LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: Zach Ehrhard #99 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Dodger Stadium on March 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Plenty of homers but not enough wins as both the Tower Buzzers and Loons got beaten at home.
Player of the day
For the first time this year, Zach Ehrhard recorded at least three runs and just as many RBI, courtesy of a couple of home runs that helped the Comets earn their 34th win of the season, narrowly beating the Express at home.
Ehrhard hadn’t gone deep in a game at home since the 12th of April, and he hadn’t hit two homers in the same game since June of last season, when he was still in Double-A for the Red Sox.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Having already covered Zach Ehrhard’s key role in this 5-4 win for the Comets, the other two runs were driven in by a newcomer, Alek Thomas—playing only in his second game with the Triple-A club, Thomas was moved to the cleanup spot. Shoutout to James Tibbs III, who didn’t record a hit but displayed outstanding patience, walking in three of his four PA.
Despite allowing four runs in six innings, River Ryan kept his undefeated record, earning a third win, while the highlight was Evan Phillips securing a hold already in his first rehab outing. Phillips recorded a couple of outs on 17 pitches, walking one, allowing a hit, and recording a punchout. Seeing the big league bullpen falter in a loss to the D-backs on the same day, it certainly made plenty of people miss Phillips, a potential big-time return in the not too distant future.
Double-A Tulsa
Out-homering the opposition four to none, the Drillers ran into minimal trouble securing a late lead and beating the Sod Poodles 7-3. The double play partnership of Elijah Hainline and Zack Gelof each secured a pair of RBI, and Josue De Paula carried on his on-base streak with a two-run shot in the sixth, which isn’t getting a ton of attention because it’s nowhere near Mike Sirota’s streak of 44 straight reaching safely.
Homering four times, the Drillers managed to win this game even though they didn’t record a single hit with a runner in scoring position, finishing 0 for 13. Speaking of baserunners, starter Peyton Martin delivered a quality start despite allowing 11 baserunners in six innings.
High-A Great Lakes
The Taylor show overpowered the Loons on both sides of the ball. While starter Zane Taylor tossed 7.2 scoreless innings, in which the biggest threat was the occasional walk (four of them to be exact), outfielder Devin Taylor delivered a couple of RBIs that would’ve been enough by themselves in this eventual 4-1 win for the Lugnuts.
Designated hitter Nico Perez hit his third triple of the year, and the only extra-base hit for the Loons in this one. Those three triples are already more than what Perez had in his entire minor league career coming into this season.
Single-A Ontario
Let down by their pitching staff, the Tower Buzzers couldn’t hold on to a four-run lead after three—Ontario was beaten 9-7 by a Ports team that ran at will, finishing the game with six stolen bases without getting caught once. Three of those stolen bases belonged to first baseman Jared Sprague-Lott.
While it wasn’t enough for the win, Harlan secured three of Ontario’s seven RBI without leaving the yard. Joendry Vargas and Landyn Vidourek were the ones to homer for the sixth and third time this season, respectively.
For his outstanding work in May, Harlan was elected not only the Tower Buzzers’ but also the California League’s Player of the Month.
Chase Harlan is our Sofi Player of the Month and California League Player of the Month! ⚾️
Third baseman Chase Harlan batted .388/.481/.694 and led the California league in average (.388) and slugging percentage (.694).
— Ontario Tower Buzzers (@towerbuzzers) June 5, 2026
Transactions
Right-handed pitcher Evan Phillips began a rehab assignment with the OKC Comets. Shortstop Bryan Gonzalez Garcia was sent to Single-A while catcher Francisco Espinoza was placed on the 7-day injured list.
Thursday’s scores
Oklahoma City 5, Round Rock 4
Amarillo 3, Tulsa 7
Great Lakes 1, Lansing 4
Ontario 7, Stockton 9
Friday’s schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) vs. Lansing (Ryan Magdic)
5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (TBD) vs. Round Rock (TBD)
5:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Peter Heubeck) at Amarillo (Adonys Perez)
6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Stockton (Cole Miller)
May 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres player Fernando Tatis Jr. comes off the field during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The New York Mets (27-35) say goodbye to the West Coast time zone with one final three-game set in California, this time against the San Diego Padres (32-29). This will be the first meeting between the two clubs in 2026 after the Padres took four of six last year, including all three at Petco Park. Since 2015, the Mets have lost 20 of 34 games they’ve played at Petco Park, although they’ve played San Diego to a .500 clip (16-16) overall in that stretch.
The Mets entered the series having lost five straight at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, while the Mariners entered on a six-game winning streak overall. All the ingredients were there for the Mets to have a bad time, and for the most part they did with losses in the first two games (3-2 on Monday in ten innings, 8-3 on Tuesday), but they salvaged the finale with an impressive 7-1 win on Wednesday to halt their Seattle losing streak and end the Mariners’ eight-game winning streak.
The offense was a real sore point in the first two games, with all five runs coming via the homer. In Game 1, they managed just two hits—a Marcus Semien solo homer and a Jared Young solo shot. On Tuesday, the lone positive was Carson Benge collecting the first two-homer game of his young career as he continues to impress since the start of May. New York, who managed just nine runs over their seven-game losing streak in Seattle—you may remember that the Mets were swept there in 2024 while scoring just one run across the three losses during their mid-August slump—erupted for seven runs in the lineup thanks to a balanced offensive attack that was led by Bo Bichette’s first four-hit game as a member of the team. It was one of the more complete efforts they’ve had in a while, with seven of the nine starters picking up at least one hit. In addition to Bichette’s great game, AJ Ewing picked up three hits, while Jared Young and Luis Torrens each contributed two hits in the victory.
It seems like every time Bichette hits a real rut, he puts together one big game to temporarily silence the doubters. Following an 0-for-16 stretch, the team’s (momentary) shortstop strung together four hits, scored a run, and drove in three. It was a nice reprieve, but he’s still been one of the biggest hindrances in the lineup. He remains in the two-hole despite the struggles, and it’s fair to wonder when it might be time to start moving him down, especially to give guys like Ewing (who has also struggled, to be fair) some more time near the top of the lineup. This could give a young kid with speed some opportunities to create more runs for the club, but it remains to be seen if anything changes with the lineup.
Semien, who homered again in the first game, has been red hot as of late, even after coming off an 0-for-5 in the win. The biggest strength in his game so far has been his ability to drive in runs, as his numbers with runners in scoring position have been better than most of his teammates. With men in scoring position, Semien is slashing .340/.379/.420 with a 127 wRC+ in 50 at-bats this season. Comparatively, he’s hitting just .181/.235/.268 with a 45 wRC+ with nobody on base. At the very least, Semien is capitalizing when presented with an opportunity to contribute, even if his overall numbers are not good for the year. Since the start of the weekend series against the Marlins, he’s hitting .286/.348/.619 with two homers and a 171 wRC+ in the six games. Hey, it’s progress?
One player who has made very little progress as of late is Mark Vientos, who is putting together another poor showing after a great 2024 campaign, which has proven to be an outlier in an otherwise unimpressive major league career. On the year, Vientos is hitting .219/.254/.380 with a 78 wRC+ and a -0.6 fWAR in 53 games. Overall, he has been one of the least productive players in the sport, as his fWAR is ahead of only Marcell Ozuna in terms of qualified hitters in 2026. With Jorge Polanco on the rehab trail and set to resume first base duties if all goes well, Vientos’ spot on the roster could soon be in doubt. Beyond his inability to hit, he is also very slow and does not play any position well on the field. For more on Vientos’ shortcomings, I would direct you to Lukas Vlahos’ tremendous and comprehensive piece.
As one final aside, this will be the final time this season that the Mets have to play on Pacific Coast Time. In fact, the team does not go beyond the Central Time Zone again in 2026, and won’t unless they make a miraculous run to the postseason. It’s been a grueling and confusing schedule for New York, who had a six-game swing in St. Louis and San Francisco immediately after their opening weekend series, then returned home for six before heading straight out to Los Angeles and Chicago. Following a nine-game home stand, they again went out west for nine with Los Angeles (of Anaheim), Colorado, and Arizona. Following some recent travels within their division, they again embarked out west for Seattle and San Diego. I can only speculate as to what the schedule-makers were thinking here, but whatever it was, it wasn’t smart! It’s no excuse for the team’s poor play, but the constant ping ponging across the country has done little to help their efforts when most other teams have made no more than two west coast trips so far in 2026. On the bright side, this means they should, theoretically be more well-rested for the “stretch run”, should they not be too far out of it.
Whereas the Mets played a team in Seattle that was on a winning streak, they find San Diego on a downward trajectory as they enter the series on a five-game losing streak. After losing their last two games in May to the Nationals, they started June by getting swept in a three-game series against the Phillies. San Diego has now dropped into a second-place tie with the Diamondbacks in the National League West, 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Dodgers. They also find themselves out of the playoff picture, a half-game back of the third NL Wild Card spot.
San Diego, as an offense, is not performing all that much better than the Mets have been this season. In fact, both lineups enter play today with an 87 wRC+, though the Mets have scored 16 more runs (251) than the Padres (235). The Padres, to date, have scored the fewest runs as a team in all of baseball.
Much of that is due to the underperformance of the team’s core of stars, headlined by Fernando Tatis Jr. He enters this series hitting .270/.340/.323 with just one home run and a 94 wRC+ in a team-high 60 games, though he leads the club with a 1.1 fWAR. Then there’s Manny Machado, who is really struggling, hitting just .174/.262/.357 with a team-low 76 wRC+ among qualified hitters. This is all despite leading the team with 11 home runs, 29 runs scored, and 34 runs batted in. The team also recently DFA’ed Nick Castellanos, who was dead last on the club with a -0.8 fWAR and had a 53 wRC+ before being jettisoned off the roster. On a positive note, Ty France has had a solid season in San Diego, slashing .286/.328/.527 with a team-high 141 wRC+ and a 1.0 fWAR in 41 games.
Their pitching hasn’t been doing all that much better. Their rotation has a 4.55 ERA and a 4.44 FIP ( both 22nd in MLB). Just about the one area they excel at is relief, so if they have a lead late, it’ll be hard to come back. Their bullpen enters action with a 3.18 ERA, which is fourth best in baseball. This is mostly due to Mason Miller’s incredible performance this year, as the closer sports a sparkling 0.72 ERA with 17 saves and 49 strikeouts in 25 innings. Earlier this year, he had a 34 2/3 inning scoreless streak, the eighth-longest scoreless streak for a reliever since 1961.
Friday, June 5: Christian Scott vs. Michael King, 9:40 PM EDT on WPIX
It was a long time coming, but Scott finally earned his first major league victory in his 16th major league start. Scott was solid once again in his victorious effort, matching his season high with eight strikeouts while walking two and allowing one earned run on five hits over his five innings. Scott has been really strong in his last two starts, allowing just the one run over 10 2/3 innings, but both came against an offensively-challenged Marlins team, and the Padres will present a bigger challenge for the right-hander.
King’s numbers overall on the season are quite strong—among qualified National League starters, he’s 12th in ERA, 13th in HR/9 (0.79), 16th in K% (23.8%), 17th in bWAR (1.1), and 18th in FIP. However, his last two starts have not been good, with both resulting in losses. His last time out, he allowed five earned runs on five hits over six innings against the Nationals, a start that saw him walk one and strike out a season-low two batters. Prior to that, he allowed four earned runs on five hits in a season-low 3 2/3 innings against the Athletics. In that outing, he matched a season high by walking four batters and struck out four. Walks have been an issue for King, who has the second-worst BB% (10.6%) among qualified NL starters, trailing only Robbie Ray of the Giants.
Saturday, June 6: Nolan McLean vs. Griffin Canning, 10:10 PM EDT on SNY
McLean’s last start was encouraging, in so far as he didn’t give up seven-plus runs. However, there were still some reasons for concern. He allowed just one earned run on two hits over five innings, with the one run representing the fewest he’s given up in a start since May 8. The issue is that he walked a season-high five batters and only struck out two, which is decidedly not what you want from your budding ace. The positive that he was able to limit the damage, but he was constantly battling traffic and throwing stressful pitches. McLean remains a work in progress but is still one of their better options.
Canning has had a rough year in San Diego after performing relatively well with the Mets last year before suffering an Achilles injury that prematurely ended his time in New York. He’s yet to win a game while picking up four losses in his six games since debuting on May 3 for the Padres. His best outing was his season debut, as he limited the White Sox to one earned run on three hits while striking out a season-best seven. Since then, he’s allowed at least three earned runs in each of his five starts, including back-to-back outings in which he was tagged for six earned runs. He’s given up 28 hits and been charged with 22 earned runs in 27 2/3 innings while walking 15 and striking out 27. His last time out, he lost to the Nationals while giving up three earned runs on six hits over five innings.
Sunday, June 7: TBD (Likely Sean Manaea) vs. Randy Vásquez, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY
The Mets have not announced Sunday’s starter, which will likely be an opener with Sean Manaea taking on the bulk of the work in the middle innings. This worked well for the left-hander and the Mets his last time out, as he enjoyed more success than he has in any single outing this year. Manaea, who did not factor in the decision, allowed just one earned run on one hits, with one walk and four strikeouts. Aside from a solo homer, he was fairly spotless. The five innings also represents a season high.
Vásquez has been enjoying his best numbers since joining San Diego in 2023 as part of the Juan Soto trade. He’s had some mixed results, especially to end May, when he allowed seven earned runs on 14 hits over his final tow starts to the Dodgers and the Phillies, both resulting in losses. He rebounded his last time out to limit Philadelphia to two earned runs on five hits over five innings, though he did not factor in the decision in an eventual loss. He does have one start in which he shut out the Rockies for seven innings, and another where he shut out the Mariners over six frames. Arguably his best start of the year was his debut outing on March 28, when he scattered two hits over six shutout innings against the Tigers, a start that also saw him punch out a season-high eight hitters.
Two of my all-time favorite announcer calls are “Do you believe in miracles… Yes!” and “I don’t believe what I just saw.” Iconic quotes of iconic moments made by Al Michaels and Jack Buck, two of the all-time greats. With all due respect to both of them, despite the insane improbability of a Cubs team going through what it has the last three weeks, this comeback was actually the least surprising thing in this game to me.
Some thoughts I’ve had on social media tonight for discussion. This felt like a month’s worth of two-out runners in scoring position hits for the Cubs, all in one inning. For those not counting at home, there were three separate two-out runner(s) in scoring position hits for the Cubs in the ninth inning. There was an additional hit with two outs and a runner not in scoring position.
The other thought I had on social media was to wonder if a team can hit rock bottom in a game that they ended up winning? The team had two hits through six innings, four hits through seven (and eight) and then seven hits in the ninth inning. What even is that? I noted before the series that the A’s bullpen has been a bottom 10 bullpen in major league baseball this year. They had represented excellently in the first two games of the series. Your starter getting deep in all three games can make them look so much better. But then the A’s bullpen immolated in the ninth inning. I will say this, for all of the struggles of the Cubs, the Cub defense would not have let all seven of those hits find grass. We take it for granted, but this Cub defense makes a ton of plays others just can’t.
On top of the not hitting, there was a caught stealing in the middle of the rally. I know the conventional wisdom is that you don’t make the first or the third out on the bases in an inning. But I don’t really know how you can get caught stealing down two in the ninth either. I think you take second if they are giving it to you, but the A’s were in no way giving it to you. I love Nico, but I didn’t like the strategy there. I thought sure the rally was doomed there.
Then there was the missed fly ball. I love Pete Crow-Armstrong. Absolutely, the Cubs don’t win this game without his bat. But boy was that a tough watch. I saw someone say it and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone miss one so bad. He had to have picked up something else off of the bat and ran to completely the wrong spot on the field. In those spots, I have trouble getting mad directly at the player. The Cubs have benefitted from so many high flys at Wrigley this year that were lost in some combination of lighting and the elements. It happens. If you ever played much outfield, or probably even infield, I suspect this has happened to you somewhere along the way. But as brutal a play as you’ll ever see.
Shōta Imanaga threw quite well early in this game, but after the missed fly, he seemed to unravel. If things weren’t bad enough, that missed fly looks like a booming homer on his line. The three he allowed that left the park were not cheapies. You had to know that it was pretty dicey seeing Imanaga pitching on a night when the wind is blowing out pretty good. Simply not ideal. If there is any rebound in the Cubs, I have to imagine that in some order Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera and Matthew Boyd are their top three pitchers. You then just have to hope you can pick spots adequately with all of your depth pitchers. But if Imanaga, Colin Rea and Jameson Taillon are starting key games, this team is probably in trouble.
For math purposes, the Cubs had 3.9 percent chance of winning heading to the bottom of the ninth. Happ’s RBI double with one out had it up to 11.5 and Hoerner’s single sent it to 20.9 percent. But it cratered to 4.6 percent with the caught stealing. Seiya Suzuki’s single sent it to 16.7 percent. Dansby Swanson’s single sent it to 63.5 percent. A giant Wheee! And the Cubs walk it off for the seventh time this season. Incredible.
Three Positives:
I’ve never singled out a stat for a slot here, but the Cubs were 6-for-10 with runners in scoring position, left just four men in base and had three two-out RBI, all in the ninth inning.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had two hits, one a homer, was hit by a pitch, stole a base and delivered the walk-off winner for his first such hit of his MLB career. Kudos to a very alert Clark who located the ball in the outfield and grabbed it for PCA’s souvenir collection and almost fell over trying to scoop it up while holding the W flag.
Ian Happ double, homer, three runs driven in, two runs scored. I laughed because one fairly recognizable Cub fan on twitter called the two-run homer a meaningless homer in a losing cause. I’m sure he’s happy to be wrong. You never know. That’s why you keep playing.
An additional hat tip to Trent Thornton and particularly Ryan Rolison. 12 batters between them — Rolison recorded five outs on five hitters, striking out three — and holding the line. Again, it looks like they were just holding the line, but it turned out they kept it just within reach. Though PCA’s single probably scores two with two out.
Game 63, June 4: Cubs 7, A’s 6 (33-30)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
Billy Goat: Shata Imanaga (-.191). 6 IP, 6 H, BB, 6 ER, 5 K
Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.152). 1-4, CS
Kid: Alex Bregman (-.082). 1-4, 2B, R
WPA Play of the Game: Dansby Swanson’s two-out, game-tying, RBI-single in the ninth inning. (.468)
A’s Play of the Game: Jonah Heim throwing out Nico Hoerner trying to steal second with a nice tag by Alika Williams at second. (.163)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 62 Winner: Colin Rea nudged Ian Happ 46-42 (131 votes)
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Michael Busch +21
Nico Hoerner +111
Ian Happ +10.5
Michael Conforto +10
Ben Brown +9.5
Ryan Rolison/Phil Maton/Jameson Taillon/Caleb Thielbar -8
Matt Shaw -10
Dansby Swanson -11
Seiya Suzuki -29.5
Win Pace: 84.9
Up Next: The Giants (25-38) come to town fresh off of winning two games in a row in Milwaukee to take that three game series. But they are 3-7 in their last 10. Edward Cabrera (3-2, 4.00, 54 IP) comes off of the injured list after a minimum stay there for blisters on his throwing hand. He was 0-2 with a 5.79 in May. Hopefully, this was exactly the kind of reset he needed.
How about another lefty starter? The Cubs have been struggling to win games started by left-handed starters recently. Robbie Ray is 3-6 with a 4.45 ERA in 62.2 innings. The former 12th-round pick of the Nationals back in 2010 is having a tough season. He had a decent start last time out against the Rockies, allowing just one run on five hits and two walks in four innings. He hasn’t completed five innings since May 8.
The Giants bullpen is 28th in strikeouts, 25th in WHIP, but 16th in ERA. They only have a collective seven losses, tied for second best in baseball. So all of the losing is actually happening while the starter is still in there. Even with the series win in Milwaukee, the Giants are just 13-22 on the road.
I know it is a big ask, but the Cubs need to sweep this team.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 4: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after scoring during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on June 4, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees managed to salvage a win and avoid a sweep by the Guardians at Yankee Stadium on the back of strong solid pitching from Carlos Rodón, shutdown bullpen work, and some clutch hitting by Ryan McMahon. With the win, the Yankees climb to within a half-game of the Rays, who had the day off. The win came as a much-needed positive boost in an otherwise troubling day in Yankees universe, the team finally confirming that Aaron Judge has been dealing with a stress fracture in his ribcage that will sideline the captain for a minimum of four-to-six weeks.
It was an otherwise quiet day around the league, with only the Blue Jays in action among the Yankees’ AL rivals. They themselves avoided a sweep with a hit parade in the final game against the Braves in Atlanta, Toronto amassing seven runs on 16 hits against the best team in baseball.
Toronto Blue Jays (30-33) 7, Atlanta Braves (42-21) 2
The ageless Chris Sale continues to defy Father Time, but the Blue Jays lineup appeared to be seeing the ball as well as any team that has faced him this season. They put him to the sword early and never let up that constant pressure. Sale was lucky to escape the first two innings unscathed. George Springer doubled and Ernie Clement singled to lead off the first, but Sale got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to fly out and struck out the next two batters to strand the pair. An inning later, Nathan Lukes drew a leadoff walk and Tyler Heineman singled with one out to put another pair on, but Sale once again stranded the runners in place.
He would not be so fortunate in the third with Toronto continuing to press forward. Vladdy doubled with one out and Kazuma Okamoto reached on an infield single to put runners on first and second for the third straight inning. This time, Charles McAdoo — called up to replace the injured Lenyn Sosa and handed his MLB debut last week — broke through, lining a single up the middle to plate Vladdy and advance Okamoto to second. Sale then hit Lukes with a first-pitch sinker to load the bases for Myles Straw, whose ground ball single up the middle allowed Okamoto and McAdoo to score, though Sale avoided further damage by getting Heineman to ground into the inning ending double play that included Lukes getting thrown out at the plate.
The Blue Jays had to love this early production against Sale considering they countered the Braves ace with a bullpen game. Opener Mason Fluharty recorded the first four outs before handing the ball to bulk man Chad Dallas making his MLB debut, and the 25-year-old righty held the potent Atlanta offense to a run on two hits and two walks in 3.2 innings. He backed himself into a corner in the bottom of the third, yielding a leadoff single to Ronald Acuña Jr., who then stole second and advanced to third on a Mauricio Dubón single. Matt Olson plated Acuña with a sac fly that also advanced Dubón to third, and a two-out walk of Michael Harris Jr. put runners on the corners. However, Dallas made a slick behind-the-back grab on a Dominic Smith grounder up the middle to end the threat.
From there, the game settled into a pitchers’ duel in the middle innings, the Blue Jays continuing to apply pressure without finding the timely hit that would put the game to bed. Sale allowed a pair of singles to Vladdy and Lukes in the fifth but induced a Straw line out to end the frame. A Springer two-out walk followed by a Clement single knocked Sale from the game in the sixth, but reliever Didier Fuentes got Vladdy to ground out to strand another pair of Toronto base runners and wrap up Sale’s final line at three runs on ten hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
It looked like these wasted opportunities would come back to haunt the Blue Jays when Dubón crushed a no-doubter solo shot in the eighth off a hanging 1-0 Braydon Fisher slider to pull within one. However, they erupted for four runs in the ninth inning off reliever-turned-starter-turned-reliever Reynaldo López to arrive at a 7-2 scoreline that didn’t flatter them in the slightest. Clement and Vladdy clubbed a pair of singles to leadoff the inning, but López quickly retired the next two hitters and came within a strike of escaping the jam to send his offense to the bottom of the ninth trailing by just a run. However, Lukes kept fouling off pitches until he was able to line a single to right to plate Clement and move Vladdy to second. From there, the floodgates opened, Straw singling Vladdy home and Heineman doubling to score both Lukes and Straw. In the blink of an eye, the Blue Jays turned a one run lead into an insurmountable five run lead to salvage a win from this series despite stranding 12 base runners on the day.
May 26, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Shane Baz (34) pitches in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Does it feel like you just read the preview for a series with the Toronto Blue Jays? That’s because you did. These two teams just played each other last weekend, although then it was in Baltimore. This weekend it is in Toronto. The two teams split that series. The Blue Jays took the first two games and the Orioles took the last two.
The Orioles and Blue Jays have the same record, 30-33. It would be really cool to leave Toronto with the Orioles ahead of the Blue Jays in the standings. I haven’t been paying much attention to the AL East standings, what with the Orioles so far behind the Rays and Yankees, but it would still be fun to have a better record than the defending AL champions.
One good thing about the Orioles is that in their last 11 games, they have gone 8-3. The thing is, two of those losses came to the team they are playing this weekend.
Before heading into the series matchups, I am going to shamelessly steal two paragraphs from my colleague, Alex Church. He wrote the series preview for last weekend’s series. And let’s be honest, not much enough time has passed for much to change.
The Jays have been trying to overcome early injuries to several key players. The team lost Dylan Cease, José Berríos, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer from its rotation. Alejandro Kirk is out with a left thumb fracture, and our old pal Anthony Santander has yet to make an impact for his new team after undergoing left shoulder labral surgery.
Former international free agent Kazuma Okamoto leads the team with 11 home runs. Vlad Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Daulton Varsho, and Jesús Sánchez remain offensive threats. Louis Varland (2-1, 0.31 ERA) has taken over the closer job from near Orioles Jeff Hoffman (3-3, 4.81 ERA). I can’t imagine Hoffman will find much pity in the comment section.
This is a rematch of game three of last week’s series. The Orioles won that one, but only because Jeff Hoffman and Connor Seabold blew the game in the ninth inning. The Orioles managed just one run in five innings against Yesavage, even though he walked seven batters. Hopefully, the Orioles take better advantage this time. Although Yesavage is a pretty good pitcher so I wouldn’t expect seven walks again.
Brandon Young’s ERA is down to 3.35! So far, his 2026 is turning out a lot better than I expected. He is coming off back-to-back starts in which he went 6.2 innings with two runs allowed. I will take that every start of his for the rest of the season. Against the Blue Jays last week, Young struck out seven and walked one. He allowed seven hits, two of which were doubles.
It seems the vintage Kyle Bradish is back, and the Blue Jays saw it for themselves last Sunday. He pitched seven innings with just one unearned run allowed. He walked three and allowed four hits. Since giving up five runs in four innings to the Yankees on May 2nd, Bradish has made five starts and has pitched at least six innings in four of them. He has allowed 3, 0, 2, 1, and 1 runs in those starts. Keep it up, Kyle!
In the game last Sunday, Bradish faced Spencer Miles, who is not a regular starter. Miles was not good, so the matchup will not repeat. As of this writing, there is no word on who will get the ball.
Old friend alert! Former Oriole, Kevin Gausman, is scheduled to pitch the series finale. The Orioles missed Guasman in the last series, but couldn’t avoid him forever. Gausman is in the last year of his five-year contract with the Jays, and he has given them their money’s worth. He has not only been effective, with a 3.47 ERA over five seasons, but he has been durable. He made at least 31 starts every year from 2022-25, and is on track to do so again this season.
The overall numbers haven’t caught up yet, but Shane Baz is starting to turn things around. Over his last four starts, he has looked like the kind of guy you sign to a friendly extension. He has pitched seven innings in three of his last four starts, and is pitching confidently. Baz missed the Blue Jays last week but pitched seven innings against the Red Sox instead.
So what do you think? How will the Orioles do this weekend against the Blue Jays? Put your answers in the comments below!
CLEARWATER, FL - MARCH 21: Gage Wood #41 of the Philadelphia Phillies walks to the dugout prior to the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Nathan Ray Seebeck/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Another good night for Clearwater was the only saving grace among the Phillies system last night, as the Threshers were the only one of the Phillies’ affiliates to win their game. Even still, there were some standout performances in those other losses.
Rochester 7, Lehigh Valley 1
The Iron Pigs managed just one run on four hits against the Red Wings’ pitching staff led by starter Jackson Kent while Lehigh Valley’s Nolan Hoffman and Gabriel Barbossa surrendered 5 runs on 6 hits in just three combined innings. The only run of the game for the Pigs came in the second when catcher Paul McIntosh singled to left with two outs to bring in Keaton Anthony. Anthony continued his impressive hitting, collecting two of the Pigs’ four hits and bringing his season average to .333 with a .968 OPS.
Binghamton 2, Reading 1 (10)
Gage Wood impressed again for the Fightin’ Phils, going four innings and allowing one run, a home run in the first inning, on four hits with no walks and 4 strikeouts. He threw 56 pitches, 39 for strikes on the night. But the Reading offense couldn’t back him up, as they scored just one run on three hits which came in the fifth on a Cade Fergus bases loaded sacrifice fly. The game was tied at 1-1 heading into extras, but the Fightin’ Phils couldn’t plate their ghost runner in the top of the inning while the Rumble Ponies did with a single from D’Andre Smith to walk it off against Daniel Harper.
Brooklyn 5, Jersey Shore 2
The Blue Claws continued the theme of the night across the system, as they managed just 2 runs despite totaling 8 hits. They went 1-6 with runners in scoring position and plated their runs with a Luis Caicuto home run in the eighth and a Trent Farquhar RBI double that scored Devan Saltiban in the ninth. The aforementioned home run was part of a three hit day for Caicuto, as the catcher/DH now sports an .848 OPS. Jersey starter Mavis Graves racked up 7 strikeouts in just 4 innings of work but allowed three runs on just three hits including a home run.
Clearwater 10, Mets 4
The Threshers saved the night with another good win against the Port St. Lucie Mets, this time with an offensive explosion as every hitter in the starting lineup except Juan Villavicencio had at least one hit and four starters had at least two. One such two-hit game was for Alirio Ferrebus, as the bus kept chugging along with a 2-5 showing including an RBI and two runs scored. His average is now up to .339 with a .928 OPS. Cade Obermueller started on the mound for Clearwater and punched out six in three innings of work with one run allowed. Tegan Cain however allowed three runs in the eighth on a two-out, bases-loaded double after allowing the bases to become loaded with a single, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk.
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 09 : J.R. Towles #46 of the Houston Astros against the Florida Marlins in a MLB game on April 9, 2011 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. The Marlins won 4 to 3. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea / Getty Images) | Getty Images
J.R. Towles is one of two Astros to have driven in 8 runs in a contest, sharing that distinction with Yuri Guerriel. We catch up with the former catcher in our 22nd installment of our Legends Series.
Q: What do you remember about your debut on September 5th, 2007 against the Brewers in Milwaukee?
A: I remember flying first class (laughs). Honestly, I was just looking forward to it. I didn’t know what number I would be, I was just looking forward to seeing the field. It was a whirlwind event.
It was awesome that my locker mate was Lance Berkman because I had been cheering him on for so long and now all of a sudden, I get to share a locker with him which was incredible at the time.
Q: Were you surprised you got into that first game late?
A: Yeah. I wasn’t expecting to get in but we were losing by several runs, so I went down to the bullpen to start getting familiar because I hadn’t caught any of those guys. I didn’t have time to get nervous. I was just there.
I didn’t get nervous until they told me that I would start in five days and I would catch Wandy Rodriguez.
Q: Was Wandy an underrated pitcher?
A: He was underrated, no doubt. He was sneaky with his pitches, and his breaking ball was really good.
Q: A few weeks later, you drove in 8 runs in a game. How crazy was that?
A: I catch myself thinking about that. It gets brought up every year, which is pretty cool. My kids are a little bit older now, 15, 14 and 11, and they get to start seeing things and when they bring my name up on TV, it’s fun for them.
Q: How good was Roy Oswalt’s stuff when you caught him?
A: Roy was electric. I enjoyed catching him. He was a small-town guy like me, so us country boys had a lot of good talks in the clubhouse. His slow curveball was something else.
Q: You are still in the area, what are you up to now?
A: Just north of Tomball, I’m coaching a team which I’ve been doing for a few years, and now I’m taking my national registry for an EMT, and I’ll be starting firefighting school on July 11th.
I hope to get hired in the fall in Magnolia. There are some similarities in terms of lifestyle, the firehouse and being around your teammates is similar to a clubhouse, having that camaraderie. I’m looking forward to it.
May 30, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) prepares to go back out for the bottom half of the sixth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
Good day everyone, and happy Friday!
The M’s play an early afternoon game today, facing off against the Tigers at 3:40pm PT — set your reminders!
Also, don’t forget to go vote for the Mariners in the first round of All-Star voting! Who’s got your vote on the National League side this year?
In Mariners news…
Cal Raleigh will kick off a rehab assignment with the Everett AquaSox on Sunday before heading to Tacoma on Tuesday, where he will play at least all of next week. The team will reassess his progress at that point.
The Mariners announced that they will host an alumni home run derby after August 7th’s game against the Rays. The group of participants sure is…something to behold.
Daniel Kramer checked in with Colt Emerson to see how he’s adjusting to the big leagues in advance of the team’s east coast swing.
After a rough 2025 season from both a health and performance standpoint, Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is bouncing back nicely, writes Michael Baumann at Fangraphs.
Even Major League Baseball’s own appointed Fan Council, which is basically an initiative for the league to spread its pro-owner propaganda, is rebelling.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 04: Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks has gum thrown on him by Gabriel Moreno #14 after hitting a walk-off home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on June 04, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers 3-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, the All-Star wasted no time in his at-bat, connecting on Dodgers closer Tanner Scott’s 97-mph fastball low in the zone and launching a 431-foot home run to left field, securing the D-Backs’ 3-2 victory and a series split.
Marte now owns the most walk-off hits in MLB this season with three. He’s just one walk-off hit away from matching the franchise record of four, shared by Paul Goldschmidt (2013), Justin Upton (2011) and Alex Cintron (2005).
Vargas had been pulled from the game in the fifth inning, following a collision with Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy. A ground ball was hit down the right field line, and pitcher Ryne Nelson, assuming it was a foul ball, did not cover first.
That led to both Vargas and Muncy running full speed at the bag. They crashed into each other, and both spent time down on the ground being tended to by trainers. Thankfully, they both walked off the field on their own power.
Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll continues chasing a unique MLB record.
In 1922, Hall of Famer George Sisler registered an all-time best .472 batting average during 153 at-bats against left-handed pitchers. Corbin entered Wednesday night’s matchup against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers batting .411 in 73 at-bats against left-handers.
The New York Yankees will be without franchise slugger and two-time reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge for weeks and perhaps months. The club announced on Thursday that Judge — after multiple examinations and initial fears about the possibility of thoracic outlet syndrome — has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side.
Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Dallas announced himself with an insane play in his MLB debut against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.
In the third inning, Dallas allowed an infield single to Ronald Acuna Jr., followed by a steal to second base. The pitcher gave up another single to Mauricio Dubon and Matt Olson’s sac-fly brought home Acuna Jr. Ozzie Albies flied out to right field. Dubon reached second as Dallas walked Michael Harris II. A wild pitch from Dallas put Dubon at third.
“People are frustrated. The fans want us to win games. So do we. We’re more frustrated than anybody,” Machado told MLB.com after the Padres’ 6-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. “We want to turn things around. Everybody on this ballclub is trying to do that. So, we’re going to keep working, just knowing that we’re still in a good position, even though we’re playing like dog s—.
Campbell pitcher Cade Kuehler pitches during the NCAA Baseball Tournament Knoxville Regional between the Tennessee Volunteers and Campbell Fighting Camels held at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Saturday, June 4, 2022. Utvcampbell0604 0183
The Atlanta Braves affiliates played four close games, all defined by impressive starting pitching and late runs deciding the outcome. Cade Kuehler had a particularly impressive day with eight strikeouts and 23 whiffs generated, but he was far from the only headlining pitcher. Herick Hernandez made his return to Columbus with a four inning masterpiece, and down in Augusta Derek Vartanian continued to be one of the fringe prospects who has impressed early this season.
Anthony Molina, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 4.37 ERA
The Stripers did a great job of opening up a lead against the Tides on Thursday, but failed to add on in the latter half of the game, leaving the bullpen with the tall task of protecting a slim lead. Gwinnett had a comfortable going early at the plate and opened up a lead on a double from DaShawn Keirsey Jr. in the second inning, a lead they would hold for most of the game. They added a couple of more runs on a single from Maverick Handley in the fourth inning, giving the pitching staff a solid lead to work with over the five innings, though that would dwindle quickly across the coming frames. Following the Handley single the offense completely disappeared for the last half of the game. Jim Jarvis had an 0-5 performance at the plate with three strikeouts, putting an end to a strong stretch of play for him over his past five games. Jarvis hadn’t had a multi-strikeout game in two weeks prior to this performance and hadn’t had three strikeouts in a game since May, but this was probably the worst he has looked at the plate in any individual game this season.
Anthony Molina started this game on a heater, because despite giving up some solid contact the Tides struggled to actually get the barrel to the ball consistently. Molina threw a ton of strikes and his secondaries were all effective at getting whiffs in this game, and he was particularly sharp in a stretch between the second and third innings where he recorded five strikeouts and a pop out across a six batter span. However Molina had some moments where he struggled to keep breaking balls down in the strike zone, and that bit him in a huge way in the fifth inning. Molina hung a curveball right over the heart of the plate to Tommy Pham, who hit an absolute tank for a three-run home run that spoiled an otherwise stellar start. Molina left after that fifth inning, and that was the start of the real trouble for the Stripers. Victor Mederos had all kinds of trouble with his command in this one, both missing badly out of the strike zone and right over the heart of the plate with concerning frequency. The Tides took advantage and notched three hits and the tying run in the game off of him in the sixth inning, though he managed to escape a jam thanks to a big strikeout of Sam Huff and he got a second opportunity to pitch in the seventh. Mederos kept it together for a few batters but made some mistakes with two outs and gave up another run that stuck him and the Stripers with the loss.
Swing and Misses
Anthony Molina – 17
Victor Mederos – 4
Connor Thomas – 3
(25-27) Columbus Clingstones 5, (27-26) Rocket City Trash Pandas 3
Luis Vargas, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB. 2 K, 6.11 ERA
Herick Hernandez is finally back and healthy with the Clingstones, and once again he looked strong on the mound for them with four impressive innings. Hernandez’s command was shaky-though that may not necessarily be a sign of rust for him-yet he managed to continue his pattern of great pitching this year as Rocket City had no real answer to finding solid contact against him. Hernandez wasn’t sharp enough with his fastball to get the level of swing-and-miss we have seen out of him in past outings, but the carry on that four seam fastball led to a lot of lazy fly outs mixed with enough whiffs to keep the lineup moving and avoid too many balls in play. Hernandez’s command will continue to be the big red flag for his profile, but his stuff is so nasty it sort of hasn’t mattered yet. He’s managed to make this jump to Double-A and improve his strike-throwing and walk rate slightly while actually getting more whiffs than before, and there is a lot more consistency with his command on the field even if it’s not at the level it needs to be yet. The bullpen nearly got themselves into real trouble in the innings after Hernandez left, allowing three runs in the sixth and seventh innings, but the fifth inning explosion by the offense was enough for them to hold on. Luis Vargas got back on track with one of his better relief appearances this spring, and even though the overall numbers are ugly he is missing bats and control is a bit better than last season, so progress is being made despite the glacial pace it seems to come at for him.
The Clingstones could not figure out Angels 2025 third-rounder Nate Snead the first time through the lineup, as he blanked them across the first four innings of this game to keep pace with Hernandez. Then the hits started to tumble out in the fifth inning and they did not stop until Snead was chased from the game with only one out recorded. Patrick Clohisy looked good at the plate and broke the scoreless tie with a base hit, and the Clingstones put up a four spot with five hits off of Snead. After he left they went right back to their quiet ways with the bats, though Adam Zebrowski did make a loud addition in the seventh inning. He showed off his strength with a long solo home run into the right-center field gap to add a bit of insurance on, and so far he has had a huge week at the plate since coming back down from Gwinnett. All four of his hits in the past three games have been extra base hits.
Cade Kuehler, SP: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 3.71 ERA
Cade Kuehler has made an impressive turnaround to his season over the past month, and delivered his most dominant start of the year despite having a rough command day relative to recent standards. Over his past five games Kuehler has turned it up, both getting a high swing-and-miss rate (33.5%) while not sacrificing strike-throwing or allowing the home runs that plagued him early in the season. Two of those did not carry over well into this game. Kuehler missed the plate more often than he has across his strong stretch of play, which did cause some trouble for him, but these hitters struggled to make any contact against him so it didn’t matter. The only exception to that was a rather huge one, when they tried to run him out for the sixth inning and he struggled. He walked the first hitter then left a breaking ball right over the heart of the plate which got crushed for a two-run home run, ending his no-hitter and shutout in one swing. Otherwise, Kuehler got 23 whiffs on 43 swings, was forcing a ton of infield pop ups, and mostly cruised even through the occasional walks.
No Emperor had a big breakout day at the plate, though with steady production throughout and one big swing from Cody Miller they put up enough runs to take the game in extra innings. Miller put the Emperors on the board in the fourth inning following a leadoff walk to Dixon Williams, taking a fat slider and pulling it for his sixth home run of the season. Miller is still struggling to find consistent impact at the plate but officially seems over the whiff issues that defined his early struggles this season, with a stretch now of nine games in which he only has six strikeouts. His current season numbers are the high water mark for him since May 12th, and given that he is hitting the ball harder and making consistent contact I expect to watch them continually drift up. Isaiah Drake led off in the fifth inning with a hot swing, hitting a hard line drive down the right field line that stayed fair and bounded over the wall for a ground-rule double. Drake would take advantage of a wild pitch to advance to third base, and John Gil lifted a fly ball that was deep enough to allow Drake to score and extend the lead to 3-0. The issue that faced the Emperors was a lack of ability to string hits together. That was the case throughout the game, but in the 9th inning Miller reached on a wild pitch on a strikeout, creating a sliver of hope in a game that had swung in Greenville’s favor and had them leading 4-3. It got down to two outs after a couple of ground outs, but with the last gasp of breath Colby Jones hit a pop up into shallow right field, which pittered off of the glove of the sliding right fielder and fell harmlessly for a lucky RBI double. In extra innings John Gil got himself on the board with a one out base hit, bringing up Eric Hartman who only needed to get one into the outfield to score Dalton McIntyre from third base. He did just that, walking the game off with a sacrifice fly.
Swing and Misses
Cade Kuehler – 23
Riley Frey – 5
(30-24) Augusta GreenJackets 2, (19-35) Delmarva Shorebirds
Derek Vartanian, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 3.94 ERA
The GreenJackets put up a disappointing offensive performance, save for Tate Southisene who had a couple of hits in the game to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Southisene has been unquestionably fantastic for the GreenJackets at the top of the order, and really put them in a great position to win this game late. In the eighth inning Augusta only trailed 2-0, and Southisene came to the plate with a couple of men on and drove a sharp single through the right side. With still no outs in the inning and two runners on there was a huge opportunity for Augusta to at least tie the game. but it wasn’t meant to be. Luis Guanipa popped out into shallow center field keeping all of the runners at bay, and in a critical spot Juan Mateo popped out to the infield for the second out. Michael Martinez then grounded out and the Shorebirds put one out for two runs in the top of the ninth to seal the game. Nick Montgomery did add on with a home run in the ninth inning, but the bottom of the order didn’t have the firepower to drag Augusta back into the game.
It’s rather a shame, too, that Augusta’s bats had a down evening because Derek Vartanian 100% pitched well enough to deserve a win in this game. Coming off of his worst outing of the season Vartanian bounced back and commanded the ball much better, and the Shorebirds hit ground ball after ground ball to help him advance through the lineup with ease. He’s been consistently around the 25% whiff rate range, which is where he was today, and has produced loads of weak ground balls to keep offenses from being able to put up runs. In the first inning an errors by Luis Guanipa allowed a runner to get to third base and score a quick one against Vartanian, but other than that one unearned run he was in full control of this game for the first four innings. A bunt single in the fifth inning and an inside out double that rolled down the left field line accounted for the only other run he allowed.
Jun 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) celebrates with left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (21) and center fielder Henry Bolte (33) after hitting a two run inside the park home run against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Happy Friday A’s Fans! Hope everyone’s week has been going well so far.
The Athletics have had more success this week, once again showcasing better performances on the road than at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park. They got the weeklong road trip started with a series win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. They were in prime opportunity to get the sweep, but suffered a bullpen collapse, resulting in a walk-off loss to end the series against the Cubs.
The majority of the A’s roster has performed better on the road. The pitching staff has performed particularly well, posting a noticeably lower ERA away from home. Take left-hander Gage Jump, for example. He surrendered four runs on nine hits in his first MLB start at home before tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Chicago Cubs on the road. However, the team’s bullpen remains shaky regardless of where the A’s play.
The A’s look to continue their stellar road form during this weekend’s three-game series against the division-rival Houston Astros. The last time these two teams met in Houston, Nick Kurtz launched four home runs in a historic performance that helped secure American League Rookie of the Year honors.
Right-hander Jack Perkins will make his first start of the season in the series opener. In 17 relief appearances, the 26-year-old is 2-2 with a 5.46 ERA and three saves. He has struggled recently and is now set to join the rotation following a series of injuries and ineffective performances among the club’s other starting pitchers. His performance will determine whether this is a one-time spot start or the beginning of a permanent role in the rotation.
On Saturday, A’s right-handed pitching prospect Kade Morris is lined up to make his first MLB start. He faces a stiff test against a lineup that includes Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve. Will Morris sink or swim?
Sunday, the A’s wrap up the road trip with left-hander Gage Jump on the mound, looking to follow up his quality start at Wrigley with another solid outing. From the other dugout, A’s hitters will face Astros right-handers Peter Lambert, Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows.
Can the A’s make it two straight series wins? What are your expectations for this upcoming series in Houston?
With voting now underway for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, Athletics fans should get behind catcher Shea Langeliers as well as first baseman Kurtz, both of whom are emerging as legitimate All-Star contenders.
After playing three games against the Houston Astros this weekend, the A’s will spend next week in Las Vegas, hosting the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies at the stadium of the A’s Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.
— A's Ballpark in Las Vegas (@VegasAthletics) June 4, 2026
Athletics’ 20-year-old left-handed pitching prospect, Wei-En Lin, has been dominant at Double-A. It will be fascinating to see how he handles the jump to Triple-A when he inevitably gets promoted, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Congratulations to Wei-En Lin on being named the Texas League Pitcher of the Month! 🔥 The RockHounds left-hander dominated on the mound all month long, earning well-deserved league-wide recognition pic.twitter.com/vX3ddO7R22
Over the past week, the San Diego Padres lost five of the six games played. The Philadelphia Phillies just swept the season series 6-0, while the Padres have only won four of their last 15 games; losing five in a row. Some of those losses were by one run, but a loss is a loss. They now sit with a 32-29 record, in third place and 7 games behind the Dodgers.
Roster changes
Bench player Nick Castellanos was designated for assignment while outfielder Ramón Laureano was placed on the injured list with hip inflammation. The two best hitters at Triple-A El Paso were called up to provide some power potential and defensive flexibility, per manager Craig Stammen.
Jase Bowen, 25, has the potential to exhibit five tools but must show he can hit at the major league level. He can play all three outfield spots. Samad Taylor plays all three outfield spots and can play second base. Taylor has previous MLB experience with two other teams, but his experience is limited to 39 games.
More than one problem
The offense, which remains either the worst in baseball or the second worst in all offensive averages, is not the only problem for the Friars. Over the past nine games, in which the Padres lost eight, there have been two quality starts from the pitchers.
Griffin Canning lost 3-0 in the first game of the Phillies series at home despite going 6.2 innings with three runs allowed. Then seven games later, Walker Buehler pitched six innings against the Phillies in Philadelphia with one earned run allowed. Eventually losing 3-2, the Padres saw reliever Jason Adam allow two runs on three hits in 0.2 innings in the seventh inning.
The bullpen has seen some hiccups as well, dropping from its top slot. With a 3.18 ERA, the bullpen now sits fifth in the major league rankings. The only bright side to all the losing is that closer Mason Miller has worked once in the past nine games and should be well-rested.
Another award for Mason Miller
Speaking of Mason Miller, he won Reliever of the Month for May. This is his second time winning the award.
Manny Machado
Despite hitting .174 with a .619 OPS in 214 at-bats, Manny Machado remains on pace for his season norms for home runs and RBI. Machado has hit 11 home runs with 32 RBI despite striking out 58 times in 241 plate appearances (24% K rate). He doesn’t appear to be seeing the ball well and is uncharacteristically watching strikes pass through the center of the zone.
A shortened lineup
The bottom of the Padres lineup features hitters who have been below the Mendoza line (.200) for the season. Before his release, Castellanos was a participant at the bottom of the order and was hitting .191. Catchers Freddy Fermin (.126) and Rodolfo Durán (.083) are practically automatic outs with OBP percentages below .300.
Catcher Luis Campusano remains on the injured list with a broken toe and hasn’t begun his rehab yet. Catcher Blake Hunt, who has a better bat than either Fermin or Durán, just finished his rehab stint and has rejoined El Paso. There will still be some time before this situation can improve.
Before his injury, second baseman Jake Cronenworth was hitting .144 with a .272 OBP. When he plays, Sung-Mun Song hits in the bottom of the order with his .154 average and .290 OBP.
The two newly promoted bench players, Bowen and Taylor, will be hitting in the bottom third. The team can hope that they will settle in and improve on some of these numbers.
Fernando Tatis Jr.
OF/2B Fernando Tatis Jr. got his first home run of the season on May 30 against the Washington Nationals. Over the past 15 games, Tatis is hitting .379/.438/.466 with three RBI, five walks and three stolen bases.
After making almost constant adjustments during his hitting slump, Tatis seems to have found something that has unlocked his swing. He has also resumed his spot as the leadoff hitter, even though his OBP is .321 leading off. He swings at a lot of first pitches and his average as a leadoff hitter is .243.
Injury updates
RHP Germán Márquez began his rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday. He threw 2.1 innings with a hit and three strikeouts while hitting 96 mph with his fastball. He has a 30-day rehab window.
RHP Nick Pivetta has begun a throwing program by playing catch. There is no timetable for his return.
RHP Joe Musgrove began his throwing program on Wednesday. He is also just playing catch at this point and there is no timetable for his return.
Cronenworth is progressing slowly with his baseball activities. Stammen has reported that Cronenworth is swinging a bat, throwing, doing some light running, and staying under medical care as his concussion symptoms begin to subside. There is no timetable for his return.
Campusano is in Arizona, working through his baseball activities in order to resume his work as a catcher. There has been no announcement on when he will begin his rehab assignment.
The ultimate rivalry is back. Tonight, the New York Yankees kick off a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox in the Bronx, aiming to extend their dominant five-game winning streak over their rivals.
New York enters the matchup as the clear favorite, well-positioned to exploit a Boston starter who is due for a reality check. Read all about it in myYankees vs. Red Sox predictions and MLB picks for Friday, June 5.
Who will win Red Sox vs Yankees today: Yankees moneyline (-140)
Despite their struggles in the wake of AL MVP Aaron Judge's injury, the New York Yankees should take care of business tonight, and I'd play this to -165.
Sonny Gray is due for negative regression. His 4.39 expected ERA is nearly a full run and a half higher than his actual ERA. Pulling these metrics down the most is a barrel rate that sits in the Bottom 33% of the sport.
Judge's absence is felt, but the Yankees still rank first in baseball in both barrel and hard-hit rate, built to expose Gray's contact profile.
COVERS INTEL: Sonny Gray drops his four-seam usage to 9% against right-handed hitters, forcing him into a cutter-heavy mix against a Yankees lineup that leads the league in barrel rate.
Red Sox vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-120)
This is a two-unit play on the Over, my seventh of the season. I made this number 8.3 and would play it to 8.
We've talked about Gray and why this Yankees lineup can cause him problems, even without Judge. The other side is the Boston Red Sox offense, and I feel good about them in this matchup.
Ryan Weathers' nearly 30% strikeout rate is impressive, but a Bottom-15 percentile barrel rate cannot be trusted with a total this low, especially against a Boston lineup with four starters in the Top 30% of those metrics.
Chris Hatfield's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 27-21, +5.94 units
Over/Under bets: 30-18, +14.07 units
Red Sox vs Yankees odds
Moneyline: Red Sox +125 | Yankees -150
Run line: Red Sox +1.5 (-170) | Yankees -1.5 (+145)
Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8
Red Sox vs Yankees trend
The Yankees have cashed the Over in six of their last eight games for +3.75 units and a 43% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Yankees.
How to watch Red Sox vs Yankees and game info
Location
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Date
Friday, June 5, 2026
First pitch
7:05 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock
Red Sox starting pitcher
Sonny Gray (6-1, 3.06 ERA)
Yankees starting pitcher
Ryan Weathers (2-3, 3.52 ERA)
Red Sox vs Yankees latest injuries
Red Sox vs Yankees weather
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BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox walks to the dugout during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Madison McCall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Brayan Bello — the man some once called “Little Pedro” — is headed to Worcester. What a long strange trip it’s been. (Not the trip to Worcester — that’s pretty straightforward, though I don’t envy him making the drive on the Friday of a beautiful summer weekend).
I never really bought into the “mental” explanation of why he performed so much better with an opener this season. It just doesn’t seem to make much sense that someone who has pitched in 112 MLB games in his career would all of a sudden be freaked out by the first inning. But he is human, and the yips are real, and we could be witnessing some kind of fulfilling cycle of first inning doom here. It’s a fascinating thing to watch, really.
So what do the Red Sox do now? Garrett Crochet is not particularly close to returning. The Sox roster isn’t exactly well set-up for bullpen games. And the Sox have 9 games in the next 10 days. Trading Caleb Durbin for Kyle Harrison probably isn’t an option at this point, so is Jake Bennett going to be in the rotation for the foreseeable future, or would you like to see the Sox go another route?
Talk about depth starters, weird mental hangups, and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.
GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 27: Rafe Perich of the Texas Rangers bats during a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on February 27, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Bailey Orr/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers outfielder Hector Osorio and infielder Rafe Perich were named the Player of the Month for the month of May for the Carolina League and the South Atlantic League, respectively.
Osorio — who we did a Q&A with earlier this week — put up a .339/.449/.598 slash line for the Hickory Crawdads in the month of May, with 15 walks against 13 Ks in 87 plate appearances. The 21 year old is slashing .291/.427/.547 in 50 games for Hickory this season, and would seem to be poised to be promoted to high-A Hub City in the not-too-distant future.
Perich, a corner infielder who turned 24 last month, was the Rangers’ 7th round pick out of Lehigh in 2024. Prior to his being promoted to AA Frisco late in the month, Perich had a .345/.448/.747 slash line for Hub City in May in 105 plate appearances, including 10 homers. Overall this year, Perich slashed .303/.394/.606 at high-A before being promoted.
COVERS INTEL: Sonny Gray drops his four-seam usage to 9% against right-handed hitters, forcing him into a cutter-heavy mix against a Yankees lineup that leads the league in barrel rate.
