Category: MLB

Mets 1 Blue Jays 2

It was great to see Bo Bichette back in Toronto. He seemed touched by the ovation the fans gave him.

After seeing the Jays down a bunch of runs early in the last several games, the great start from Trey Yesavage was very nice to see. He went 6.2 innings, allowing just 3 hits, 1 earned (on a Francisco Lindor home run), no walks, with three strikeouts. He was helped out by some nice catches in the outfield by Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw.

And, when he left the game, with a runner on first and two out, Brandon Valenzuela made a perfect throw to second for a caught stealing on Luis Urías. Just a perfect throw, right to the bag. The easiest third of an inning Mason Fluharty has ever thrown.

Tyler Rogers pitched the eighth and gave up a one-out double, bringing Juan Soto up with the tying run at second. The Jays decided to walk Soto and pitch to Bo. Considering Soto is a lefty and Rogers is much better vs. right-handed hitters, was the right move, but it cause us some anxiety. But Bo tapped the first pitch back to Rogers.

Louis Varland got the ninth, with a one-run lead. Francisco Lindor lined one hard to left but Straw made the catch. Jared Young ground one up the middle, that Clement went a long way to get and then seemed to have trouble getting out of his glove, for a single. A.J. Ewing walked on six pitches, putting the tying run on second. Mark Vientos (after challenging a strike call and being wrong) struck out. Ronny Mauricio, in hero or goat time, decided goat, striking out. Save #17. Varland threw 23 pitches. I’m guessing he won’t pitch tomorrow.

We didn’t score much, but Springer, leading off the game lined one to left field that Soto, sort of, attempted to catch, even though it bounce 5 to 10 feet in front of him and skipped past him. Center fielder A.J. Ewing, backing up the play, booted it and Springer scored on a ‘triple’ plus an error. You could have called it a double and a two base error. Either way, we were up one early. Something very unusual for our Jays lately.

And, we got a run in the fifth. Luis Urías, who appeared to be guessing sinker, hit one to the wall for a double. Yohendrick Piñango ground out to move Luis to third and Myles Straw, after popping one up near the plate that no Met could get to, hit a sac fly.

We had a shot to add to the lead in the eight. Lukes walked, Vlad singled. But Kazuma Okamoto struck out, Ernie Clement (who was Glement in one of the graphics Sportsnet used) flied out and Brandon Valenzuela struck out.

We only had four hits. Springer, Vlad, Clement and Urias had a hit each. Vlad also had a 107.1 mph line out as well (.860 expected BA but very nice catch) and A 111.1 mph ground out (only .590 EBA). I’m hoping it is a good sign.

Bo went 0 for 4, which was kind of him. Bo, let’s continue that for two more days.

Jays of the Day: Yesavage (0.28 WPA), Varland (0.16) and Rogers (0.12).

No one had the Other Award.

Tomorrow we have Kevin Gausman (4-6, 4.36) hoping to bounce back from two lousy starts in a row. Nolan McLean (4-5, 4.03) starts for the Mets

The Mets lost the series opener to the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1, on Monday night.

Here are the key takeaways...

-- Sean Manaea made his fourth straight start since joining the starting rotation earlier this month and his defense failed him from the first batter of the game when Juan Soto misread the bounce on the artificial turf after charging hard on a leadoff hit by George Springer. The ball hopped over Soto’s glove and rolled all the way to the left field wall.

Backing up was center fielder A.J. Ewing, who got to it as quickly as he could, but he juggled the ball in his glove and let it pop out, which allowed Springer to keep rounding the bases and sprint home for a leadoff little league home run. The play was officially ruled a triple and a fielding error on Ewing, but it was Soto’s misplay that was most costly.

The run was charged to Manaea after two groundouts, a hit by pitch and a single followed, but if Soto kept the ball in front of him and kept Springer at first base, Manaea would have gotten out of the inning unscathed.

Nevertheless, the left-hander pitched well and limited the Blue Jays to two runs over 5.2 innings while allowing three hits, two walks and a HBP. He would’ve made it through six innings, and possibly more, but once again an error, this one by Francisco Lindor with two outs in the sixth, extended his outing. Manaea walked the next batter he faced before getting pulled.

-- Meanwhile, the bats were quiet for the Mets for the first six innings against Toronto starter Trey Yesavage. Yesavage held New York scoreless and to two hits for six innings until Lindor made up for his error and hit a home run to lead off the seventh inning. 

Yesavage hit Ewing two batters later and left after 6.2 innings with a runner on first base. Mason Fluharty came in for relief but only threw two pitches before Ewing was caught trying to steal second base to end the inning. It was Ewing’s sixth caught stealing this season.

-- The Mets’ bullpen kept the Blue Jays off the board for 2.1 innings to give their offense a chance to tie or take the lead, but the offense squandered chances in the eighth and ninth innings.

In the eighth, Francisco Alvarez doubled with one out before Soto was intentionally walked with two outs which brought up Bo Bichette who was making his return to Toronto for the first time since he left in free agency. Bichette got a standing ovation in his first at-bat, but he finished 0-for-4, including in the eighth when he grounded out to the pitcher to end the threat.

Then, in the ninth, Jared Young got on base with a one-out single and Ewing walked to put the tying run at second base and the winning run on first. But in a similar spot late in the game as Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets couldn’t cash in as Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio both struck out swinging to end the game. Mauricio’s at-bat was particularly bad as he swung at two pitches out of the zone.

-- New York went 0-for-9 with RISP.

Game MVP: Trey Yesavage

Yesavage continued his rookie season, after bursting onto the scene in the postseason last year, with another great outing. 

Highlights

Bo Bichette gets a nice hello from Rogers Centre☺️👏 pic.twitter.com/CyurseSjZN

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 29, 2026

Austin Warren throws a strike with the bases loaded to end the 6th inning😤 pic.twitter.com/XjlIZGZaTD

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 30, 2026

FRANCISCO LINDOR HOME RUN!! pic.twitter.com/mkCOVqkSvb

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 30, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Blue Jays continue their three-game series on Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:07 p.m. on SNY.

RHP Nolan McLean (4-5, 4.03 ERA) and RHP Kevin Gausman (4-6, 4.36 ERA) are set to start.

After another series loss to the Phillies, the Mets headed north to take on the Blue Jays in Toronto. Bo Bichette was making his return to the Rogers Centre after six-plus seasons as a member of the Blue Jays. Sean Manaea was getting the start against the Mets, facing off against rookie phenom Trey Yesavage.

The game definitely could’ve had a better start for the Mets. After a top of the first where Juan Soto doubled with one out and was promptly stranded at second, they followed that up with an incredibly embarrassing bottom of the inning. George Springer led off the inning with what was probably only a single if fielded correctly, but when it bounced past Soto it turned into a triple. But before he got to third, A.J. Ewing bobbled the ball which allowed Springer to score. It was the only blip on Manaea’s radar in the first inning, but it was another bad look for a team familiar with looking bad in 2026.

It was a quiet back-and-forth after the first, with both sides trading a baserunner here or there but both Manaea and Yesavage keeping things mostly locked down. In the bottom of the fifth, Manaea found himself in a bit of trouble. Luis Urías led off with a double, and was moved to third on a Yohendrick Piñango ground out. Myles Straw hit a sacrifice fly to drive Urías in as the second run of the game for the Blue Jays.

Manaea lasted only a few more batters, exiting with two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the sixth. He left having allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks, with four strikeouts on his ledger. Warren got the Mets through the sixth inning without allowing either baserunner to score. 

The Mets showed signs of life in the top of the seventh. After a delay of game after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. not being on the field when the inning was supposed to begin, Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run to lead off the inning. Ewing was hit by a pitch with one out, and after giving up a deep fly out to Mark Vientos, Yesavage was finally pulled from the game in favor of Mason Fluharty. The Mets ran themselves out of the inning, when Ewing was thrown out trying to steal second during Eric Wagaman’s (pinch-hitting for Brett Baty) at-bat.

The Mets had an up-and-down eighth inning on both ends. Facing former Met Tyler Rogers in the top of the inning, Ronny Mauricio led off with a hit…swinging his bat and hitting Francisco Alvarez when both were inexplicably in the on-deck circle. Alvarez recovered well enough to hit a one-out double. After Juan Soto was intentionally walked with two outs, Bo Bichette came up with an opportunity to show out in his former home. But he grounded out, stranding both runners and keeping the Mets in the deficit. In the bottom of the inning, Austin Warren got himself into trouble, giving up a walk and a single to lead off the inning. He was pulled in favor of the newly-recalled Joey Gerber who got two strikeouts with a fly out in between to strand both runners and keep it a one-run game.

In the top of the ninth, the Mets threatened, with a single and a walk putting two runners on with just one out. But Vientos and Mauricio struck out as the second and third outs, closing the book on the first game of the series in Toronto and handing the Mets their fifth loss in six games, putting them 15 games below .500. They face the Blue Jays again tomorrow, with Nolan McLean getting the start and Kevin Gausman starting for the Blue Jays.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: A.J. Ewing, +10% WPA
Big Mets loser: Mark Vientos, -26% WPA
Mets pitchers: +10% WPA
Mets hitters: -60% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Lindor’s home run in the seventh, +12.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos’s ninth inning strikeouts, -14.0% WPA each

Series preview: The Giants are playing better than the Dbacks right now — wait, what?
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/san-francisco-giants-game-information/108335/series-preview-the-giants-are-playing-better-than-the-dbacks-right-now-wait-what

Seems to have been accidentally overlooked, don’t expect much, just wanted to throw something up.

The Dodgers visit the A’s on their third and final stop of this long road trip.

Monday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Athletics
• Ballpark: Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento
• Start time: 6:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Angels have a chance to change their future for the better. And could change the narrative of their future, this year.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic appeared on Foul Territory on Monday afternoon and said he believes they are a team, “That can control the trade deadline.”

“As a seller, the Angels have any number of attractive pieces. The biggest two would be Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers,” Rosenthal said. “Both are under club control for two more years after this one.”

The Angels have been one of the most unpredictable teams during the trade deadline, as they have consistently been in a spot where they should sell but notably do not. Famously doing so when they didn’t trade Shohei Ohtani during the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline.

If the Angels were to consider a year to be sellers, it would be now. On Friday, they fired general manager Perry Minasian and placed John Mozeliak as interim general manager, who will also oversee day-to-day baseball operations.

On Saturday, Mozeliak said the Angels need to change the way they operate from the Major League Roster, all the way down to the Minor League rosters. If what Mozeliak preaches is true, the Angels should be sellers at this year’s deadline as they enter Monday last in the American League West with a 36-49 record.

Both Soriano and Detmers sit in the top 10 in the American League for strikeouts. Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently reported that Detmers could bring in a Tarik Skubal like haul if he is moved.

Through the first two months of the season, Soriano was among baseball’s top pitchers and was starting to place himself as an early CY Young candidate, having a 2.65 ERA.

Rosenthal also went on to state that Zach Neto might not be a name worth trading this year, as the desire for a shortstop isn’t as desirable this year and also added that he’s under club control for three more years.

He went on to list Jo Adell as another piece that could be moved, as he has one more year left of control after this season. He also added Brent Suter and Adam Frazier as other potential trade candidates.

“These are attractive pieces,” Rosenthal said. “The Angels, under [Arte] Moreno, have resisted this kind of thing.”

Rosenthal also added that if the Angels decide not to sell at the deadline, then they need to build around what they have, as their roster is headlined by Mike Trout and has featured a young and promising pitcher in Walbert Ureña, who has a 3.14 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 13 starts.

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Dane Myers was carted off the field crashing into the wall in left center field while making an acrobatic catch against the Brewers, Monday, June 29 in Milwaukee.

Myers injured himself in the bottom of the fourth inning chasing Andrew Vaughn's 103.5-mph line drive, catching the ball on the dead run on the warning track, then crashing defenseless into the wall – his left shoulder and arm exposed.

Myers stayed down on the warning track before he was removed from the American Family Field playing surface via cart.

Scary moment as Reds center fielder Dane Myers makes one of the plays of the year and crashes into the wall in Milwaukee. pic.twitter.com/zZh9Gophtb

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) June 30, 2026

Myers, who is batting .256 with three homers this season, was replaced in center field by the recently recalled TJ Friedl.

The Reds held a 3-0 lead over the Brewers in the fifth inning, but Milwaukee scored five in the final three innings to pull out a 5-3 win.

Myers sent to the hospital

X-Rays at the ballpark were negative for any broken bones, Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters after the game, but Myers was sent to a local hospital because he was experiencing a lot of pain.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dane Myers injury: Reds OF hospitalized after crashing into wall on acrobatic catch

The Mariners get back to it.

After Sunday afternoon’s crushing loss in Cleveland, the Mariners return home for a three-game, four-day set against the Angels. George Kirby takes the ball for the Mariners, and Ryan Johnson goes for Anaheim. The Mariners have fallen to a game under .500 and a half-game back of the Rangers in the West.

My read on the mood of the fanbase: tense. The Mariners have largely toed the line with .500, after playing cold then hot to begin the year. They’ll need at least a couple more good stretches of banked wins, and they’ll hope to start one here with four series remaining before the All- Star Break.

Lineups:

News

• Rob Refsnyder was placed on the injured list with knee issues. Newly acquired corner-player Buddy Kennedy takes his place on the active roster. John Trupin has the injury update for the site.

Remember This Date…

2025: Mitch Garver hits a 437-foot, two-run homer in the 12th inning to ice a 6-4 win over the Rangers.

2019:Tim Beckham, Domingo Santana, and Daniel Vogelbach each homer as the Mariners storm back from a 5-2 deficit late against the Astros. Butt is not enough, as Yuli Gurriel walks off Roenis Elias with a double in the 10th, just out of the reach of a flailing Mallex Smith. Maybe not a fun one, but remember those guys?

2018: Marco Gonzlaes pitches his first career complete game, striking out seven in a 4-1 win over the Royals.

2014: Félix Hernández turns in his start of the year with a Game Score of 86, going shutout innings with nine strikeouts and one hit. It was his ninth of 16 consecutive ultra-quality starts for Félix that year.

2012: Aaron Cook throws an 81-pitch Maddux in a 5-0 Red Sox win against the Mariners, with singles from Ichiro and John Jaso the only thing standing between perfection. Cook got 39 swings and didn’t record a single whiff, as Jeff Sullivan pointed out at the time.

2004: Randy Johnson records his 4,000th career strikeout, with the victim also being a former Mariner, Jeff Cirillo

1998: The Mariners have an off day, which is notable because so does every other team in MLB, the first time in 25 years that no game was played on a day that fell during the regular season and was not part of the All-Star break

1995: With the Mariners down 2-1 in the eighth, Doug Strange gets a pinch-hit RBI single and then Mike Blowers hits a three-run homer to beat Oakland 5-2

Game Info:

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m.

TV: Mariners.TV

Radio: Ol’ Reliable

The San Francisco Giants head to the desert to begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Tyler Mahle, who enters tonight’s game with a 5.49 ERA, 4.69 FIP, with 61 strikeouts to 26 walks in 62.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 2-1 win over the Athletics on Wednesday, in which he allowed just two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in five and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez, who enters tonight’s game with a 2.27 ERA, 4.06 FIP, with 70 strikeouts to 38 walks in 95 innings pitched. His last start was in the Diamondbacks’ 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, in which he allowed just three hits and three walks with five strikeouts in six and two thirds innings.

Game #84

Who: San Francisco Giants (35-48) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (41-42)

Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona

When: 6:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

An eventful few days for Jazz Chisholm Jr. took another turn, this one painful.

The Yankees second baseman exited Monday’s game in the top of the fourth inning and has entered the concussion protocol after being clotheslined by Jasson Domínguez while pursuing a fly ball.

During an ugly, 7-3 loss to the Tigers in The Bronx, Detroit’s Hao-Yu Lee sent a high fly ball to shallow right field. Chisholm had been shaded in because a runner was on third with one out, then sprinted back into what manager Aaron Boone called “no-man’s-land.”

Right fielder Domínguez charged in and said he called for the ball. “But obviously I didn’t call it loud enough,” he added.

Both believed they would catch the ball, and Domínguez did — as Chisholm ran directly into his elbow and immediately dropped to the grass.

“It was really unfortunate,” said Domínguez, who stood by Chisholm for several minutes as the second baseman required time first to sit up and then to rise to his feet before walking off the field with a trainer, Oswaldo Cabrera taking over at second base.

“Hopefully, it is not too bad,” Boone said of Chisholm, who a day earlier in Boston did not see the end of the game because he was ejected arguing a check-swing call in the sixth inning.

The ejection drew a second one-on-one talk with Boone in the past week.

Boone had not been happy that Chisholm sucked on a Blow Pop while playing second base last Monday in Detroit.

Speaking before Monday’s game, Chisholm said he still disagreed with the umpire’s decision to eject him and still does not believe he swung at the pitch, but he took responsibility for his emotions that put the Yankees in a difficult position.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

“I got to be better for the team,” Chisholm said after spiking his helmet, which earned the ejection even after Boone and first base coach Dan Fiorito interceded. “I got to stay in the game right there.”

Trent Grisham likely will play in a rehab game Tuesday.

It is possible that the outfielder, out since June 12 with a hamstring strain, will be activated Wednesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Yankees are expecting an intriguing sim game that will include Max Fried facing Giancarlo Stanton.

Fried is expected to build up to close to 30 pitches in a two-“inning” outing, Boone said, as the lefty begins stretching out after his elbow bone bruise.

Stanton, who already had one setback from a calf strain, will bat against Fried and “is moving again with a little more intensity,” Boone said.

Ryan McMahon (throat infection) took ground balls for the first time Monday and is expected to be activated when eligible Friday.

New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. left Monday night's game in the top of the fourth inning after an ugly collision with left fielder Jasson Dominguez. Chisholm and Dominguez were both chasing after a shallow fly ball when Dominguez's elbow caught Chisholm in the chin.

The Yankees announced Chisholm had been evaluated by a team doctor and was going through the concussion protocol. After losing to the Tigers 7-3, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Chisholm was not diagnosed with a concussion, but they are following the protocol as a precaution.

The Tigers were leading 7-0 at Yankee Stadium when Chisholm exited.

MLB power rankings: AL champion Blue Jays flail with Vladdy homerless at home

Jazz leaves the game after being clotheslined by Jasson Dominguez pic.twitter.com/wI4oBeycND

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 30, 2026

Oswaldo Cabrera came in to replace Chisholm.

It's been a rough 24 hours for Chisholm. He was ejected Sunday for arguing a check-swing call against the Red Sox and then left without talking to reporters. Before Monday night's game, Chisholm told the YES Network he had to be a better teammate.

Chisholm, who has been vocal about wanting an extension from the Yankees, has not played well enough for them to seriously enter the conversation. He was hitting .229 with a .318 on-base percentage, nine home runs and 29 RBIs across 274 plate appearances.

TORONTO — Bo Bichette’s eyes moistened as he struggled to find words Monday when asked about his expectations returning to the only home field he had known in the major leagues before this season.

“This is an opportunity for me to reflect on good times and just be grateful for everything,” the Mets third baseman said before his team faced the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

A key component of a team that reached Game 7 of the World Series before losing to the Dodgers in the 11th inning, Bichette expected a warm homecoming.

Such warmth has sometimes been lacking in his new environment — he started slowly with the Mets this season and even with a June surge took an underwhelming .254/.300/.388 slash line into play.

It’s far less than what the Mets thought they were receiving when they bestowed a three-year contract worth $126 million on Bichette in January.

That deal includes opt outs after the first two seasons.

Bichette homered in Game 7 to put the Blue Jays ahead, but in a classic finale the Dodgers rallied to tie the game on Miguel Rojas’ ninth-inning homer before Will Smith’s blast in the 11th put the Dodgers ahead for good.

Bichette admitted he’s replayed Game 7 in his head.

The Blue Jays haven’t won a World Series since winning back-to-back championships in 1992 and ’93.

“You dream of getting to that situation and opportunity,” he said. “I am so grateful that we had that experience and got there. I don’t know how many times I have replayed it, but it comes to mind every once in a while.”

His chances of receiving another shot on this stage this season are almost completely obliterated.

The Mets entered the day with losses in eight of their last nine games and fell to 35-49.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

It’s a free fall that last week cost manager Carlos Mendoza his job.

Under interim manager Andy Green, the team lost two of three games against the Phillies over the weekend.

Bichette said he didn’t have any regrets about how his situation with the Blue Jays ended — with him and the team not close on a deal that would have allowed him to return.

The Phillies were on the verge of landing Bichette before the Mets (who watched Kyle Tucker land with the Dodgers) swooped in and signed him.

“I don’t think there’s regrets,” Bichette said about leaving. “I think it just didn’t line up for whatever reason. It’s tough to live in the past like that.”

The Blue Jays, at 39-45, are enduring their own disappointment. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has been among the underachievers — the slugging first baseman had only four homers entering Monday and a .697 OPS. Guerrero signed a 14-year contract worth $500 million before last season.

“It’s the same story every year, wondering why Vlad is not hitting .400 and leading the league in OPS,” Bichette said. “I know he’s not doing what he is capable of, but every single year he ends up doing something that reminds you how good he is.”

The Mets are hoping the same is the case with Bichette, who began the day with a .932 OPS in June after an anemic start.

“There was an element of not finding a lot of luck early, not finding his timing,” Green said. “What I have had the opportunity to see the last number of weeks, he’s squaring stuff up and he’s got the normal aggression that he’s had his entire career and he’s spraying hits all over the yard and that is fun to see.”

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a challenging road trip starting Tuesday night in Atlanta as they’ll do battle against the NL East division-leading Braves. Timing may be on the side of St. Louis, though, as there are some numbers that might work in their favor.

If you look at their records on paper, you would think that the St. Louis Cardinals would have their work cut out for them as the Atlanta Braves lead the National League East with a record of 49-32. That might still be the case, but the Cardinals are catching the Braves at the best possible time for two reasons. First, the Braves have lost 7 of their last 10 games. Second, St. Louis will miss Atlanta’s best starting pitcher this season, Chris Sale. Here are the projected starters for the series this week. Note that the Braves have not yet announced a starter for Thursday as of now.

Tuesday, June 30: Martín Pérez (LHP) vs. Matthew Liberatore (LHP, Cardinals)

Wednesday, July 1: Reynaldo López (RHP) vs. Michael McGreevy (RHP, Cardinals)

Thursday, July 2: Bryce Elder (RHP) vs. Dustin May (RHP, Cardinals)

Over his last 6 games, Tuesday night’s starter Martín Pérez is 4-2 with a 3.75 ERA striking out 32 while walking 16. His most recent start was on June 24 against the Padres which he lost after lasting 4 innings giving up 3 earned runs while walking 4 and striking out 4.

The starter for Wednesday night’s game, Reynaldo López, is 3-1 on the season with a 3.47 ERA. His last 3 appearances have been no decisions. If the rotation for Atlanta sets up like it appears it might, this will probably be the Cardinals toughest starter they face in this series.

Thursday night’s likely starter, Bryce Elder, is 1-4 over his last 5 starts. He’s lost his last 3 starts and was hit hard in all of them. He gave up 6 earned runs on June 14 vs the Mets allowing 10 hits. On June 21 vs the Brewers, he surrendered 12 hits and 8 earned runs over 6 innings.

The Atlanta Braves have some key players on the injured list including outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (hamstring strain), starting pitcher Spencer Strider (elbow inflammation), and reliever Robert Suarez (forearm inflammation). Still, their lineup remains dangerous with Michael Harris II who is batting .300 and has 14 home runs. Matt Olson is still Matt Olson as he currently leads the Braves with 20 home runs and 52 RBI’s. Catcher Drake Baldwin has 14 home runs with 39 RBI’s and a .260 batting average. Ozzie Albies has a dozen home runs, 44 RBI’s and a .277 average.

There’s no good time to play the Atlanta Braves this season, but this might be the best timing the St. Louis Cardinals could hope for. The Braves have been sliding lately and injuries have hit them hard, but they’re also starting to feel the heat from the Phillies who are now only 4 games back in the NL East, so they might be inspired to get back to their winning ways sooner rather than later. The St. Louis Cardinals aren’t on fire either after finishing a disappointing homestand. Which team will return to winning first? We’ll find out starting Tuesday night in Atlanta.

The A’s are back home and set to take on the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers this evening for the first of three contests. The Dodgers continue to be a juggernaut in the National League as their 54-30 record is tops in the entire sport. It’s going to be a tough challenge for the Green & Gold tonight but they’ll have one of their top young arms going for them in this one. Hopefully he’ll be able to help the A’s snap this two-game skid and get win #41.

That arm is lefty Gage Jump. The 22-year-old has been everything and then more for the squad as he’s sporting a pristine 2.064 ERA through his first six career starts. The lefty has been on a roll but has really stepped his game up over his past two starts. He’s pitched 12 innings without allowing a run so he’ll try to extended that, but he’s got his plate full with the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup.

Here’s how the A’s lineup for tonight’s contest:

The A’s are missing several of their best players right now. Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom were placed on the IL earlier today, joining Brent Rooker and Zack Gelof. That’ll put more pressure on younger players to step up. Outfielder Colby Thomas will likely be getting an extended look in left field with Sodey on the IL. That means the club will also be asking more of the top of their lineup, especially Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz.

We have a big league debut set for tonight as second base will be covered by Athletics’ #9 prospect Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. The young infield prospect has been tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A and with Jacob Wilson and Zack Gelof’s injures, he’ll now have a chance to put himself on the radar of the coaching staff. He’s batting .352/.405/.461 with three triples, a home run, and four stolen bases for the Aviators.

The Dodgers meanwhile will have veteran Eric Lauer going for them tonight. After beginning the year in Toronto Lauer was traded to Los Angeles after a rough start to his season. Since arriving in LA Lauer has completely turned his season around, pitching to a 2.54 ERA in 5 games (4 starts). That’s help the Dodgers weather some early injuries to their starting staff. He’s also coming off his best start of the season when he fired six shutout innings against the Twins.

And the Dodgers’ lineup this evening:

Muncy-on-Muncy tonight. Huge challenge on tap for the A’s but they got Jump. Can the A’s beat the Dodgers and get back to winning? Let’s find out. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

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In an era in which starting pitchers are asked to do less than ever before because of the fragility of their high-octane arms and because of bullpens whose values and workloads have ballooned, the days of marquee matchups between two aces are nearly over.

But not fully over.

Cam Schlittler, who owns a 1.62 ERA and is the early front-runner for the American League Cy Young, against Tarik Skubal, who won the award the past two seasons, is the type of on-paper duel that the sport does not see enough, but will be seen Tuesday in The Bronx.

“I love when guys match up, sort of old school,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before the series opened Monday. “Like on a matchup sheet when you look at who’s pitching. The starter is revered, and those are two of the best in the American League and two of the best in baseball.”

Two of the best, but effectiveness might be where the comparison ends.

There really is no other starter like the righty Schlittler, who relies upon three different fastballs — very hard four-seamers and sinkers and merely hard cutters — to blaze past hitters, who barely have to prepare for anything slower than 95 mph.

The lefty Skubal can elevate into the upper 90s with his four-seamer and sinker, too, but his changeup might be his best pitch (an offering that has a 49.3 percent whiff rate this season), and he will lean upon his slider often, too.

The approaches are different, but the results have been similar.

Skubal steadily improved in each season before breaking through in 2024, when he led the AL with a 2.39 ERA in 31 starts — and followed that up by shaving his ERA to 2.21 in 31 starts last season, becoming the first repeat AL Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000.

This year Skubal required surgery to remove a loose body in his elbow in early May, but an innovative procedure allowed him to return by the middle of June.

He has been human since, sporting a 4.96 ERA in three starts back that included a six-inning, four-run outing against the Yankees in Detroit on Wednesday.

“He’s a great player, and they’ve got a great team,” said Schlittler, who soared his way through the Yankees’ system last year, when his fastball velocity skyrocketed.

His emergence climaxed with one of the great playoff displays in baseball history against the Red Sox. Schlittler is only throwing harder this season, barely touched while striking out 118 and walking just 20 in 100 innings.

During a season in which the National League has more overall ace excellence, notably from Jacob Misiorowski and Cristopher Sánchez, Schlittler has been the most impressive pitcher in the AL, ahead of the likes of Chicago’s Davis Martin, Minnesota’s Joe Ryan and Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen.

Many pitchers will minimize the notion of a duel, leaving such narratives for media and fans to debate, and insist they are solely focused on the opposing lineup.

In many ways, Schlittler is not like most pitchers.

“It’s going to be a fun one. Realistically, it’s me versus their lineup, but at the same time, you gotta realize that for the most part it might be a close game,” Schlittler said. “So just got to have a little bit of an extra edge to that, and just be aware that he’s probably — at least from last year — the best pitcher in the game.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone called it “one of the great matchups in 2026 in our sport.”

His counterpart was excited, but looked toward the short porch in right and referenced temperatures that might reach the 90s.

“Who knows what it’s going to be like in this ballpark [Tuesday] when it warms up,” Hinch said. “But as a fan, I love when the best players are on the field. … When you can start with the marquee pitching matchup, there is something a little extra special about that.”