jimmie Foxx hits three home runs in his first three at-bats as the Philadelphia Athletics outscore the New York Yankees, 14-10. Foxx had homered his last time up the previous day to give him four consecutive home runs, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1961 – The Milwaukee Braves set a major-league record with four consecutive home runs in the 7th inning against Cincinnati. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron hit back-to-back home runs off starter Jim Maloney; Joe Adcock greets reliever Marshall Bridges with another home run, and Frank Thomas sets the record.
• 1968 – Howie Bedell‘s sacrifice fly in the 5th inning ends Don Drysdale‘s record streak of 58 consecutive scoreless innings. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-3.
• 1977 – Nolan Ryan notches his fourth career 19-strikeout game, pitching the first 10 innings of a game against Toronto.
• 1992 – Yankees pitcher Steve Howe is banned from baseball for the seventh time.

Cubs Birthdays:Terrance Gore*, Tim Donahue, Tom Lee.

Today in history:

• 452 – Attila the Hun invades Italy.
• 1789 –James Madison introduces a proposed Bill of Rights in the US House of Representatives.
• 1824 – Washing machine patented by Noah Cushing of Quebec.
• 1869 – Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago patents the first vacuum cleaner, calling it a “sweeping machine”.
• 1949 – Secker & Warburg publishes George Orwell‘s seminal novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, set in the totalitarian state of Oceania.
• 1968 – James Earl Ray, alleged assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., captured.
• 1976 – Bobby Orr signs a five-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
• 2002 – British-Canadian Lennox Lewis retains boxing’s WBC Heavyweight title with eighth-round knockout of American Mike Tyson at The Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee.
• 2013 – Patrick Kane scores a playoff hat-trick against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
• 2021 National Geographic announces it is officially recognizing the South Ocean as the world’s fifth ocean.

Today in music history:

• 1964 – “The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)”, recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean, is released.
• 1968 – Gary Puckett and Union Gap release “Lady Will Power.”
• 1968 – Rolling Stones release “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
• 1969 – Guitarist Brian Jones is asked to leave the Rolling Stones, replaced by Mick Taylor.
• 1974  -Keyboardist Rick Wakeman quits progressive rock group “Yes” (for the first time).
• 1979 – Wings release “Back to the Egg” album.

*pictured.

Last Week’s Results

• Monday: Brewers 16, Giants 2
• Tuesday: Brewers 8, Giants 3
• Wednesday: Giants 1, Brewers 0
• Thursday: Giants 12, Brewers 9
• Friday: Brewers 9, Rockies 7
• Saturday: Brewers 7, Rockies 1
• Sunday: Brewers 12, Rockies 4

Division Standings

• Brewers 40-23
• Cardinals 35-28 (5 GB)
• Cubs 34-32 (7.5 GB)
• Pirates 34-32 (7.5 GB)
• Reds 31-33 (9.5 GB)

Last Week

• Brewers: 5-2
• Cardinals: 4-2
• Cubs: 2-4
• Pirates: 2-4
• Reds: 1-5

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

Several Brewer pitchers performed well this week, but in what is becoming a frequent occurrence, this “award” needs to go to the Brewer ace, Jacob Misiorowski. On Saturday night in Denver, Miz wasn’t quite as sharp as we’ve seen him at times in the last month-and-a-half, but he threw seven innings with only an unearned run allowed while striking out eight and working around three walks. His staredown of his manager, who was contemplating taking him out of the game with two on and one out in the seventh, became a signature moment of the season when Misiorowski struck out the next two batters.

In what is also becoming a weekly tradition, we need to acknowledge Kyle Harrison in this space. Against the Giants team that traded him for Rafael Devers just under one year ago, Harrison struck out 12 batters — including Devers three times — in just 5 2/3 innings while allowing one run in what was eventually an 8-3 Brewers win. Special mention also to Chad Patrick, who pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen across three games this week.

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

It was quite a week for the Brewer offense. Colorado helps, of course, but six different Brewers had an OPS of at least 1.075 this week. At the top of that list, and the recipient of the prestigious Brew Crew Ball Week in Review Hitter of the Week Award for the second straight week, is Jake Bauers. In six games, Bauers went 5-for-17 (.294) with two homers, two doubles, and seven RBIs… but he also walked 10 times. He had an OBP of .556 on the week and slugged .765, and he’s now up to a 149 wRC+ on the season.

A quick rundown of those other five 1.075+ OPS Brewers:

• Brice Turang broke out of his slump in a big way: he played in all seven games and went 11-for-27 (.407) with two doubles, a triple, two homers, four walks, and eight RBIs
• Jackson Chourio was 11-for-29 (.379) with two homers and four doubles
• Garrett Mitchell was 6-for-16 with three doubles and a triple
• David Hamilton hit .348 and hit his second and third homers of the season
• Gary Sánchez went 3-for-8 with a double, a homer, a walk, and three RBIs

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• The Brewer bullpen was hit with some injury trouble this week. First, on Thursday, DL Hall and Grant Anderson both had to leave the game with injuries; Hall was diagnosed with a pectoral strain and landed on the 15-day injured list. Anderson was hit on the pitching arm with a baseball, and while it looked pretty nasty, he was able to get back into game action after a day off.
• Then, Brian Fitzpatrick, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take Hall’s roster spot, suffered what unfortunately appears to be a serious elbow injury while warming up between innings on Friday.
• The Brewers also cut ties with Jake Woodford on Friday after a rough outing in the last game of the Giants series. He was designated for assignment. Craig Yoho was called up to replace him on the major league roster.
• After Fitzpatrick was placed on the IL, Drew Rom was recalled from Triple-A Nashville and made his Brewers debut on Saturday.
• Milwaukee also acquired reliever Joel Kuhnel from the Athletics. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, Quinn Priester was switched over to the 60-day injured list. (That move doesn’t make any functional difference; Priester has already served more than 60 days on the 15-day IL, and those count toward the 60-day count.) Kuhnel will presumably report to Triple-A Nashville, though Rom or Yoho could be sent back there before the series in Las Vegas against Kuhnel’s former team this week.
• Earlier in the week, Rob Zastryzny, who’d just been activated from the injured list on May 31, strained his trapezius and found himself back on the injured list before appearing in a game. He has yet to pitch for the Brewers this season.
• Priester, who has struggled badly on his rehab assignment, had that assignment shifted from Nashville to Phoenix, where he’ll pitch in the Arizona Complex League.

On Deck

• Monday: @ Athletics (in Las Vegas, not Sacramento) (9:05 p.m.)
• Tuesday: @ Athletics (9:05 p.m.)
• Wednesday: @ Athletics (8:05 p.m.)
• Thursday: Off Day
• Friday: vs. Phillies (6:40 p.m.)
• Saturday: vs. Phillies (6:10 p.m.)
• Sunday: vs. Phillies (1:10 p.m.)