Category: MLB

There are a variety of types of victories in baseball. You can have offensive blowouts, dominant pitching performances, slugfests with each team trading body blows among many others. But one of the most satisfying types in my opinion is an all-around team effort where each phase of the game performs well in support of each other. Those types of victories have been tough to come by for the Diamondbacks over the last few weeks as the team has experienced renewed injury issues across the roster and inconsistent play both within and between games. So on days where everything seems to click well, it’s worth reflecting on that performance. There were bullpen arms that stepped up, a young rookie starter, and of course, some excellent defense that kept the Cardinals off the board.

The Arizona offense used one of those big innings that Torey Lovullo keeps talking about Diamondback pitchers avoiding with an offensive eruption in the fourth. It started innocently enough with a leadoff single to Corbin Carroll and a walk to Gabriel Moreno but ended with back-to-back home runs from LuJames Groover (the first of his career) and Ketel Marte (the 184th of his career). In between, the D-Backs plated three runs on a bloop single from Tommy Troy and an Ildemaro Vargas double down the line. It’s especially important to get significant offensive production from those two given that they’re often placed in the latter half or bottom third of the lineup and can set the table for the elite batters at the top of the lineup. After that eruption, the Arizona bats went dormant until they added some much-needed insurance runs with timely hits from both Troy and Marte again in the seventh and eighth.

But of course, the other major storyline heading into tonight: Mitch Bratt’s major league debut. It was the second MLB debut the D-Backs have seen this week after Jose Cabrera’s scoreless outing on Sunday against the Twins. Sadly, Bratt’s debut wasn’t quite as successful as Cabrera’s, but equally symbolic of the additional youth movement taking over the team’s roster. Despite aiming to have Bratt run through the lineup twice, Lovullo opted to pull the rookie after just one turn through the St Louis lineup. It was an understandable decision given that Bratt is still working his way back from injury and threw just 48 pitches in his last outing with Reno last week, but part of me still would have liked to have seen Lovullo give Bratt one chance to get through another inning and build some additional confidence. Even still, there were plenty of encouraging signs that he and fans can take away from the abbreviated appearance including collecting the first three strikeouts of his big league career and seven whiffs. As a control pitcher primarily, Bratt’s command slipped at times, but that’s completely understandable given the incredible nerves he was probably feeling.

Even though Bratt’s debut will obviously get most of the press for the game, the parade of relievers who came into the game in support deserve plenty of praise too. Ryan Thompson was the first out of the bullpen and his two innings of one-run ball set the table for the rest of his fellow relievers who combined for six innings of three-run baseball. Tomorrow, the D-Backs will look for a rare four-game series win. If they can keep playing high-quality team baseball like they did today, it could be a fun second half of baseball.

The New York Mets haven't had the best start to the 2026 season and it seems changes are to come.

The Mets have a 34-46 record after their 10-3 and 10-5 losses to the Chicago Cubs on June 24. After the game, the clubs decided to swap a pair of players.

The Cubs are acquiring left-hander David Peterson from the Mets, ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan first reported.

More: Star shortstop Francisco Lindor returns, but Mets still face injury woes

In his most recent game, Peterson took the mound against the Phillies in a 6-2 loss on June 21. He threw five strikeouts in four innings pitched. In 79 pitches thrown, he allowed six hits, including a home run, and five runs.

In exchange for Peterson, the Mets will receive the Cubs' No. 13 prospect, Cole Mathis, a first baseman and designated hitter, according to MLB.com.

More: MLB trade deadline rumors start with Tarik Skubal intrigue

David Peterson stats

Peterson has a 3-6 record as a pitcher so far in the 2026 season. He's played 16 games and started eight of them for New York. Peterson has pitched 68 innings and has a 6.09 ERA.

Batters have went yard on him only six times, but he's allowed 82 hits and 51 runs. He's tossed 63 strikeouts and has a 1.65 WHIP.

David Peterson contract

Peterson will be a free agent at the end of the 2026 season. He signed a one-year deal with the Mets worth $8.1 million.

How old is David Peterson?

Peterson is 30 years old. He first joined MLB in 2020 and has played all seven seasons of his career for the Mets.

Peterson was drafted by the New York Mets with the 20th pick in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: New York Mets trade David Peterson to Chicago Cubs for prospect

It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Thank you for taking time out to visit with us. We always like to see a friendly face. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you about a proposed trade for Tarik Skubal. The deal, which sent four players to Detroit, was considered too rich for your blood as 84 percent of you said you wouldn’t make that deal.

The Cubs did make a deal for a starting pitcher tonight and it’s not Tarik Skubal. We’ll get to that in a little bit.

Here’s the part with the jazz and the movies. You’re free to skip ahead if you want. Or skip the baseball stuff at the end. You’re free to read this however you want.

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Tonight we’re featuring legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater singing “Bye Bye Blackbird” in Berlin in 1997.

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I’ve been watching a lot of World Cup games this past week, so I’ve only had a chance to watch one film: director Gary Hustwit’s 2024 documentary Eno on former Roxy Music member, ambient music pioneer and producer to much of the great music of the last 50 years, Brian Eno. Oh, he’s also famous for being a crossword puzzle clue. I could write about Eno tonight, but for reasons that will become clear when I do write about it, I really need to see it at least twice before writing on it. And I can’t watch it again until next week–again, for reasons that will become clear when I do write about it.

If anyone has seen Eno somewhere other than on the Criterion Channel, I want to know about it. Preferably before I write about it.

So I thought I’d just throw things open to you right now, in honor of the World Cup, for you to talk about your favorite non-baseball sports movies. We’ve gone over baseball movies lots of times and honestly, I don’t think any sport works as well on the screen as baseball, with the possible exception of boxing. But there are good non-baseball sports movies. Slap Shot is one of my favorite films. Hoop Dreams is a documentary, but it’s a great movie. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen Raging Bull, but I need to see that film again. I loved it the first time I saw it back in the eighties.

So if you want, share some of your favorite sports films, not baseball edition. I’m pretty confident most of you will list Space Jam, but we will see.

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Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

I don’t have to tell you that the Cubs have had major issues with injuries to the starting rotation. The bullpen has taken their hits too, but the Cubs’ have lost Cade Horton for the season, Jameson Taillon a few weeks ago for at least two months and Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown went to the injured list today. Matthew Boyd has been out months and is only making his return tomorrow/today.

So the Cubs need a starting pitcher and they made a move for one tonight.

Trade news: The Chicago Cubs are acquiring left-hander David Peterson from the New York Mets, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 25, 2026

Later reports have the Cubs sending corner infielder Cole Mathis to the Mets for Peterson.

There’s a lot to unpack there. Peterson has been a Met throughout his entire career and last year he made the National League All-Star team. That was mostly because he was 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA in the first half of 2025.

Peterson kind of fell off a cliff in the second half of 2025, putting up a 6.34 ERA in 12 starts. This year, Peterson has lost his spot in the Mets starting rotation as he sports a 6.09 ERA in eight starts and eight relief appearances.

However, there is reason to think that Peterson could be much better with the Cubs than that with the Mets.

The Cubs desperately need starting-pitching help, and they'll get a big leaguer in Peterson who has a 6.09 ERA this season. He's got a 3.85 FIP, however, and 51.1% groundball rate — and going from the Mets' infield defense to the best-in-MLB Cubs' could be huge for Peterson.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 25, 2026

Peterson’s walk percentage is slightly up this year and his strikeout percentage is slightly down. However, the difference in the two is small enough (9.0% to 9.4% and 20.7% to 19.7%) that that could just be random fluctuation. He’s not a hard-thrower, but there’s been no drop in velocity on his pitches this year. His hard-hit rate is down as well as the average velocity he’s giving up on balls in play.

In fact, it seems that the Mets’ crappy infield defense might be a huge reason for Peterson’s struggles this year. You’ve seen that terrible defense this week as the Cubs play the Mets and Peterson is the kind of pitcher who needs his defense to make plays behind him to be effective. His batting average on balls-in-play has jumped from .293 in 2024 and .316 last year to .350 this year. His “strand rate” is way down this year as well. Maybe he’s just not pitching as well with men on base, but with a veteran like Peterson, it seems more likely that it’s just random chance. Or the Mets’ crappy defense again.

In any case, while Peterson’s ERA this year is a poor 6.09, his FIP is a very solid 3.85. With that ground ball rate, Peterson seems exactly like the type of pitcher to benefit from the Cubs’ elite defense.

Peterson is a free agent at the end of the year, so this is a rental.

Going the other way is corner infielder Cole Mathis, 22, the Cubs’ second-round pick in 2024. Mathis is currently on the injured list, where he’s spent much of his professional career. Mathis had Tommy John surgery in 2024 and wasn’t able to make his pro debut until the next season. There he was limited to being a DH and even then, only managed to play 29 games in 2025 before the Cubs shut him down until the Arizona Fall League. He was able to play first base in the AFL this past winter.

This year, Mathis has played 39 games between Myrtle Beach and South Bend and has hit .272/.396/.585 with ten home runs. As you might expect, his numbers are much better in Low-A Myrtle Beach and seven of his ten home runs were hit there in almost half as many games.

As you can see from those numbers, Mathis is a solid hitter. He makes a lot of hard contact, mostly on a line. He can draw a walk and doesn’t strike out too much. The Cubs took him in the second round because there’s nice right-handed swing there and some real promise that he can make consistent hard contact.

However, despite the Cubs still insisting that Mathis is a third baseman, he’s only played five games there in his entire professional career. He’s also had trouble staying healthy. He’s a player with some real upside in that he could develop into an average major league hitter with average power, but that there’s some real risk that he’s limited to being a first baseman, where 50 tools on hit and power aren’t going to cut it. Maybe he could be better than that as a hitter. There’s always a chance that a player who makes that kind of contact might have a higher ceiling than that. But there’s also a real chance that Mathis never stays healthy enough the have a major league career, like former Cubs second-round pick Brennen Davis, who was a far more promising prospect than Mathis.

Baseball America ranked Mathis as the Cubs’ 9th-best prospect and MLB Pipeline had him at 13. I put him at nine in my offseason rankings, but I did note that there was a real drop-off after eight in my rankings and that 9 through 18 or 19 could be in almost any order.

So what do you think of the David Robertson trade?

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’re all in a pretty good mood. I hope you didn’t get in too good a mood and overdo it. Please get home safely. Call a ride if you need to. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip the waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.

They can ignore him no longer. After smashing so many records since breaking through as a 13-year-old, India are likely to hand a debut to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Friday's first T20 international against Ireland in Belfast.

He will be 15 years and 91 days, younger even than India's most famous teenage prodigy, Sachin Tendulkar, who played a one-day international against Pakistan in 1989, aged 16 years and 205 days.

Given his age, Sooryavanshi will have to change in separate changing rooms from his team-mates for safeguarding reasons.

His imminent debut comes off the back of a stellar season in the Indian Premier League where he was the highest run-scorer with 776 in 16 innings at a strike-rate of 237.30 for the Rajasthan Royals.

Days ago, batting for India A against Sri Lanka A, he broke the record for the fastest half-century in the history of List A 50-over cricket when he reached the landmark off just 11 balls.

But beyond the statistics, what really makes teenage opening batter so special?

To find out, BBC Sport spoke to three legendary former batters - Rahul Dravid, Michael Vaughan and Justin Langer - who have all watched him at close quarters.

'Like a hose in a swimming pool'

Ex-Australia international Justin Langer, coach of Lucknow Super Giants, and was, like Sooryavanshi, a left-handed opener.

"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is only the second selfie I've ever asked for! The other was with an AFL champion who I used to watch when I was a little kid.

"I said 'I've never done this before in the IPL, but do you mind if we have a selfie together? Because I am in awe of your talent, I'm in awe of your mindset, I'm in awe of the way you play cricket'. Watching him bat is mind-blowing.

"What makes him so special? He's got extraordinary hands. I always say the really great players, their hands are like a hose in a swimming pool.

"He almost does a figure-eight in his hands in his backswing. You know, it's tiny, it's subtle, but they're just so loose.

"A lot of left-handers, when they're trying to hit sixes, they go from the sight screen round to the leg side, which is different with Sooryavanshi who sets up to hit it off side.

"First ball of his IPL career, he hit a six over cover. Not over long-on, not over deep mid-wicket like a lot of left-handers. He hit a six over cover and it went about 20 rows back into the stand.

"This kid not only has the game and the curiosity and hand-eye coordination, but also the hunger to score more and more runs. He is also so humble. That's the mark of a champion player."

'He's fearless, but hits lots of balls'

Former India batter Rahul Dravid was coach of Rajasthan Royals in 2025 and gave Sooryavanshi his IPL debut at 14.

"You're looking at a really unique talent. I think it's an incredible combination of ability to pick up a bowler's speed and then cricket smarts, fearlessness. It's a whole combination of things.

"I don't think there's a recipe for making a Sooryavanshi, I don't think you can take any kid and say, do this, and he will become that good.

"There are certain things they are just gifted with. But he's worked very hard as well, so it's not just a gift.

"From a young age, he's hit a lot of balls. I saw that at Rajasthan.

"I just hope that he's supported and helped along the journey to be able to actually achieve that potential.

"You need to protect someone like him, but it's always going to be that fine line because sometimes you need to let somebody fly."

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: The teenager hitting the IPL for six

'Cartoons... and spotting a bowler's cues'

Former England captain Michael Vaughan worked as a commentator during the IPL where he got to see Sooryavanshi up close.

"I actually bumped into him in Mumbai. I had a bit of a fan moment. Honestly, I don't think I've had that since meeting Chris Waddle back in the 1990s!

"We had a great conversation. I asked him 'how did you prepare for the game?' He said 'watching cartoons'. I said 'what do you eat?' He said 'I eat everything!'.

"He clearly has an incredible eye and bat swing, but he's also got an amazing awareness of the cue of the bowler.

"He can assess the field, but as a batter, you see a cue in what the bowler's going to deliver. The real great players can just see it before the ball's released.

"Then he can smack it over extra cover, over deep square leg. He can hit it over third man for six.

"You miss your length by an inch, and he's smacking you out the ground. Forget where the field is, he just hits it over the top of the field.

"Imagine him putting on the whites for India and playing Test cricket."

• 'Why hit a single when you can hit six?' - the making of a teen IPL star
• Sooryavanshi, 15, wins car as he sweeps IPL awards

The Athletics took on the San Francisco Giants in the second game of this three-game interleague series on a breezy summer night in The City by the Bay”.

It looked like Max Muncy’s eighth inning home run would be enough to win this pitching duel. However, the A’s beleaguered bullpen had a final say, blowing its sixth save of June as the Giants rallied with two home runs in the ninth inning for the 2-1 series clinching victory. Not only did the A’s lose a fourth straight game, but they now could be without shortstop Jacob Wilson for another extended period of time.

Pitching Duel

Both pitchers—Giants right-hander Tyler Mahle and A’s left-hander Gage Jump—got off to strong starts, working scoreless first two innings. Jump struck out the side in his first inning of work before stranding a runner at second base in the next inning.

In the bottom of the third, A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz made a nice diving catch to rob Giants’ third baseman Matt Chapman of a base hit. Kurtz then stepped on the bag to complete the unassisted, inning-ending double play.

GOLD GLOVE LOADING FOR NICK KURTZ! WHAT A PLAY! 🪙 #Athleticspic.twitter.com/F1W4bB20Ld

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 25, 2026

A’s First Scoring Chance

A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson recorded his team’s first hit off Mahle with a one-out single in the fifth inning. Mahle then walked designated hitter Joey Meneses.

Right fielder Lawrence Butler crushed a ball right to the Giants second baseman Casey Schmitt, who made the catch for the second out. He tried doubling off Wilson at second base, but his throw was wild. Wilson tried scoring on the errant throw, but he was thrown out at home and appeared to hurt himself trying to evade the tag. That was a super aggressive send, especially considering that Wilson is not the fastest runner. He would have been better served staying at third to give the next batter a chance to get a two-out RBI hit.

Just your average 4-7-2 double play 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/TA3ni3TYaN

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 25, 2026

Jump Dominant Again

Jump pitched exceptionally well once again. He completed five scoreless innings, only allowing three hits and one walk, while accumulating a career-high nine strikeouts. Jump likely would have gone deeper into the game had the Giants not fouled off 30 pitches against the A’s young left-hander. According to A’s MLB.com reporter Martin Gallegos, Jump became the third A’s pitcher in the Integration Era (since 1947) to not allow a home run in their first six career starts, joining Tim Conroy (1978-82) and Jim Archer (1961).

JUMPMAN, JUMPMAN, JUMPMAN, GAGE JUMP'S UP TO SOMETHIN'!

CAREER-HIGH NINE PUNCHOUTS FOR THE YOUNG LEFTY SLINGER! 🔥🔥🔥⛽️ #Athleticspic.twitter.com/qW7kat27NE

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 25, 2026

Solid 5 from Gage 😤 pic.twitter.com/d6YCYf3gAf

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 25, 2026

Kurtz Fails to Come Through

With two outs in the sixth, Bolte crushed a double for the A’s first extra-base hit of the evening. That was the final batter Mahle faced. The Giants turned to left-hander Sam Hentges to face Kurtz. Mahle pitched well in his first start off the injured list, holding the A’s scoreless over 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and inducing six groundouts and three fly outs.

Kurtz swung at the first pitch and drove a deep fly ball to center that died at the warning track where center fielder Jonah Cox made the catch. That was the second straight inning in which the A’s just fell short of breaking the deadlock in this pitching duel.

Maximum Muncy!

A’s relievers Justin Sterner and Hogan Harris kept the game scoreless, each tossing a scoreless inning of relief.

With two outs in the top of the eighth inning, A’s third baseman Max Muncy put his team ahead with his fifth home run of the season, a 416-foot shot to center field off Giants reliever Dylan Smith. The solo homer gave the Athletics a 1-0 late lead.

MADDDD MAX 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sCJh2S7dLN

— Athletics (@Athletics) June 25, 2026

Medina Holds the Lead

In front for the first time tonight, hard-throwing right-hander Luis Medina entered out of the A’s bullpen to pitch the bottom of eighth, hoping to preserve the visitors slim lead. He issued walks to two of the first three batters he faced, with Cox’s sacrifice bunt between them. Medina escaped the jam unscathed by striking out San Francisco’s first baseman Bryce Eldridge and Schmitt.

100 MPH … BY YOU 🔥 pic.twitter.com/X3R6XqvJZu

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 25, 2026

A’s Rally Fizzles Out

Seeking some insurance runs, Bolte was hit by Smith’s first pitch of the ninth inning. The Giants promptly brought in left-hander Erik Miller to face the “Big Amish”. With one out, Bolte stole second, his ninth stolen base of the season.

The A’s squandered a chance to add a prime insurance opportunity. Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom popped out and then Giants right fielder Jung Hoo Lee took an RBI hit away from backup catcher Jonah Heim, who was pinch-hitting for Wilson. Heim entered the game because the A’s shortstop’s left shoulder was bothering him so much that he could not swing the bat at that moment.

A’s Blow Another Save

Heim stayed in the game to play third base, a position he had never played before.

Jonah Heim, who pinch-hit for Jacob Wilson in the top half, will log his first career game….at third base. #Athleticspic.twitter.com/B1Je0Sa2yY

— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 25, 2026

That did not matter as Athletics reliever Elvis Alvarado quickly blew the save opportunity. San Francisco’s designated hitter Rafeal Devers led off the bottom of the ninth with a game-tying solo home run to center field, his 12th of the season.

The Giants did not want to play extra innings. Alvarado hung a slider in the middle of the plate which left fielder Victor Bericoto crushed for a 445 foot walk-off home run to send Giants fans home happy and leave A’s players and fans dejected.

What looked to be the team’s biggest weakness entering this season has indeed proved their biggest barrier to winning more games. The Athletics still do not have anyone consistently trustworthy at the back of their bullpen. Alvarado’s recent success seems to be wearing off, while the team for some reason designated one of their best performing relievers Joel Kuhnel for assignment earlier this month.

Following this crushing defeat, the Athletics will look to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon. Left-hander Jeffrey Springs will take the mound seeking to stop his team’s bleeding and earn his first win since April. He will be opposed by right-hander Landen Roupp, who is 5-7 with a 4.15 ERA through his first 15 starts of the season.

Where has this Tyler Mahle been?

The woeful Giants walked off the A’s, 2-1, with two homers in the ninth, but don’t let that distract you from the biggest development of a foggy Wednesday evening at Oracle Park.

Mahle looked like a totally different pitcher than the one that owned a 1-7 record and 6.04 ERA before a monthlong stint on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Even operating on a pitch limit in his first start back, Mahle needed only 70 to stymie the A’s for 5 ⅔ scoreless innings.

He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, limited the A’s to two total and only put on two other batters via bases on balls. He found the strike zone 44 times, a good sign after throwing strikes on only 33 of his 63 pitches in his one rehab start while walking five.

Before the game, manager Tony Vitello singled out two keys to turning Mahle’s suboptimal start to his Giants tenure around upon his return to the starting rotation.

No.1 Throwing strikes.

No. 2 Getting healthy.

A bit of evidence for the latter: Mahle’s average fastball velocity of 93.2 mph, up 1.2 notches from before the injury,

That was still only enough to match A’s starter Gage Jump, who fanned nine Giants and stranded three hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. Jung Hoo Lee was responsible for two of the Giants’ four hits through eight innings and about their only competitive at-bats, as well as a sensational catch crashing into the chainlink fencing in right field to end the top of the ninth.

The catch proved critical, as it came with runners on and likely prevented the A’s from padding what was a 1-0 lead. That kept the Giants within two swings going into the bottom half.

Rafael Devers delivered one to begin the inning against Elvis Alvarado, and Victor Bericoto provided the second and the walk off blast. Both players knew theirs were gone off the bat.

Devers admired his 416-foot blast to center, but it was no match for Bericoto’s: a 445-foot tank that left his bat at 108.7 mph. Entering the inning, the Giants had hit one ball at 100 mph.

The game remained scoreless into eighth, when Max Muncy squared up an 0-1 fastball from reliever Dylan Smith and knew it was gone as soon as it left his bat at 106.7 mph.

Mahle benefitted from a rollercoaster of a play that ended up in the final out of the fifth being made at home plate to keep the score tied at zero.

The A’s had two on with one out in the inning when Lawrence Butler sent a line drive to second baseman Casey Schmitt. He nabbed it for the second out. But, in an attempt to double up the runner at second, fired wide past the glove of Willy Adames and into left field foul territory.

Jacob Wilson, who was at second, easily made it to third and made the turn home. Awaiting him was the throw from Bericoto, clocked at 93 mph. Wilson attempted to dance around the tag of Eric Haase but wasn’t able to evade him.

What it means

The Giants are finally enjoying some stability in their starting rotation, though it remains to be seen how long it lasts. Mahle’s outing followed back-to-back starts of eight innings apiece from Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, the first time they’ve gotten even six innings from their starters in consecutive games since May 16-17.

If Mahle and Ray keep pitching like this, they will certainly draw interest from teams at the approaching trade deadline. Both starters’ contracts expire after this season, making them obvious candidates to move in the Giants’ impending selloff.

Who’s hot

Lee continued to climb the National League batting leaderboard with two more hits, raising his average to .335. Only the Marlins’ Otto Lopez (.340) is above him.

Lee’s first knock was a line drive double that left his bat at 102.7 mph. He made an out despite hitting the ball just about as hard his second time up, but it all evened out as he legged out a soft hopper up the middle that the shortstop Wilson lost on the transfer for an infield single.

Before the game, Vitello made the case for Lee’s All-Star candidacy. He was not among the top 10 vote-getters among NL outfielders in the latest update released Monday.

“It’s a fans’ game, and I don’t know who’s more fun to watch — [Luis] Arraez or Jungy — but the fan, crowd noise speaks for itself,” Vitello said. “Those guys on both sides of the ball have proven All-Star caliber defense, All-Star caliber offense. … Voting impacts it too, so I guess that’s my small rallying cry.”

Who’s not

The top five spots in the Giants’ lineup were 0-for-17 until Devers tied things up with his homer in the ninth as they struggled to crack the A’s deceptive left-handed starter.

Jump’s dominance helped bring an end to Casey Schmitt’s streak of seven straight multihit games. He would have tied the franchise record with one more but was among the hitless top of the order, including an inning-ending strikeout with two on in the eighth.

It has been a hard time for the Giants to get on the scoreboard much at all since they left Atlanta. They were held to three runs or fewer for the fifth straight game.

Up next

Landen Roupp will look to continue the stretch of strong starting pitching as the Giants look to secure only their first three-game sweep of the season in the series finale set for Thursday at 12:45 p.m.

Roupp is 0-6 with a 5.40 ERA in nine starts since his last win, April 26.

Marcus Semien was brought over to the Mets more for his glove than his bat, but it was his defensive lapses that hurt his team in the second game of New York's doubleheader with the Cubs.

The Mets had six errors -- not to count the number of misplays that were not errors -- in Wednesday night's loss and Semien was charged with two of them. 

The first came in the fourth when he made an errant throw that allowed the Cubs to get runners on the corners with no outs. Chicago would score three runs in that inning.

Semien's second error was a pop-up that he couldn't come down with in the seventh. That one did not cost the Mets any runs, but it was a troubling sight for the 14-year veteran.

The veteran second baseman's two errors alone matched his season total in 127 games a season ago with the Texas Rangers -- a year he won his second Gold Glove award. He's now up to six on the season, all coming in the last 33 games.

When asked what the cause of the defensive errors was, Semien could only point to the attention to detail when playing.

"It’s always going to be attention to detail with defense," he explained. "First step was not great on the first [error]. Seems like when I’m trying to pick the ball up and rush, the throw isn’t good. I feel like it’s a play that I could have saved and got the out and I didn’t. Those ones hurt. 

"Pop-up, same thing, drifted to the ball. The wind was a little funky out there, and just took my eyes off the ball. Those are plays that I want to make, plays that I want to make tomorrow to help us win."

President of baseball operations David Stearns swapped Brandon Nimmo for Semien this offseason to shore up the infield defense. Semien has regressed in that area this season, and is having arguably the worst offensive year of his career. Entering Thursday, Semien will have career worsts in batting (.216), slugging (.348) and OPS (.623). 

Going 1-for-11 with three strikeouts in the first three games of the series with the Cubs didn't help those numbers.

"Today was just a tough day. A tough day all the way around," Semien said. "We didn’t play well for two games. It became frustrating after game one. We wanted to come out to play well in game two and it didn’t happen. That’s mostly what I’m thinking about. Performing way under par today and just want to get back here tomorrow, and play better baseball and get a win."

Wednesday's performance could not have come at a worse time for Semien and the Mets. After being swept by the Cubs in the doubleheader, New York's losing streak is now at five and they are 12 games under .500, a season-low mark for the season. 

The Dodgers could only score four runs on Wednesday, but it was enough to finish off a sweep of the Minnesota Twins.

The Dodgers went down in order against Joe Ryan in the top of the first inning, but Mookie Betts began the second inning with a solo home run to left-center to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. It was Betts’s 300th career home run, becoming the first Dodger to reach that accolade since J.D. Martinez back in 2023. Betts would finish the game 3-4 on the night and was a triple shy of the team’s first cycle in nine years.

Another milestone for Mookie. Congratulations on homer No. 300! pic.twitter.com/ex1iV1Q7ug

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 25, 2026

The Twins responded with a trio of singles from Victor Caratini, Brooks Lee and Tristan Gray to load the bases with just one out. Shohei Ohtani’s first pitch to Ryan Kreidler got away from Dalton Rushing and rolled into the dugout to tie the game. Kreidler drove home the other two runners with a single up the middle as the Twins took the lead, giving Ohtani a third consecutive start of at least three runs allowed.

Alex Freeland led off the third inning with a double against Ryan, and Ohtani made up for the three-run inning with an RBI single up the middle to trim the deficit to one. A walk to Freddie Freeman and a single from Betts loaded the bases with just one out, and Muncy tied the game with his second hit of the game to plate Ohtani. Alex Call hit a fly ball to shallow right field for the second out, but the throw from Kody Clemens was cut off by Royce Lewis, allowing Freeman to score and as the Dodgers retook a one run lead.

After Ohtani retired his next five hitters in a row after the second, including four strikeouts, he allowed a two-out walk to Lee before Gray roped a double down the right field line to put both the potential tying and go-ahead runners on with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kreidler once again hit one up the middle, but a nice defensive play from Betts ended the threat.

Ohtani would not allow another baserunner after the fourth inning, as he registered another quality start on 89 pitches over six full innings. Ohtani’s eight strikeouts on Wednesday are the most he’s had in a start since he struck out eight against the San Francisco Giants on May 13. After allowing two earned runs, Ohtani’s ERA now jumps up to 1.58 on the season, which still places him second in baseball behind Milwaukee Brewers flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski.

Kyle Hurt was the first man out of the bullpen in relief of Ohtani, and he found himself in trouble by walking a pair of hitters to put both the tying and go-ahead runners on base with two outs. Against the dangerous Byron Buxton, Hurt got him to fly out in foul territory to complete a 26-pitch scoreless seventh inning.

Former Dodgers Anthony Banda and Yoendrys Gómez pitched in relief of Ryan, with both relievers tossing a scoreless inning in their first appearances against their old team this year.

Alex Vesia was one out away from a perfect bottom of the eighth inning, but singles from Caratini and Royce Lewis once again put both the tying and go-ahead runners on base with two outs. Vesia got Lee to chase at a fastball high and away to end the threat and preserve the one-run lead heading into the ninth inning.

Tanner Scott came in for the save opportunity, and he immediately put the tying run on base as Austin Martin slapped a pinch-hit, leadoff single. Scott needed one pitch to get Kreidler to fly out, and he got pinch-hitter Luke Keaschall to strike out for the second out. Scott worked the count full against Buxton, but he got him to swing out in front of a slider at the knees to complete the sweep. It is the first time the Dodgers had a three-game sweep against the Twins at Target Field since 2014.

Game particulars

• Home runs: Mookie Betts (9)
• WP– Shohei Ohtani (8-2): 6 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
• LP– Joe Ryan (5-4): 6 IP, 8 hits, 4 earned runs, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
• SV– Tanner Scott (11): 1 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers are off on Thursday as they fly down to San Diego to begin a three-game set with the Padres at Petco Park on Friday (6:45 p.m., Apple TV+). Roki Sasaki faces old friend Walker Buehler.

You don’t owe the Mets anything, and the way they’re playing, they clearly don’t feel that they owe you a professional performance. Mets infielders combined to commit a staggering six errors in a game that saw their team lose to the Cubs for the second time today and the third time in as many games by the Cubs.

Even when the score was closer in this game, it never really felt like the Mets had a chance. They’re playing a brand of baseball that makes you wonder if they ever practice. And in the end, the final score—Cubs 10, Mets 5—was a fairer representation of the way the game went.

If you want the play-by-play of this one for some reason, the play log FanGraphs has you covered. There’s not much of a reason to pay attention to these Mets that thoroughly, though, and the defensive efforts of Brett Baty in right field, Marcus Semien at second, and Mark Vientos at first make you long for players who have enough experience at a position to play it properly without having so much experience that they’re on their way out of the league.

How the organization has had the patience to leader all of its under-performers on the active roster, its manager in place, and its president of baseball operations in charge of baseball operations is beyond me at this point. It’s not that everyone must go, but right now, it looks like there are simply no consequences within the org.

Find better things to do with your time than watch the 2026 Mets until they earn it. The fact that another year of Francisco Lindor’s prime, injury-interrupted as it may be, is set to go to waste is particularly frustrating on the night that he returned from a two-month stint on the injured list.

If you’d like to see the Mets attempt to avoid getting swept, the last game in this four-game series starts at 7:10 PM EDT tomorrow night. The Mets won’t trade anyone by then, but they should start listening to offers soon, even if they have to act like they still believe in this team when speaking in public.

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The Mets hit four home runs, but couldn't overcome errors and defensive misplays in their 10-5 loss to the Cubs in the second game of their doubleheader on Wednesday.

New York committed six errors, leading to five unearned runs. 

The Mets (34-46) have lost five straight games and are 12 games under .500, a season-low mark for the season.

Here are the takeaways...

-After a lengthy first, the Cubs took advantage of Sean Manaea in the second inning with back-to-back doubles to push across the game's first run. Manaea would get out of it without allowing another run, but he labored through those first two innings. After a ho-hum third inning, the wheels would come off on the Mets in the fourth. After a leadoff double, Marcus Semien booted a grounder, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Chicago would capitalize with an RBI single and then Dansby Swanson followed up with an RBI single of his own.

Pete Crow-Armstrong then hit a bunt over the head of a charging Bo Bichette at third to put the Cubs ahead, 4-3. That bunt single spelled the end of Manaea as Huascar Brazoban was called upon to limit the damage and did just that, and closed the book on Manaea's line.

Manaea allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters across three-plus innings (86 pitches/57 strikes). 

-Brazoban pitched a scoreless fifth before giving way to Brooks Raley in the sixth. After giving up a bloop double to Pedro Ramirez to lead off the inning, Swanson hit a triple to give the Cubs a 5-4 lead. Brett Baty, playing in right field, misplayed the ball, mistiming his jump as the ball careened off the wall, allowing Swanson to make it to third. Two batters later, Swanson was driven home after a fielder's choice hit at Semien, who could not come up with it cleanly and had to settle for the out at second.

-Luke Weaver walked the leadoff batter in the seventh before Semien dropped a pop-up in shallow right field (his second error of the game), allowing two runners on with one out. Weaver would get the inning-ending doubleplay to end the threat. 

The last time Semien made two errors in a game was May 2022.

In the eighth, the Mets would commit two more errors. Bichette bobbled a hopper to him at third, and then after Mark Vientos made a fantastic diving stop at first, A.J. Minter could not come up with the toss covering the bag, allowing the Cubs to push across their seventh run of the game. 

In the ninth, a Vientos error allowed for three unearned runs to be scored off of Devin Williams, with Swanson capping off the inning with a two-run single.

-Francisco Lindor's return got off to a rough start. The first ball hit to him in the first inning, the sure-handed shortstop botched a grounder, extending the opening frame for Manaea. The southpaw had to toss 30 pitches, but kept the Cubs off the board in the first after they put two runners on.  

Lindor would go hitless (0-5), but his at-bat in the seventh loomed large. With runners on the corners and two out, Lindor hit a sharp grounder to third to end the inning. 

-Francisco Alvarez got the Mets on the board in the second with a solo shot off of Shota Imanaga. Alvarez has hit a home run in all three games in this series. After an infield single by Eric Wagaman, A.J. Ewing followed with a two-run shot to put the Mets up 3-1. It's Ewing's first homer against a left-handed pitcher. 

In the fourth, Vientos' solo shot got the Mets back even. Bichette smashed a solo shot in the sixth. 

-Swanson, who had nine RBI across the first two games of this series -- including seven in the first game of the doubleheader -- had his way with the Mets pitching again, going 3-for-5 with four RBI.

Game MVP: Dansby Swanson

Swanson now has 15 RBI in three games, and there's still one more game in this series to go.

Highlights

Francisco Alvarez homers!!

He's hit a home run in every game of this series💪 pic.twitter.com/SFARW6uXq8

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2026

A.J. EWING HOME RUN!

His third big-league homer!!! pic.twitter.com/PgKFwLlLBX

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2026

Mark Vientos ties the game!

His 10th home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/JaaVWcETMQ

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 25, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Cubs complete their four-game set on Thursday. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.

Freddy Peralta (5-6, 4.83 ERA) will take the mound against Matthew Boyd (2-1, 6.00 ERA). 

In Sam Raimi’s 2009 horror flick Drag Me To Hell, a woman makes a mistake at work and is eventually condemned to eternal damnation for it. This is highly relatable for the Nationals’ bullpen arms, who made a mistake at work and were sentenced to hell for it. Well, surrendering a pinch-hit go-ahead homer to a team down to their final strike isn’t quite hell, but it’s close enough; I’m fairly certain Dante mentioned it somewhere in his Inferno, somewhere between the guy who’s eternally having his head bitten and the guys who are eternally trees.

But before the drama of a last-ditch comeback repeated, a less appealing narrative recurred: Aaron Nola’s struggles with the long ball continued, as Luis García Jr. took a sinker that hung up in the middle of the zone to center for a 1-0 Washington lead in the first. An inning later, Jorbit Vivas took a curveball that did the same and did the same. 2-0, Nationals. Meanwhile, the Phillies struggled through three against opener Carson Palmquist, putting only one baserunner aboard in the form of Brandon Marsh, who promptly got picked off.

Marsh was also the Phillies’ second baserunner, singling up the middle to lead off the fourth. Afterwards, Palmquist’s opening job was over, and Miles Mikolas took his turn. He quickly found trouble. Alec Bohm reached safely on a grounder when Nasim Nuñez booted it, and Bryson Stott hit a fly ball that found its way over James Wood’s head in right for a double. The Phillies had their first run of the night. They had their second on a sacrifice fly from J.T. Realmuto, and their third on a single from Gabriel Rincones Jr. Nola kept the good vibes going with a three up, three down fourth. Only a potential injury to Bohm, who came up limping while running the bases on the fourth, still needled the Phillies, and given that he remained in the game, this turned out not to be a big issue. The Nationals seemed like they might have a big issue though: the pitching of Mikolas, who gave up singles to Trea Turner and Marsh in the fifth. He fought his way through it without further damage, but the tilt of the game still seemed to favor the Phillies.

Kyle Backhus took over in the sixth, with Nola’s final line standing at 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K. Backhus faced the minimum of three, getting two out and allowing a baserunner, and was pulled for Jonathan Bowlan as Don Mattingly played the matchup game, pitting righty against righty. It did not go as planned. The first pitch to Curtis Mead went flying into deep left, towards the foul pole, remaining fair and ending the Phillies’ lead.

José Alvarado took the seventh. He got the first two batters out, but faced trouble with José Tena, who hit a shallow fly to left that Marsh dove for and missed. The result was a triple. CJ Abrams was up next; the duel between him and Alvarado saw a quartet of fouled off 3-2 pitches , and finally a walk. But Alvarado got the next batter out to keep the deficit at one.

But the Phillies offense remained stagnant, unable to put a runner aboard in the eighth. Seth Johnson was tasked with the ninth and keeping the game within reach of more last-ditch heroics. A simple 1-2-3 inning set the Phillies up well for the sequel to yesterday’s fireworks. Realmuto, Rincones, Jr. and Edmundo Sosa were the trio tasked with setting them off. Their opponent was Orlando Ribalta. He shares his name with the great knight of both myth and history (also known as Roland); unfortunately for the Phillies, the game took place at Nationals Park and not Roncevaux Pass. Realmuto grounded out, Rincones Jr. struck out. But then, high drama: Kyle Schwarber, who was left out of the starting lineup thanks to back tightness, was called in to pinch hit for Sosa. He took the first pitch for a ball, swung and missed at the second, took the third, but saw it called for a strike. Once more, the Phillies were down to their final strike. A poorly-advised challenge from Nationals backstop Drew Mills on ball 3 brought some levity to the proceedings, but soon enough it was tense again. He fouled off some pitches, one of which got enough air to stop some hearts, momentarily. He ended up walking, bringing Garrett Stubbs to the plate as a pinch-hitter, and as the winning run. But he didn’t stay there long: the Nationals swapped pitchers (to Richard Lovelady, less useful for references to epic poems) , Stubbs was swapped to the pinch-runner role, and Derek Hill got the call to bat.

When the Phillies traded for him, I noted that whoever got the first recap in which he did something notable would get the glory of the Running Up That Hill pun title. Last night, writing the question of the day post, I got impatient and wasted the pun on the subhead. As Hill sent a poorly-placed fastball over the wall in right-center, I sincerely regretted this. Thank god Kyle Schwarber had been more patient than me. Once more, the Phillies had gone down to their last strike and struck back.

Thus, Jhoan Duran was called in to bring it home. He did, with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of strikeouts. The final strike was a close one on the corner; the Nationals challenged. Or tried to. They were out of challenges, and so all they had was a plaintive head-tap. The Phillies had crested the Hill, and found victory on the other side.

The Phillies are 44-36. They’ll conclude the series against the Nationals tomorrow at 6:45.

Christmas came six months early for the Astros.  After Joey Loperfido tripled with 1 out in the 8th, Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman inexplicably  attempted to pick him off at third base.  His errant throw would send him home, making Loperfido the hero for the second straight day.   

Gifts continued in the bottom of the 8th when Luis Urias would get doubled up off of second base, after a sensational play by Cam Smith, thwarting any threat for Toronto.    

The final gift would add an insurance run, as Brice Matthews scored when Guerrero was pulled away from first on a sloppy throw.   The combination of miscues would make the final score 3-1.   

Not only were the Astros beneficiaries of Toronto’s charity, but they would also retire the opening batter in all nine innings, a rare feat for this staff.    Mike Burrows brief flirtation with the bullpen has already paid dividends.  Burrows’ lone mistake would be a solo shot to Nathan Lukes, but after that, he’d finish strong.   

In the 6th inning, Burrows would retire Springer, Lukes and Guerrero with relative ease.     Burrows would go six, strike out three and only walk one runner.   By contrast, his counterpart, Trey Yesavage issued five walks on the night.    

Issac Parades would start the scoring with a double which brought home Jeremy Pena who was the first runner of the night after drawing a walk.    

Two weeks ago in Anaheim, Joe Espada summarized what every Astros fan was feeling stating “We’ve got to start winning some series”.    After taking the rubber match from the Jays, Houston has now won their last four series, and in total have won 8 of their last 12 games.    

Steven Okert would notch the win, his first of the season.  Josh Hader would record his 6th save of the season.     He’s now 6 for 6 in save opportunities. 

Houston now heads to Detroit for a 4 game series with the Tigers beginning tomorrow night.    

The Astros are now 39-43, 4 games under .500. They are even in the win column with Toronto, and trail the Jays by 1 game in the Wild card race.

Houston is 2.5 games behind Seattle in the AL West.

When the Milwaukee Brewers came to town, we talked about their Famous Racing Sausages as a tradition they could leave behind to inspire a new mascot race at Coors Field.

With the Colorado Rockies taking the series today and sending the Boston Red Sox back to Fenway, it feels like a good time to discuss Boston’s historic home and chat all things ballparks.

Along with the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field, Fenway Park comes up frequently as being at the top of people’s bucket lists for MLB parks they are most excited to visit. Getting to step into the oldest cathedrals of the game is truly a treat. They’re a blast from the past and capture the heart of baseball.

On top of those, there are so many wonderful modern classics with stunning backdrops, fun features, exciting fan bases, and amenities that are worth a visit. Thanks to some work travel, I had the chance cross off Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, the new Yankee Stadium, and Fenway over the span of a few months last year. It was an incredible stretch of stadiums, views, and experiences that I feel lucky to have gotten.

I’m currently at 12 of 30 MLB ballparks visited (in addition to a handful of minor league stadiums) and I’m excited to get to more. While nothing will overtake the Coors Field-shaped space in my heart, I loved the bay views in San Francisco, the delicious food in Seattle, the history of Chicago and Fenway, and the aforementioned mascot race shenanigans in both Milwaukee and Washington, D.C.

Which brings us to tonight’s chat! We want to hear about all the places you’ve been or hope to get to.

• Are you “Chasing 30”, on a mission to visit every team’s ballpark? How many have you been to so far?
• Which park are you visiting next?
• Of the ones you’ve been to, which is your favorite?
• Any favorite features, traditions, snacks, or hidden gems from the ballparks you’ve gotten to check out?

Whether it’s in the majors or minors, give us all of your ballpark hot takes, memories, and hopes below!

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Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

Like most San Francisco Giants fans, I remember May 25, 2011 vividly. But it’s been more than 15 years since that fated day in which a young blossoming superstar, the budding pillar of the franchise, fractured his fibula and tore multiple ligaments in his leg during a collision at the plate. So some of the features of that memory have grown blurry.

I don’t remember who was pitching, or who hit the ball that sent Scott Cousins barreling around third base and straight into Buster Posey. I can’t recall the outcome of the game, or the Giants’ place in the standings at the time.

What I do remember is this: in the face of excruciating physical and emotional pain, Posey remained stoic. Years before the hundreds of millions of dollars in salary and investments would roll into his bank account, and before countless dreams had been checked off his personal to-do list, Posey sat on the plate at his home ballpark, knowing that not just his season, but his entire career was in jeopardy. His eyes were dry and his jaw was strong. He took in the scene, refused to call for a cart to wheel him away, and, with he help of the training staff, stood up and slowly hopped off the field, tall and upright. Beat and battered, but never broken.

318 days later, he was back on the field for Opening Day. 523 days later, he hoisted a World Series trophy over his head. 541 days later, he was honored as the league MVP.

That year-and-a-half sequence defined Posey as one of the toughest athletes of his era. Staring at the utmost adversity, Posey refused to blink.

It set the tone for the rest of his career. He was talented and selfless and a tireless worker, yes, but above all else he was tough. And in turn, the Giants were.

Which makes his latest turn all the more confounding, concerning, and infuriating.

On Tuesday, Posey — no longer the face of the roster, and now the face of the front office — met with the media. It was Posey, as he so often did in the batter’s box, calling his own number. It wasn’t a media session mandated by the league, or demanded by the reporters. It was just Posey, leader of a team in turmoil on and off the field, making himself available.

And looking weaker than I ever could have imagined he would.

Posey opened with a milquetoast statement regarding the team’s Pride Night debacle, and the subsequent fallout within the queer community, one that had about as much substance as a Jack Harlow song played in reverse. At best, it was a “there are good people on both sides and I care more about baseball” deflection; at worst, it was a child placing his head in his hands and screaming “mom I don’t want to.”

“I’d like to recognize that the organization has shared its response to Pride Night, and I understand that there’s strong feelings on this topic,” Posey said, the prevarication only just revving up. “There’s differing perspectives, and out of respect to everybody involved, it’s not something that I’m going to revisit. I understand that some fans are upset and frustrated, and I promise you this is something we’ve talked about a lot internally, and we’ll continue to do so. Our focus is on the team right now, the upcoming draft, the trade deadline, and trying to win games. So anybody that has baseball questions, I’m happy to take baseball questions from you now.”

It was bland and corporate, and a little spineless. But if that was leaning back at a pitch high and tight, what followed was Posey watching a fastball down the middle, and turning around to walk away before it even made it to the catcher. Calling off the at-bat after two pitches. Unwrapping his protective gear, walking out of the ballpark, and driving home in the fifth inning.

The reporters in attendance, to their credit, pushed back. Fairly, I might add. And even gently at first. Softballs initially, perfect for someone who used to be able to square up a 100-mph fastball with ease.

But Posey tucked his tail and tucked his head. In a staggering display of weakness, at the team’s lowest moment in decades, Posey stuck his fingers in his ears, squeezed his eyes closed, and sang, “la la la la I can’t heeeaaaaaarrrrrr youuuuuu.”

It was genuinely difficult to watch.

Did you object to Pride Nights as a player, and did anyone explain the importance to Tony Vitello and the players?

“If you want to ask baseball questions, I’ll answer baseball questions.”

Will you reach out to the gay community about what has unfolded?

“If you want to go to baseball questions, I made my statement, I’ll answer baseball questions.”

Do you have a response to the commissioner throwing the Giants under the bus?

“I’ll answer baseball questions.”

Why will you only answer baseball questions when the team is embroiled in something so important?

“I’m gonna only answer baseball questions.”

Is this not your job? Should we speak with Larry Baer?

At that point, Posey was beyond answers, and looked pathetically around for help, until a poor communications director was forced to repeat the same line: “We just need to keep it baseball related.”

You made this a baseball issue by hosting Pride Night, and letting players take the field having violated MLB’s rules.

“Buster made his statement. If you guys have any baseball questions, he can answer those, or we’re gonna be done.”

Cowardice. Weakness. Spinelessness.

And broken.

All hidden behind the vacant face of a man who clearly would rather face Clayton Kershaw 1,000 times over before having to spend another 10 seconds being asked for accountability over a blatant lack of inclusion and failure of leadership.

It’s clear that the Department of Justice’s hogwash meddling with the situation has spooked the Giants, and it’s fair to think that Posey’s hands were slightly tied by an unwanted political presence hovering over the entire situation. It also does essentially nothing to cover up the immeasurably pathetic display that took place at Oracle Park.

Posey could have no-commented questions about the hats that Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker defiled. He could have no-commented the team’s communication with its players, the involvement of the DOJ, and Rob Manfred harshly criticizing the team.

Here, I wrote him a statement he could have said. I’m writing this on the fly. I didn’t take any time to think it over. I’m not going to edit it. I’m improvising here. Let’s see what I’m about to come up with.

I, along with the entire Giants organization, support and celebrate San Francisco’s vibrant and historic LGBTQIA+ community. We are aware that many in the community are hurting based on the actions and response of our team, and we are dedicated to making sure that every Giants fan feels at home at Oracle Park. We will meet with local leaders in the community to see how we can learn and grow from this year’s Pride Night, and I personally will be donating $100,000 to the SF LGBT Center. Unfortunately, for legal purposes, I can’t currently comment on the hats, our communication with the commissioner’s office, or anything regarding the DOJ’s investigation. We’re going to keep our discussions with players internal.

See how easy that was? It’s not a perfect statement because, again, I wrote it on the fly. It took 45 seconds. It probably has a spelling error in it. It features an organization I just learned about when I googled “LGBTQ youth centers San Francisco.”

But it does the important thing: it makes it clear where Posey stands. It makes it clear where the organization stands. It takes the absolute bare minimum level of accountability. It does nothing to interfere with the commissioner or the Department of Nonsensical Whining.

In the absence of that tiny act of accountability and inclusion, why do anything at all? Why hold a media session? Why face the cameras and reporters at all, if you can even call what Posey did “facing?” Why write a test that didn’t need to be written just to get all the answers spectacularly wrong?

A stable of unforced errors, buried beneath a cascade of cowardice. The antitheses of meeting the moment. The polar opposite of what the fanbase deserved and needed.

There was a time when I never would have dared to utter the word “weak” in association with Buster Posey. Now I fear I need a stronger word.