SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 6: Kade Anderson #13 of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch during a Spring Training game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on March 6, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On the monthly update of Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list, the Mariners joined rarified air as an organization with three top ten prospects leaguewide. Colt Emerson (#3), Ryan Sloan (#7), and Kade Anderson (#9) made up the elite trio topping the list, though both Lazaro Montes (#57) and Luke Stevenson (#98) made the cut in this month’s update.
It’s no surprise to see Emerson heading this group after a torrid start to his big league career. Having already produced many memorable moments across his first handful of games, Emerson has provided a much needed jolt for the Mariner lineup and looks every bit of a long-term mainstay on the infield. He’ll soon graduate from this list, but his final hurrah as a prospect looks on him in an understandably positive light.
Ryan Sloan was unreal tonight. Final line: 6IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 11K, 18 whiffs, 61 pitches, 46 strikes. That was a pleasure to watch. pic.twitter.com/VTNI0OBGPG
Sloan, who jumped rotationmate Kade Anderson this month, has started to settle in at the Double-A level after a month long adjustment period. Recently twirling his best start as a professional, Sloan has built up some tremendous momentum and is being looked upon as the best pitching prospect in baseball. The 20 year old has immense potential and should be a candidate for a big league promotion some time next year.
The aforementioned Anderson has had one of, if not the most dominant starts to the 2026 season in all of minor league baseball. The lefthander has diced up his opposition in all but one inning this year, commanding the zone as well as anyone and striking out the world along the way. He’s been as advertised in his inaugural season.
The final two entrants on the list, Lazaro Montes and Luke Stevenson, carry varying degrees of pedigree. Montes, who’s long graced this list and has been considered one of the premium power prospects for several years now, is not much of a surprise, though Stevenson’s addition comes with slightly more intrigue. After an outlandish start to the season, the young backstop has come back down to Earth a bit, producing a slashline that’s far more human than what he initially laid claim to. Less about his addition to the list and more so about the timing of when they chose to include him, Stevenson is more than deserving of a top 100 nod and looks to be yet another premium prospect the Mariner brass has identified.
George Lombard Jr. of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders reacts during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on May 22, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
A large part of the Yankees’ success through the first two months of the 2026 season has been based on their homegrown talent. The way that Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler have taken the next step from good supporting cast players to bona fide stars at their respective positions has greatly improved the team’s future outlook, and when you add in the supporting value they’ve gotten from players like Will Warren, Austin Wells (defensively anyway), and even the brief cameos of Anthony Volpe and Jasson Domínguez, it’s a pretty promising young crop.
But as you look towards who could join this group, many fans’ eyes gravitate towards George Lombard Jr., the organization’s top prospect and one of the best in all of baseball. The newly minted 21-year-old got off to a blistering start in Double-A Somerset, prompting an aggressive move from the organization to promote him to Triple-A on April 29th, just as they did in 2025 when he got off to a hot start in High-A.
So far, the results have been mixed. Through 28 games entering Tuesday night, he’s slashing just .196/.360/.299 with an 88 wRC+, but his numbers look much better under the hood, yet there are clear areas of improvement he still needs to make. He’s played multiple positions as well, increasing his defensive flexibility beyond the six.
The ultimate question that’s on everyone’s mind is how quickly Lombard can get himself in the big-league conversation. After all, the Yankees have viewed Triple-A as more of a stepping stone for top prospects in recent years, and there’s an obvious position for him to play right away with Ryan McMahon’s offensive struggles at third base. We don’t have a clear answer on that yet, but it’s safe to say there’s still some work to go, even if things look encouraging for a debut at some point this year.
Potentially his biggest calling card as a hitter right now is his plate discipline. Lombard has always had a good eye and has never posted a walk rate below 10 percent at any level, but the fact that he’s walking in a fifth of his plate appearances is eye-opening. The best part might be that his strikeout rate has been almost identical since being promoted at 21 percent, indicating that he’s not any more overmatched against more experienced pitching.
If there’s anything to nitpick here, it might be that Lombard has been too passive. He’s only swinging at 57.5 percent of pitches in the strike zone, nearly 10 whole percentage points below MLB average (67.1%). He’s swinging at under 40 percent of the total pitches he sees, also considerably below average. That, coupled with an 80th-percentile chase rate, likely contributes to his huge walk rate.
This seems to be more of a feature than a bug of Lombard’s game, however, and that might cap his ceiling as a hitter. While more complex pitch-level data is only available in Low-A and Triple-A, the overall percentage of pitches he’s swinging at has remained consistently low throughout his minor-league career. He’s managed to get good results for the most part in spite of it, but it’s something that’s worth monitoring.
Expanding to batted-ball outcomes, he’s consistently hitting the ball hard, ranking in the 80th percentile or better in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, but most of that contact is on the ground, which is why he’s sitting below the Mendoza Line. Lombard’s ground-ball rate has spiked from 34 percent to 44 percent since being promoted, his highest rate since he was in A-ball in 2024.
That isn’t to say he hasn’t had his moments driving the ball in the air.
Lombard’s still pulling the ball at a high rate and has had some loud outs to the warning track in left field, which has caused him to slightly underperform his xwOBA (.333 vs. .315 wOBA). He’s starting to find his slug considerably more, hitting two home runs last week and smoking a single 111 mph last night, so this might just be a case of waiting and seeing.
If I had to pick one thing to watch going forward, though, it’s the platoon splits.
The right-swinging Lombard has had a big disparity there all season, hitting to a .969 OPS against left-handed pitching compared to a .726 mark against righties, but you also have to look under the hood to see if the swings and at-bats are as stark as the slashlines indicate. With him in Triple-A, we have that data.
The difference is stark. He’s able to drive the ball considerably better against lefties, particularly to the pull side, while swinging at significantly more strikes and chasing less. Against left-handed pitching, Lombard is analytically one of the best hitters in Triple-A, but against righties, he’s struggling. This is his biggest obstacle to making the jump to full-time major leaguer at this current point in time.
Defensively, Lombard is getting more reps at second and third base than he was getting before his promotion. He’s mostly shifted back to shortstop since Volpe was promoted a few weeks ago, but has played 13 total games at second or third base on the season.
With Volpe and José Caballero seemingly having shortstop accounted for and the uncertainty regarding McMahon’s struggles and Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s pending free agent status, the team seems to be preparing Lombard to assume one of their positions when he’s promoted, despite profiling as one of the best true defenders in the minor leagues. He’s looked quite comfortable at third, however.
So where do we stand after his first month in Triple-A? Lombard still has a ways to go before we see him in the Bronx, but I can’t imagine the Yankees could’ve expected much more from him entering June. He was only able to legally buy a beer yesterday and he’s on the doorstep of the major leagues, something he reached sooner than Volpe in a similar situation as a first-round shortstop drafted out of high school.
I do think they might leave him down longer than he truly needs to in order to make sure he’s truly ready after throwing Volpe into the fire in 2023 without much experience at the level. His glove is absolutely MLB-ready, but the team isn’t lacking defensively in the infield on most nights (Amed Rosario starts notwithstanding).
With Lombard, they need to make sure his bat is able to at least be playable by the time they promote him and give him everyday reps. He seems like he could come up and be a nice platoon bat soon enough with how he’s smashed lefties, but the Yankees have that base covered without even factoring in that it would be a poor way to break in a top prospect to the big leagues.
What Lombard does over the next two months will be crucial in how the Yankees conduct the trade deadline. If those platoon splits start to even out and he starts to perform better at-bats against same-handed pitching, the team might view third base as an area that doesn’t need external reinforcements. There’s a world that exists where he’s donning the pinstripes for this team in October, but it’ll require him to continue progressing on schedule as time goes on.
Mark Vientos is a bad player that the Mets should DFA at the earliest opportunity. End of article.
*taps earpiece* I’m being told I actually need to substantiate this opinion. I’m not quite sure why—it’s one of the more obvious things that can be stated about the current Mets’ roster—but alright, here it goes.
Mark Vientos is not a particularly good hitter and hasn’t been for some time. He’s currently batting .219/.254/.380 with a 78 wRC+. His .320 xwOBA might suggest he’s been a bit unlucky to date and he’s actually pulling more balls in the air than he ever has previously, but he’s also managing a paltry 15.8% line drive rate. There’s a lot of hard hit grounders and lazy fly balls that turn into outs here that xwOBA is likely not fully accounting for.
In terms of plate disciple, Vientos has a 6th percentile SEAGER, 14th percentile chase, and 25th percentile in-zone contact (numbers courtesy of Rob Orr’s app). All of these marks are going in the wrong direction relative to 2025, when Vientos was already a below average hitter. He’s had exactly one above average offensive month (August 2025) by wRC+ since the start of last season.
Then there’s the glove, which is somehow even worse than Vientos’s bat. Per OAA, only four first baseman have been worse at the position to this point in 2026: Rhys Hoskins (posting a 108 wRC+), Curtis Mead (135 wRC+), Jake Bauers (137 wRC+), and Bryce Harper (142 wRC+). To reiterate, that’s a probably-cooked 33-year-old and then three of the better hitters in baseball, all of whom do at least something positive to justify their place on the roster. Vientos’s complete inability to make even the most simpleofplays or to make routine plays look dramatic (*insert one of the many clips of Keith groaning about his footwork*) is glaringly obvious. He’s fallen all the way down the defensive spectrum and still isn’t a viable defender.
As if being a short-side platoon DH who can’t hit wasn’t enough, Vientos does a bunch of other things that make him even worse, both to watch and in terms of on field value. You can’t be one of the slowest players in the league, run through a stop sign, and get thrown out by 20 feet. You can’t go out there immediately after making a brutal error and going 0-for-4 and say you deserve a pat on the back for working hard (it’s the major leagues my man, everyone should be working hard). You can’t gripe about no one believing in you when, to be blunt, you’ve been bad for the majority of your major league career. This stuff paints the picture of a guy who could generously be described as extremely tone-deaf in ways that are directly detrimental to the team.
Now, to be fair, a lot of the blame for this situation rests on the Mets’ front office. Yes, Vientos’s role has become outsized due to Jorge Polanco’s injury, and yes, it’s probably unfair to criticize the team for not bringing in another expensive player (e.g., Ryan O’Hearn, Wilson Contreras) to fill this role given their current payroll (though they probably should’ve allocated Bo Bichette’s money towards one of those players instead). At the same time, their insistence on hanging on to a player of Vientos’s quality is frankly baffling.
For reference, here are a couple other first basemen that could’ve been had in the last calendar year:
Ty France: signed a 1-year, $1.35M contract with the Padres; currently has a 137 wRC+ and elite 1B defense (5 OAA) in 39 games / 112 PA
TJ Rumfield: acquired by the Rockies in exchange for Angel Chivilli; currently has a 117 wRC+ and 2 OAA at 1B over 59 games / 233 PA
Spencer Steer*: 124 wRC+, average defense at 1B, flexing across both corner OF spots and 2B as well
Curtis Mead: acquired for backup catching prospect Boston Smith in March; 135 wRC+
*Caveat here is that Steer hasn’t changed teams, but he appeared to be available this offseason
Hell, even a player like Eric Wagaman, who the Mets claimed after he was DFA’d by the Twins, might be better than Vientos at this point. Wagaman’s presence on the roster drives home the point; it’s generally very easy to acquire players of this quality or better for next to nothing. Yet the Mets have seemingly been unwilling to pass Vientos through waivers or trade him somewhere else for a marginal return.
The 2026 season has been a disaster. By and large, I would still defend most of the Mets’ offseason—they did reasonably well considering the options available to them—but failing to critique the decision to hang on to Vientos more harshly is a clear miss. Nothing about his poor performance to date in 2026 is particularly surprising, and rolling into the year with an out-of-options, most likely bad player who is something of a malcontent that you are unwilling to cut was a horrible decision.
That’s a mistake the Mets should rectify at the next available opportunity, hopefully at the latest when Jorge Polanco returns in a week or two. To summarize in meme format:
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 12: Noevli Marte #16 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by TJ Friedl #29 after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of the game against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park on July 12, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Colorado 4-3. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The seemingly neverending shuffle of the Cincinnati Reds outfield got another significant round on Wednesday afternoon. This time, it featured the demotion of a player nobody, if polled in the offseason, would have expected would be off the active roster just 60 games into the 2026 season.
The Reds made a straight swap, optioning former leadoff man and everyday CF TJ Friedl to AAA Louisville and recalling Opening Day RF Noelvi Marte in his stead.
The #Reds today recalled from Triple-A Louisville OF Noelvi Marte and optioned to Louisville OF TJ Friedl (post-game 6/2).
This is the TJ Friedl who posted a robust .364 OBP in 685 PA atop the Reds lineup at the big league level just last year. This is the TJ Friedl who posted a nearly ~4 WAR season in 2023 when he hit .279/.352/.467 with 18 homers and 27 steals. This is the TJ Friedl who, aside from 7 games rehabbing, has been out of AAA and at the big league level full-time since the middle of the 2022 season.
Rather, this is merely some version of what’s left of that TJ Friedl.
So far in 2026, Friedl’s the owner of a meager 44 wRC+ in 178 PA. There have been 235 MLB players who have logged at least 140 PA so far this season, and only Lawrence Butler of the A’s (43) owns a lower mark than Friedl’s. It’s been a decline so rapid that the Reds seemingly struggled to truly grasp it, with TJ still regularly starting and playing entire games as recently as two weeks ago despite those struggles.
Ultimately, it became too much to continue to try to hide, especially with Marte knocking the cover off the ball again at AAA and getting regular run as the CF of the Bats in the process. That paired with the solid performances by Blake Dunn and the almost profile-perfect pinch hitting by Will Benson meant it was Friedl’s spot on the roster – not one of the other OFs who’ve been on the shuttle bus between Cincinnati and Louisville – that was on the line.
The only question now is just how much of a ‘regular’ the Reds choose to make Marte. The infield injuries and shuffling have rendered Spencer Steer more of a regular in a corner OF spot, while NL Player of the Month JJ Bleday has a stranglehold on the other corner. That means CF is the one spot where there’s more of a track to playing time, though each of Dunn, Dane Myers, and Benson have a claim to some time there, too. I don’t get the impression that the Reds would actively recall Marte just to have him sit bench more often than not, though, so it will be interesting to see if he’s given a shot to claim the regular CF spot with a consistent spate of playing time in the coming weeks.
Jun 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jonah Tong (21) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Ahead of their series finale against the Mariners, the Mets have optioned Jonah Tong to Triple-A. To take his place on the roster, the club has recalled right-hander Joey Gerber.
Tong was brought up recently due to the mounting injuries to the club’s pitching staff and has experienced mixed results while primarily serving as a reliever and a bulk arm behind an opener. His first appearance was strong, as he shut out the Marlins through three innings to close out a 2-1 loss at loanDepot Park. What was especially encouraging is that he limited the traffic on the basepaths, walking one and not allowing a hit while needing just 28 pitches to complete his three innings of work.
Since then, he has struggled with his command. He earned a win in 3 2/3 innings against the Reds while serving as the bulk pitcher, though the underlying numbers weren’t encouraging. He walked four and allowed three hits in those 3 2/3 innings, though he was just charged with one unearned run. Yesterday’s outing was his worst, as he was tagged for five runs (four earned) on five hits, with two walks in 3 1/3 innings. Overall, he walked seven and struck out seven in ten innings. Tong was very much not ready when he was called up and will go down for some more work at Triple-A, where he posted a 5.68 ERA in 38 innings across his nine starts before coming up to the majors.
With Kodai Senga potentially on the way back as early as next week, sending Tong down makes sense in any event, since he’ll likely slot right into that role in the rotation. For now, the club is in need of some relief help, as they’ve used a lot of pitchers over the past two days given that both were, essentially, bullpen games. Gerber made one appearance for New York back on April 13, where he pitched the final two innings of the team’s loss to the Dodgers and struck out five while allowing two hits and walking one batter. In Triple-A, the righty has allowed 15 runs (14 earned) with ten strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings, which amounts to an 8.89 ERA on the year.
Milwaukee (37-21) dominated game two of the series versus San Francisco (23-38), winning 8-3, after a 16-2 throbbing in the opener. This will be the third of a four game series, so a Milwaukee win would clinch a series victory for the Brewers.
The Giants' offense leads the MLB in batting average over the last five games (.326) and in the past 15 days (.286), yet that hasn't translated to wins. San Francisco is 1-7 over the last eight games and 3-11 in the previous 14. The Giants are in a slump and even with Logan Webb on the mound, they've lost four straight starts and six of the previous seven.
The Brewers have won seven out of the last eight games and are 21-7 since the start of May. Milwaukee is one of the hottest teams in the MLB and has scored 24 runs in the last two games and 46 in the previous eight. It's not all about the offense though, in the past 12 games, the Brewers pitching rotation has a 2.83 ERA (2nd) and the second-best OBA (.191).
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Giants at Brewers
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Time: 7:40 PM EST
Site: American Family Field
City: Milwaukee, WI
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Giants at the Brewers
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Milwaukee Brewers (-156), San Francisco Giants (+129)
Spread: Brewers -1.5 (+139), Giants +1.5 (-168)
Total: 8.0
Probable starting pitchers for Giants at Brewers
Wednesday's pitching matchup (June 3): Logan Webb vs. TBA
The Giants’ Jung Ho Lee is hitting .307 with 61 hits and 86 total bases over 199 at-bats
The Giants’ Matt Chapman is hitting .231 with 52 hits and 56 strikeouts over 225 at-bats
The Brewers’ William Contreras is hitting .293 with 63 hits and 85 total bases over 215 at-bats
The Brewers’ Garrett Mitchell is hitting .238 with 36 hits and 66 strikeouts over 151 at-bats
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Giants at Brewers
The Giants are 25-36 ATS, ranking fifth-worst
The Brewers are 35-23 ATS, ranking fourth-best
The Giants are 30-26-5 to the Over
The Brewers are 30-27-1 to the Under
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Giants and the Brewers
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Brewers and the Giants:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Brewers on the Moneyline.
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ATLANTA, GA - JULY 15: Dave Roberts #30 and Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on during introductions prior to the 95th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Truist Park on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The current ballot setup involves two phases, with fan voting for starting position players from June 3-25. From there, the top two players at each position, and the top six outfielders will move into the second phase, with voting totals reset and that vote open from June 29-July 2.
Here are the Dodgers on the ballot this year
DH — Shohei Ohtani
C — Will Smith
1B — Freddie Freeman
2B — Hyeseong Kim
3B — Max Muncy
SS — Mookie Betts
OF — Andy Pages
OF — Kyle Tucker
OF — Teoscar Hernández
A reminder that pitchers are not voted on by fans. So let’s stick with position players today. In total, 20 position players will make the National League All-Star team — nine starters voted on by fans, then nine players voted on by the players, and two others chosen by the commissioner’s office. Often those last spots include a team’s only All-Star, to satisfy the requirement that all 30 MLB teams have at least one All-Star.
Today’s question is simple: Which Dodgers position players should be All-Stars in 2026?
Welcome to the steals report! I will be here every Wednesday to go over important stolen base trends so you can find more speed for your fantasy teams.
Stealing a base is as much about the opposing pitcher and catcher as it is the actual base runner themself. So, being able to spot which teams and pitchers specifically are being run on most frequently will help you to figure out who can swipe some bags over the next week.
Before we get to this week’s important trends, here is the stolen base leaderboard on the season so far.
Be mindful that Nasim Nuñez and his .503 OPS has sat in three of the Nationals’ last seven games after starting eight in a row before that. Being that poor of a hitter puts his playing time in jeopardy.
Konnor Griffin has been one of the most efficient base stealers in the league. Let’s hope his forearm strain doesn’t keep him out too long so he can get back to it.
Last Seven Days Stolen Base Leaders
Player
SB
CS
Ronald Acuña Jr.
5
1
Xavier Edwards
4
0
Jake Mangum
4
1
Randy Arozarena
3
0
Ceddanne Rafaela
3
0
Bobby Witt Jr.
3
0
Luisangel Acuña
3
0
David Hamilton
3
0
Anthony Volpe
3
0
Ronald Acuña Jr. has been on fire since coming off the injured list nearly two weeks ago with five home runs and a 1.004 OPS. These stolen bases are great too. He was one of the least efficient base stealers in the league before this hot week, so let’s hope he’s gotten over some type of hump physically and is back to running well.
Anthony Volpe has mostly maintained his spot in the Yankees’ lineup as Jose Caballero has returned from the IL. In nine games since, Volpe has started six at shortstop and has been playing well defensively again.
Now with Aaron Judge being banged up, Caballero drew a start in right field on Tuesday. That could only further open the door for Volpe to take his shortstop job back full-time.
Stolen Base Disappointments
Player
SB
CS
Chandler Simpson
14
8
Jakob Marsee
14
8
Zach Neto
8
6
Austin Martin
8
5
Victor Scott II
7
4
Garrett Mitchell
6
5
Ceddanne Rafaela
6
4
Juan Soto
5
2
Daylen Lile
4
3
AJ Ewing
4
3
Cole Young
2
3
Jose Altuve
1
2
Willy Adames
1
2
Ozzie Albies
0
3
Mookie Betts
0
2
Zach Neto is having one of the least efficient yet most aggressive base stealing seasons in the modern era so far. It’s a marvel the Angels haven’t turned his green light red or even yellow yet.
Jakob Marsee went 0-for-3 trying to steal over the past week. With just a .616 OPS, his tremendous defense in center field is the only thing saving him from a demotion to Triple-A at the moment.
Fantasy Baseball Stolen Base Targets
Somehow, 13 bases were stolen successfully against the Twins over the past week and they only caught one runner. That pushed them ahead of the Marlins for the most allowed this season. Let’s figure out why.
Of those 13 steals, 11 came with Victor Caratini behind the plate.
Since Ryan Jeffers was injured a few weeks ago, Caratini has started 10 of the Twins’ last 15 games at catcher. On the season in total, he’s only thrown out seven of 40 would-be base stealers. That comes out to a measly 18% caught stealing rate, ninth-lowest among all catchers with at least 200 innings played so far.
Caratini was even worse at throwing out runners last season. They went 57-for-64 against him, which comes out to a dreadful 11% caught stealing rate. That was third-worst in the league among catchers who played at least 400 innings only trailing the Marlins duo of Liam Hicks and Agustín Ramírez. Neither of those two are starting catchers in the major leagues right now.
With the slowest pop time in the league and multiple seasons as a terrible catcher in the run game, perhaps we and the Twins should have seen this coming.
Even worse for the Twins’, Caratini’s deficiencies practically cost them a game on Saturday.
In a high-scoring, back and forth affair, the Pirates successfully swiped five bags against relief pitchers between the sixth and eighth innings. Two of those stolen bases led to insurance runs before the Twins led a comeback effort that ultimately fell short as the Pirates eked out a one run win.
This is a weakness that will continue to be exploited. With games coming up this week against the Royals and Tigers, look for Kyle Isbel, Isaac Collins, Wenceel Pérez, and Colt Keith to provide cheap speed.
Philadelphia (31-29) won the series opener versus San Diego (32-27), 3-2, thanks to Alec Bohm's RBI through a double play in the sixth inning. Aaron Nola struck out eight and didn't walk a soul in the Phillies' win.
Cristopher Sanchez takes the mound for the Phillies for game two of the series and he's the hottest pitcher in all of baseball. Sanchez is the odds on favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award thanks to 44.2 innings of scoreless action. You have to go back six starts for Sanchez last earned run. Sanchez broke a 115-year record for scoreless innings streak in Phillies history. The all-time record is held by Orel Hershiser, who went 59 straight innings without allowing a run in 1988 with the Dodgers.
San Diego has lost three straight games and seven of the past eight. The Padres are struggling offensively with a .227 batting average over the last four games (23rd) and .202 (28th) in the past 11. San Diego has scored three or fewer runs in seven of the previous nine games. This will be a tough test versus Sanchez.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Padres at Phillies
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Time: 6:40 PM EST
Site: Citizen Bank Park
City: Philadelphia, PA
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Padres at the Phillies
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: San Diego Padres (+179), Philadelphia Phillies (-219)
Spread: Padres +1.5 (-122), Phillies -1.5 (+102)
Total: 7.5
Probable starting pitchers for Padres at Phillies
Wednesday's pitching matchup (June 3): Christopher Sanchez vs. Walker Buehler
The Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .275 with 60 hits and 72 total bases over 218 at-bats
The Padres’ Manny Machado is hitting .171 with 35 hits and 54 strikeouts over 205 at-bats
The Phillies’ Brandon Marsh is hitting .332 with 64 hits and 93 total bases over 193 at-bats
The Phillies’ Alec Bohm is hitting .206 with 42 hits and 30 strikeouts over 204 at-bats
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Phillies
The Padres are 33-26 ATS
The Phillies are an MLB-worst 19-41 ATS
The Padres are 34-24-1 to the Under, ranking first
The Phillies are 33-25-2 to the Under, ranking third-best
The Padres are 14-11 ATS on the road
The Phillies are an MLB-worst 8-23 ATS at home
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Padres and the Phillies
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Padres and the Phillies:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Phillies on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Phillies at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 7.5
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Jun 2, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Wenceel Perez (46) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a two run home run in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (25-38) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (36-22)
Time/Place: 1:10 p.m., Tropicana Field SB Nation Site: DRaysBay Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Troy Melton (1-0, 1.42 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Martinez (5-1, 1.62 ERA)
Boston, MA - May 24: Boston Red Sox third baseman Nick Sogard throws to first base in the third inning. The Boston Red Sox played the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park on May 24, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Well, the Sox are now dealing with an injured injury replacement. Nick Sogard, who has been with the Sox since Trevor Story went down with a hernia, is now experiencing some “side soreness” himself and has been placed on the 10-day IL. Coming east from Worcester to replace him is Anthony Seigler, who was acquired in the now-infamous Kyle Harrison-Caleb Durbin trade and who has been tearing it up in AAA to the tune of a .298/.425/.471 stat line with 3 homers. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
And how is Trevor Story doing, anyway? He was back at Fenway yesterday, working on his, umm, walking, if the lede to this story is to believed. After undergoing surgery on the aforementioned hernia, he is expected to be out for 8-12 weeks. “It just kept getting worse, kept getting worse, and I couldn’t recover from it, and it was obviously affecting me on both sides of the ball,” he said. “You don’t get a trophy for going out there and just dragging your right leg with you and playing, so it was a situation where I felt like I needed to do it to be the best version of myself, and go out there and play the way I know how to.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
As for Garrett Crochet, an MRI this week revealed that he has a “very low grade lat strain.” We don’t yet have a timeline for his return, but he will be permitted to begin throwing again as soon as he no longer feels any discomfort. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Thankfully, the pitching rotation has more or less held up during Crochet’s absence. There is, however, some concern about the amount of home runs Connelly Early is giving up, as he’s now allowed 11 in his last 9 starts. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Early gave up another bomb to Pete Alonso last night, as the Sox once again lost at Fenway. With a 9-20 home record, the Sox are the only big league team with fewer than 10 home wins and are off to their worst home start since 1932. (Khari A. Thompson, Boston.com)
Is there any particular reason for the poor home performance? Isiah Kiner-Falefa made some cryptic comments about unnamed groups of people being around the team too much at home, but others aren’t so sure. “I don’t know. I think baseball happens,” Wilyer Abreu said. “Right now, we can’t win games here, but we’re trying, we’re battling, we’re trying our best and working on trying to win here.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
While Connelly Early is starting to give up too many homers, Abreu is starting to hit too few. Abreu, who, along with Willson Contreras, has carried the Sox limp offense for much of the season, hasn’t made a trip around the bases since May 8 and has more strikeouts than hits over his last 16 games. (Tyler Maher, NESN.com)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 10: Lawrence Butler #4 of the Athletics is showered with water by a teammate after Butler hit a walk off RBI single scoring Shea Langeliers #23 in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Sutter Health Park on September 10, 2025 in Sacramento, California. The Athletics won the game 6-5. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s grab bag of talking points comes after the A’s squeaked out a 2-1 win over the streaky Cubs. A good and important win, if frustrating because the A’s faced a flammable SP and had to eek out a victory by the seat of their pants. But they did so all is well for a day.
Lawrence Butler
What exactly is the A’s plan for how to deal with their recently extended RFer who just can’t it going in 2026? Carlos Cortes has emerged as the clearly superior choice to start in RF against RHP and so the A’s have taken the proper approach in a performance based industry and handed Cortes the job most every day.
Trouble is that has left Butler as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement languishing on the bench getting precious few at bats with a spotlight on him as a player so bad he can’t crack the lineup and isn’t getting the reps needed to prove otherwise or get in a rhythm.
While optioning Butler to AAA might be a blow to the ego, it’s arguable that so is a daily benching. Lately Butler has only gotten into the lineup as an occasional sub in CF for Henry Bolte, in which his defensive limitations are exposed while the bat produced all of a .135/.262/.154 line in May.
The status quo, where Butler sits on the bench most of the game most days except when he starts and plays a position he’s bad at, is helping who? It seems like the A’s need to go one of two distinct directions with Law: start him in RF at least half the time or option him to AAA for a reset. This “in between” limbo isn’t good for his confidence or development, nor for the team’s success.
9th Inning Drama
The A’s appear to be embracing the “closer by committee” approach, which is fine other than the fact that it almost never works. Last night, with a 1-run lead, Mark Kotsay turned to Scott Barlow who does have the most career saves of any A’s reliever. But those 61 saves were earned when Barlow was throwing 93-95 MPH and the 2026 version tosses sinkers at 89.4 MPH.
Barlow has done mostly a good job for the A’s, but a closer he isn’t. He has a 5.00 BB/9 IP rate and a very middling K rate (7.67/9 IP). His 3.00 ERA belies the underlying metrics that show a 3.63 xERA and a whopping 5.40 xFIP.
Last night Barlow was bailed out by lefty Hogan Harris, also a shaky choice to close out a game with his 22 BB (and 2 HBP) in 28 innings. Meanwhile, Jack Perkins, he of the 33 K and 7 BB in 28 IP, has been relegated to mop up duty lately, while Luis Medina, who has been scored upon in only 4 of 18 appearances, has been used sporadically with no discernible pattern.
Perkins and Medina are flawed in their own ways for sure, but what they bring to the table is “closer stuff”. For the A’s to putz around with guys like Barlow, Harris, and Mark Leiter Jr. trying to secure win in close games, is fraught with danger — as we saw last night when it did work out, barely. Not that Perkins has been above blowing a save, but the stuff plays. Barlow’s…not so much.
“Closer by committee” is better named “try to win with smoke and mirrors”. I don’t recommend it.
Infield Decisions Loom
Max Muncy is 3 games into a rehab assignment at AAA, while Jacob Wilson may go out on his rehab later this week. Those two represent the starting left side of the infield in April, since replaced by Zack Gelof and Darell Hernaiz, with the slick fielding Alika Williams taking over Hernaiz’ UTL infielder spot.
Wilson’s return will be simple: he will start at SS and presumably Hernaiz will return to the utility role at Williams’ expense. But Muncy’s return is more imminent and more complicated. Gelof has done a good job since taking over 3B, though it has also been an up and down ride.
Both offensively and defensively, Gelof started out strong, then had a bad stretch, and has since recovered to be strong again. Overall, here’s where Gelof’s numbers are in 44 big leagues games:
Batting: .261/.305/.430, 25.5% K rate, 102 wRC+ Defense at 3B: +4 DRS, -1 OAA
The question is whether Muncy represents an upgrade, an equivalent, or a downgrade as a 3Bman. Muncy has also had an up-and-down season at the plate prior to the injury — it’s unclear to what extent the injury played a part or to what extent his poor swing decisions caught up to him. His stats in 26 games before hitting the IL:
Batting: .239/.308/.402, 35.6% K rate, 95 wRC+ Defense at 3B: -4 DRS, -4 OAA
If anything is clear it’s that Gelof is the superior fielder, partly because by the metrics Muncy has been pretty awful. (Last season Muncy ran at an identical pace, with -4 DRS and -2 OAA in half the number of innings.) At the plate both are dangerous, inconsistent, and streaky.
Perhaps there is room for some sharing of the position with Muncy highlighted against LHP and Gelof getting plenty of starts against RHP. Another possibility is that Gelof could be the one to spell Bolte in CF sometimes, rather than Butler — a development that makes more sense if Butler is not on the bench, e.g., if Muncy’s activation coincides with optioning Butler.
History shows Muncy being handed the every day gig at 3B twice now despite not proving he can handle the position defensively nor hitting consistently. But this came at times when Gelof was either injured or at AAA. We’ll see what the A’s brass is thinking when Muncy’s rehab is completed — which should be in a matter of days.
Your thoughts on all of the above? Or some of the above? Share your thoughts…below.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MAY 31: Jonathan Aranda #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates scoring against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning of the baseball game at Tropicana Field on May 31, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pete Crow-Armstrong is starting to heat up. Over the last week, he owns a 63.2% hard-hit rate and 26.3% barrel rate. While PCA has just one home run during that stretch, the underlying metrics are excellent, evidenced by a .772 expected slugging percentage. The Chicago Cubs outfielder has consistently punished mistakes and should like this matchup against Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs.
Springs has allowed 50% of his contact against left-handed hitters to come in the air this season, with 10% of those fly balls leaving the yard. The veteran has also been vulnerable recently, as 36.3% of the fly balls he's allowed across his last two starts have resulted in home runs.
That's a dangerous setup for Crow-Armstrong, who has consistently elevated the baseball lately, posting an average launch angle above 26 degrees over his last 30 plate appearances.
I'll play this pick up to +400.
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Marquee Sports Network, NBC Sports California
Home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+525)
Kazuma Okamoto has emerged as the Toronto Blue Jays' premier power threat, launching 13 home runs this season. The Blue Jays slugger is locked in at the plate, posting a 27.3% barrel rate and .556 ISO over his last seven games. What's even more encouraging is the way he's generating that power, putting 50% of his contact in the air during that span.
That profile matches up well against Atlanta Braves starter Grant Holmes. Over his last two outings, Holmes has allowed a 52% hard-hit rate and 20% barrel rate, both indicators that opposing hitters are consistently making dangerous contact. He's also surrendered a 37.5% fly-ball rate during that stretch.
That's an appealing combination for a hitter like Okamoto, whose recent surge has been fueled by both elite quality of contact and consistent lift. If Holmes continues allowing elevated hard contact, Okamoto has a strong chance to capitalize.
I'll play this pick up to +450.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BravesVision, Sportsnet One
Home run pick: Freddie Freeman (+571)
Freddie Freeman has shown signs of finding his power stroke recently, putting 38.1% of his contact in the air over the last week while posting a37.5% HR/FB rate. While his 9.5% barrel rate is modest compared to some of baseball's elite sluggers, Freeman continues to generate the type of contact capable of leaving the yard.
The matchup is what stands out most. Zac Gallen has allowed a 44.1% hard-hit rate and 14.7% barrel rate across his last two starts, suggesting opposing hitters are consistently making dangerous contact. Freeman has also enjoyed some success against Gallen throughout his career, taking him deep twice in 29 at-bats.
If Gallen's recent contact issues persist, Freeman has a favorable opportunity to capitalize.
I'll play this pick up to +500.
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SportsNet LA, Dbacks.TV
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 8-51, -12.81 units
Today’s HR parlay
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Bet Now +24517
Kazuma Okamoto
Freddie Freeman
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 01: Jacob Young #30 of the Washington Nationals runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on June 01, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first two games of this series have been a real bummer, but the Nats have a chance to salvage things this afternoon. They will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of a Marlins team that has given them all sorts of trouble. Hopefully the bats can wake up today.
Blake Butera is making a couple changes to the lineup. Dylan Crews will be all the way up in the 2 spot. James Wood will DH and Daylen Lile will be in left field. Luis Garcia Jr. will be in the 8 hole, while Nasim Nunez will be back in the lineup as the second baseman. Andrew Alvarez will get the start, but Brad Lord should be ready when needed.
The Marlins are going righty heavy with their lineup. Christopher Morel, Javier Sanoja, Esteury Ruiz and Connor Norby will be in the lineup after not appearing yesterday. Kyle Stowers and Joe Mack are the only left handed hitters in the lineup, which sets up well for Brad Lord. Max Meyer has been great for the Fish this year and will get the ball today.
A sweep to fall under .500 would be very demoralizing, which makes today a big game. The Nats go on a west coast trip after this, so they will want to have some good vibes heading on to that long flight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Eric Samulski
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Kazuma Okamoto
Freddie Freeman