Texas Rangers @ Cleveland Guardians
Wednesday, July 01, 2026, 12:10 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)
Progressive Field
LHP MacKenzie Gore vs. LHP Joey Cantillo
Go Rangers!
Game 87 Game Day Thread – Texas Rangers @ Cleveland Guardians
Padres drop series in nine-homer slugfest
For a brief shining moment, it felt like the San Diego Padres might actually win this one. They did that thing they always do. They gave the Friar Faithful hope for a comeback only to snuff it out almost immediately. It’s easy to get down in moments like this one. Four consecutive losses to contending teams that have felt like beatdown after beatdown. But it’s just as important for fans to rebound as it is for the players.
It was a rough loss to take, but there were plenty of positives. Four home runs from the Friars. The last time they did that was against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. Fernando Tatis Jr. went yard twice. He hasn’t done that since April 14, 2025 against (ironically) the Chicago Cubs.
The blame for this loss is more on the back of starter JP Sears, who struggled to keep the ball in the yard the whole night. He surrendered seven runs, six of which came via the long ball. The Friars certainly made it interesting, and it was nice to see them show some fight. But, at the end of the day, a loss is a loss. And San Diego badly needs a win right now.
Taking the mound
Colin Rea (CHC) v. Walker Buehler (SD)
Rea looked great down the stretch in 2025 for Chicago. That hasn’t been the case this year. The righty owns a 4.80 ERA this season through 84 1/3 innings pitched. It hasn’t been much better lately, with Rea posting a 4.58 ERA across his last seven games.
The Padres haven’t faced the right-hander very much. But, when they have, they’ve managed to string plenty of hits together. The lineup owns a combined .385 batting average across 26 at-bats against Rea. They’ll need to replicate that to stave off the sweep against Chicago.
Buehler, on the other hand, has been fantastic for San Diego. Despite a seemingly high 3.81 ERA on the season, he owns a 2.45 mark across his last 36 2/3 innings. It’s been a renaissance for the veteran right-hander, and he’ll seek to continue that production Wednesday afternoon.
The Padres righty just pitched a gem against his former team, limiting the Dodgers to one run across 5 1/3 innings pitched. If Buehler can do the same against the Cubs lineup, it would go a long way towards a victory for the Friars.
Batter up!
As stated, the lineup has looked pretty healthy. It’s certainly been inconsistent, but the runs have come in bunches. Excluding Tuesday night, across all 2026 games in which the Padres have scored seven-plus runs, they’ve won 17 of 19 contests. If the offense can do it again this afternoon, the odds are good they’ll win the finale.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Samad Taylor, LF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Gavin Sheets, 1B
- Miguel Andujar, DH
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Rodolfo Durán, C
Cronenworth went 0-for-3 in his return to the lineup Monday night. He’ll likely be back in today’s game after sitting for most of Tuesday night. He pinch-hit in the ninth for the Friars but lined out to left field for the first out. The second baseman owns a career .500 batting average against Rea and will hopefully show that off tonight.
Relief corps
The bullpen has been taxed lately. If Buehler is able to work deep into the game, it would be a Godsend for the Friars. Thankfully, Sears was able to work relatively deep into yesterday’s game, meaning only Ron Marinaccio and Wandy Peralta pitched. Marinaccio looked rough but Peralta covered 1 2/3 scoreless innings for San Diego.
That leaves plenty of options for the Friars. Jason Adam, Kyle Hart, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez are all available for the Padres to turn to. Morejon and Adam may not come out after being made to throw 22 and 24 pitches, respectively, on Monday night. The rest all figure to pitch in relief once Buehler exits.
Orioles vs. White Sox discussion
It is July 1 and it doesn’t matter if the Orioles win today.
It would be nice if they won. That’s always true. It’s just that this swoon over the past four games, added on top of the overall underwhelming play, is a strong sign that they are cooked for their postseason hopes.
How cooked? I’ll tell you how cooked. They are “Mark throws off the cloak of normalcy and wades deep into nerdiness to try to amuse himself rather than be despondent about the Orioles” cooked. To that end, they are at the point where the Twitch streamer asks, “Chat, are we cooked?” Friends, once they ask that, they’re always already cooked.
For absolutely no useful reason, here are some Twitch global emotes that would be appropriate to use in a variety of situations that the 2026 Orioles have encountered this year. See if you can guess their general meme meaning from context.
4Head – Why doesn’t Cal just teach everyone better fundamentals?
DansGame – Trey Gibson walked six batters last night
Jebaited – The Orioles lost four in a row immediately after Mike Elias said “We’re going for it”
Kappa – It’s a good thing that Bodine, Forret, and Overn are struggling in the Rays system
ResidentSleeper – Alby when a controversial call goes against the Orioles
riPepperonis – The White Sox are using a lefty starter with a high ERA today
Orioles lineup
- Gunnar Henderson – SS
- Adley Rutschman – C
- Taylor Ward – LF
- Pete Alonso – DH
- Coby Mayo – 1B
- Tyler O’Neill – RF
- Leody Taveras – CF
- Jackson Holliday – 2B
- Blaze Alexander – 3B
Dean Kremer is returning from the injured list to make this start. He’s been gone since late April due to a quad strain. This season began with the Orioles telling Kremer, nope, we don’t need you, and sending him to Norfolk. They continued to jerk him around even when Zach Eflin suffered a season-ending injury during his first start. Kremer only made two starts after arriving before he had to be put on the IL. If he can pitch something like his career numbers, that will be an improvement over Trey Gibson or Chris Bassitt.
There was some roster juggling before the game today, in part to get Kremer activated from the 60-day injured list. The team optioned Gibson and lefty reliever Josh Walker, and in addition to activating Kremer, recalled reliever Cameron Weston, and designated catcher Dom Keegan for assignment. If you have ever previously thought about Dom Keegan before right now, you might be an Orioles sicko.
White Sox lineup
- Sam Antonacci – LF
- Miguel Vargas – 3B
- Andrew Benintendi – DH
- Braden Montgomery – RF
- Jacob Gonzalez – 1B
- Chase Meidroth – 2B
- Tristan Peters – CF
- Luisangel Acuña – SS
- Drew Romo – C
The White Sox starting pitcher today is Drew Schultz. He’s left-handed. riPepperonis, chat. riPepperonis. Except they would never use punctuation on Twitch. I can’t stop myself from using proper punctuation. It may be my most boomer trait.
Seager to the i.l., Smith recalled
The Texas Rangers have placed Corey Seager on the 10 day injured list with lower back inflammation, the team announced today. To take his place on the active roster, the Rangers have recalled infielder Josh Smith.
Disappointing news here on Seager, made worse by the fact that he technically appeared in yesterday’s game, as he was in the lineup, but was pinch hit for by Cam Cauley. That means the soonest Seager can be activated is July 11 — the Saturday before the All Star Break. My guess is that Seager isn’t activated until after the All Star Break, giving him two weeks to recuperate, at which point he hopefully will be back to 100% for the second half. Seager appeared in just four games — one of which was yesterday’s non-appearance — since being activated from the concussion injured list.
Smith now returns after being sent down a couple of weeks ago. He didn’t play in yesterday’s Round Rock game, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already in Cleveland because of the uncertainty surrounding Brandon Nimmo, who was banged up running into the wall to end Sunday’s game. Smith started the season as the team’s regular second baseman, but was displaced by Ezequiel Duran. Smith is slashing .218/.316/.248 this year in 117 plate appearances.
Phillies have two in the Future Game
The Futures Game is a chance for people to see how the prospects they read so much about perform on the field. The game is played during All-Star Week, inexplicably buried on a Sunday prior to the draft occurring. This year, the Phillies have two representatives this year in Gage Wood and Wei-Hui Pan.
Wood was almost a guarantee to make the team, but Pan is something of a surprise. With Aidan Miller injured, his participation was not expected, but it is nice to see the Phillies get two players in the game. Now, whether they actually pitch in the game? That’s another story.
Royals Reacts Survey: Who is to blame for this mess?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Royals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The 2026 Royals are bad. This fact is inescapable. Some will argue that they’ve had some bad luck, but you don’t become as putrid as the 2026 Royals without both bad luck and bad execution. In fact, you don’t become this bad without bad luck and bad execution in all phases of roster construction, coaching, and play. But…which aspect is the most to blame for this result?
Is it the roster construction of the front office hampered by what seems clear in retrospect to be an ownership edict not to significantly increase the payroll? Is it the poor bullpen and lineup decisions made by manager Matt Quatraro? Is it the coaching that has led to one of the worst outfield defenses in baseball and numerous baserunning blunders? Or is it the players themselves simply underperforming all reasonable expectations? I have my own thoughts, but before I share them, won’t you please share yours?
George Springer Placed On Paternity List
Now, just cause I think of George Springer as an old man, doesn’t mean, in real life, he’s young and can have a growing family. He has two children already, one also named George, the fourth George Springer.
Jonatan Clase is up with the team. Paternity Leave in the MLB is only for up to three days, so Clase won’t be here long.
To file under damning with faint praise:
Today’s Jays lineup. Vlad is back.
Padres vs Cubs Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's MLB Game
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The San Diego Padres hope to snap a four-game losing streak with an upset against the red-hot Chicago Cubs.
Chicago has taken the first two games of the series and has four straight wins heading into what’s expected to be a daytime slugfest at Wrigley Field.
San Diego has a favorable pitching matchup, which could cross up everyone’s expectations. My Padres vs. Cubs predictions and MLB picks have the Padres getting a win on Wednesday, July 1.
Who will win Padres vs Cubs today: Padres moneyline (+109)
The San Diego Padres have struggled, but their last three series have been against playoff contending teams.
They’ll start Walker Buehler, who had a 1.71 ERA and struck out a quarter of all batters he faced in June. He hasn’t allowed multiple runs in five straight.
Padres hitters have not been the problem lately. They’re 28% over league average, with a .272 average and .816 OPS over the last week and 18% over, .268, .790 for the last two weeks.
They’ll face Colin Rea, who had a 5.04 ERA and 1.520 WHIP in June. San Diego as an underdog are a no-brainer today.
COVERS INTEL:Rea’s fastball is in the 9th percentile in MLB and his breaking stuff is in the 44th. He’s finding success with his offspeed pitches, but San Diego has two of the top batters in MLB against the changeup—Gavin Sheets and Jackson Merrill. Plus, Ty France is hitting .433 against offspeed. Padres vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Under 11.5 (-119)
This might be the largest Over/Under cutoff I’ve seen this season. Yes, balls fly out of Wrigley during the day, and yes, the two teams combined for 16 runs yesterday. However, they also combined for five on Monday.
Buehler has been in All-Star form, and the two Chicago Cubs batters who’ve faced him the most both hit below .154 with .445 OPS against him.
The Padres have been under in five of the last nine with most of those cutoffs being far below 11.5 runs. The Cubs have been hitting but yesterday was their first 12+ run total in the last six games.
Shawn Krest's 2026 Transparency Record
- ML/RL bets: 24-30 -3.15 units
- Over/Under bets: 31-27 +3.30 units
Padres vs Cubs weather
Padres vs Cubs odds
- Moneyline: San Diego +111 | Chicago -115
- Run line: San Diego +1.5 (-167) | Chicago -1.5 (+160)
- Over/Under: Over 12 (-117) | Under 12 (-108)
Padres vs Cubs trend
The Chicago Cubs have hit the Team Total Under in 13 of their last 19 games at home (+6.60 Units / 30% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Padres vs. Cubs.
How to watch Padres vs Cubs and game info
| Location | Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL |
| Date | Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
| First pitch | 2:20 p.m. ET |
| TV | CHSN, MASN |
| Padres starting pitcher | Walker Buehler (5-3, 3.81 ERA) |
| Cubs starting pitcher | Colin Rea (5-5, 4.80 ERA) |
Padres vs Cubs latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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Today in Jays History: Jays Play 19 innings
Ten Years Ago Today
The Jays and Cleveland faced off in a marathon 19-inning game, marking the second-longest contest by duration and tying for the most innings the Jays have ever played.
Games like this are unforgettable; I wish we saw more of them.
I’m fairly certain Matt set a record with his recap—these epic games always generate a lot of writing.
We ended up losing 2-1, giving Cleveland their 14th consecutive win. Fortunately, the Jays snapped their streak the next day and won the last two games of the series.
Over the course of the game, the Jays used ten pitchers—well, eight pitchers and two utility infielders.
- Marcus Stroman started the game and pitched 6.2 innings, allowing just one run. In the third, Carlos Santana led off with a double, and Jason Kipnis drove him in with a single. Stroman gave up five hits, one walk, and struck out six, throwing 96 pitches before exiting in the seventh with the bases loaded after a single, an error by Justin Smoak, and a walk.
- Brett Cecil came in and got the final out of the inning. With hindsight, John Gibbons might have let him pitch the eighth—but who could have predicted the game would go 12 more innings?
- Jason Grilli pitched a clean eighth inning.
- Roberto Osuna gave up a leadoff single but managed to escape the inning unscathed.
- Joe Biagini pitched the tenth, hitting a batter and surrendering a single. Again, if Gibby had known the game would last 19 innings, Osuna and Biagini likely would have pitched longer.
- Jesse Chavez delivered three perfect innings. Later that season, he would pitch three innings in another extra-inning game against the Padres, earning the win in the 12th.
- Drew Storen handled the 14th and started the 15th, leaving after a walk and a strikeout.
- Bo Schultz (remember him?) induced a double play to end the 15th. He pitched two more innings, leaving the game after 48 pitches. That’s when things got interesting.
- Ryan Goins pitched the 18th inning, surrendering two singles that put runners on the corners with no outs. He then got a force at the plate on a grounder to second. The Jays intentionally walked Tyler Naquin—a bold move with a utility infielder on the mound—but it paid off. Goins coaxed Chris Gimenez into an inning-ending double play.
- Darwin Barney took over for the 19th, giving up a leadoff homer to Carlos Santana but then retiring three straight, ending the inning with a strikeout.
Unfortunately, we could only manage one run against nine Cleveland pitchers. Our lone score came in the sixth on a Justin Smoak home run. Trevor Bauer, Cleveland’s scheduled starter for the next day, threw the final five innings and earned the win.
In total, we collected just 11 hits over 19 innings. Darwin Barney, who started at second base, had three; Troy Tulowitzki also recorded three, and Kevin Pillar chipped in with two.
Ezequiel Carrera (0 for 7), Josh Donaldson (0 for 6), and Michael Saunders (0 for 7) all went hitless.
Not everything about the game was enjoyable.
Vic Carapazza, the home plate umpire, struggled as usual with calling balls and strikes. Edwin Encarnacion was ejected in the bottom of the first after a polite dispute over the strike zone. Vic, as you may recall… Well, Matt told it better:
Maybe that name seems familiar—Carapazza was behind the plate in Game 2 of the ALDS when the Blue Jays were not too happy with the strike zone. In any event, the 1st was a harbinger of things to come, as Carapazza was very liberal in giving Josh Tomlin the corners at the top of the strike zone. Over the first eight innings, eight Blue Jays were set down looking, only the first and last were clearly the correct call. Besides the one above, there was another bad one to Ezequiel where the pitcher totally missed his spot yet got a very borderline call. The frustration all came to a head with more fireworks in the 13th inning, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
In the 13th:
Donaldson was hit leading off, but a fielder’s choice by Travis brought up Saunders. He was called out on a fastball on the inside corner that he thought was inside, and just barely avoided drawing a line in the dirt which would have surely provoked an ejection. Russell Martin was behind him, and was called for a swing on 1-2 curve on which he he didn’t come close to going around. After an afternoon of having calls go against him, he had a few words for Carapazza, who tossed him, at which point Martin went absolutely ballistic and was barely restrained by DeMarlo Hale and Luis Rivera.
Goins went on the DL the next day with forearm tightness. He hit 90 MPH on his fastball in his inning. Ryan would be out until early August and then was sent to Buffalo until late August. That’s likely why he didn’t come out for a second inning of work. He was surprisingly impressive on the mound.
Schultz would also be sent down to the minors after the game.
From the recap:
Super Jays of the Day: Schultz (+0.595), Chavez (+0.410)
Jays of the Day: Basically all the pitchers, even a fake one. Stroman (+0.156 WPA), Cecil (+0.121 WPA for 3 pitches), Grilli (+0.106), Osuna (+0.137), Biagini (+0.137), RYAN FREAKING GOINS (+0.137). Tulowitzki was the lone hitter (+0.159, 3/6, 2 BB).
Super Suckage: Barney (-0.573, -0.272 as a hitter and -0.301 as a pitcher). I feel bad doing that, since it’s not really his fault he had to pitch. Also, Vic Carapazza. Let’s turn him away at the border next time.
Suckage: Basically, all the hitters. Carrera (-0.395), Saunders (-0.369), Travis (-0.342), Martin (-0.181), Smoak(-0.185), Donaldson (-0.162), Thole (-0.099).
If you want to check out the boxscore, it is here.
Braves top prospect Cam Caminiti selected to NL roster for 2026 All-Star Futures Game
With the calendar flipping from June to July, that means that the MLB All-Star Game is now on the immediate horizon along with the MLB Draft as well. The intersection of all of that is the All-Star Futures Game, where some of the most promising prospects in all of baseball get to showcase their skills on the big stage during the All-Star festivities.
The Atlanta Braves will be sending one representative to the Futures Game this season as Cam Caminiti has gotten the nod and will be participating in the big event at Citizens Bank Park. Here’s more on the National League squad as a whole from MLB’s press release:
he National League Futures squad is led by MLB Pipeline’s number one overall prospect Jesús Made of the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals shortstop Eli Willits, who was the number one overall selection in the 2025 Draft and currently ranks as the third-best prospect in all of Baseball according to MLB Pipeline rankings. The NL roster also features Josue De Paula of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who is ranked fourth by MLB Pipeline and returns for a second consecutive year after claiming the Larry Doby MVP Award last year in Atlanta, along with Pittsburgh’s Seth Hernandez, who was the number five overall pick in last June’s Draft and is currently ranked as the sixth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline. Willits and Hernandez are joined by seven other fellow first round Draft picks on the NL roster, including Colorado’s Charlie Condon (3rdoverall, 2024); Liam Doyle (5th overall, 2025) of the St. Louis Cardinals; San Francisco’s Gavin Kilen (13th overall, 2025); Arizona’s Kayson Cunningham (18th overall, 2025); Atlanta’s Cam Caminiti (24th overall, 2024); San Diego’s Kash Mayfield (25th overall, 2024); and Philadelphia’s Gage Wood (26th overall, 2025).
As evidenced by his selection to this squad, Cam Caminiti has been pretty solid at the High-A level so far this season. He’s produced a 4.48 ERA (ERA- of 97) and a FIP of 4.05 (FIP- of 87) over 14 appearances (13 starts) and 62.1 innings pitched. Caminiti came into this season as a consensus Top 100 prospect and he’s maintained that status with his performances so far this season. He’s also sitting atop Atlanta’s prospect rankings as the consensus No. 1 prospect for the Braves, so it makes all the sense in the world that Caminiti would be flying the flag for Atlanta’s farm system during the Futures Game.
If you’re planning on watching this year’s Futures Game, things are going to be a little different now. The game will take place on Sunday, July 12 at noon ET with NBC televising the game and streaming it on Peacock as well. It’ll be part of All-Star Sunday, which includes the MLBx: All-Star 3-on-3 (whatever that is) and the second day of the MLB Draft. Circle your date and block out your schedule now if you’re interested in watching Cam Caminiti represent the Braves at this year’s Futures Game.
MLB End-of-June Check-In: AL West
Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the end of the month upon us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
In the subheader of the previous edition of this series, John (correctly) identified the AL West as the “league’s most ‘meh’ division”. Although the past month did little to overturn that overall sentiment, there’s been a shakeup in the standings.
First Place: Texas Rangers (44-42)
Top Position Player: Josh Jung (2.1 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: MacKenzie Gore (2.0 fWAR)
After a magical championship year in 2023, not much has gone the Rangers’ way since. However, things might be looking up for them for the first time in a while, as they’ve overtaken the floundering Mariners for the top spot in the division. Their bats are led by Josh Jung, who has continued to post strong numbers after two consecutive down years. Their other players aren’t pushovers, either; Joc Pederson and Wyatt Langford are having stellar offensive years (though Langford is set to be sidelined through the All-Star break with a lat injury), and former first-round pick Justin Foscue is running a 137 wRC+, albeit in a small sample. This is a fairly deep lineup, with solid to elite gloves in Jung, Langford, Ezequiel Duran, and Evan Carter to boot.
The starting rotation appears to be rounding into form as well. MacKenzie Gore’s 4.05 ERA masks a 3.43 FIP and very strong peripherals; the question with him is, will he be able to avoid the second half slide that marred him in 2024 and 2025. After a rough patch in May, Jacob deGrom has returned to his dominant ways, posting a 3.10 ERA (2.34 FIP) with a 30.8-percent K rate across five June starts. Nathan Eovaldi and Kumar Rocker have been more than serviceable as mid-rotation arms, giving Texas a potent starting four. Meanwhile, led by the leveled-up Jacob Latz, their bullpen owns a 3.81 ERA, fifth-best in the AL. Maybe they’re short on top-end talent, but this is a well-rounded team, and if the Mariners continue to underwhelm, the Rangers should contend for the division lead down the stretch.
Second Place: Seattle Mariners (44-43)
Top Position Player: Randy Arozarena (2.2 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Bryan Woo (2.5 fWAR)
Despite entering June with a six-game winning streak, which they extended to eight in the first two games on the month, the Mariners spent the rest of it spinning their wheels, falling to second place in the process. The offense is potent on paper, as seven of their nine current regulars boast wRC+ marks north of 100 (Cal Raleigh is at 70, and Josh Naylor’s is 98). However, for whatever reason, that hasn’t translated into actual run production, as the team’s 348 runs scored puts them at 11th in the AL. It probably doesn’t help that they’re rated the second-worst defensive team in MLB, in front of only the lowly Angels.
On the other hand, pitching, particularly starting pitching, is the Mariners’ strength. Their starters’ WAR total of 9.5 trails only the Brewers for the best in baseball, and it’s not just the usual suspects driving that performance, either. The trifecta of Bryan Woo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert are humming right along, but joining them have been Emerson Hancock and Bryce Miller, who have both bounced back in a big way from disastrous 2025 campaigns. The bullpen has been middle-of-the-road, but certainly not a major weakness. It’s up to the offense to hold up their end of the bargain if the Mariners want to repeat as division champs.
Third Place: Houston Astros (43-45)
Top Position Player: Yordan Álvarez (3.6 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Peter Lambert (0.7 fWAR)
As the saying goes: Never count the Astros out. Despite a brutal 8-18 April, Houston has clawed their way out of that hole and now stand just 2 games out of 1st in the division, and 1.5 games back of the Mariners for the third Wild Card spot. They’re led by their offense, which ranks fifth in the AL with 391 runs scored, and of course, any discussion of the Astro’s bats has to start with Yordan Alvarez. After his 2025 was cut short due to injury, the hulking slugger is back at full strength and raking, with a 179 wRC+ that paces MLB. Elsewhere, strong seasons from Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, and Christian Walker has helped the club weather a down year from Jose Altuve and the loss of Carlos Correa due to an ankle injury (though Peña just hit the IL with a strained calf).
What has held them back is their pitching, or lack of it. Peter Lambert has been their best starter so far, and while his 3.51 ERA makes him look like a legitimate frontline starter, his 4.47 FIP suggests that he’s really more of a back-end guy. However, there have been positive developments in June. The team welcomed back ace Hunter Brown from the 60-day injured list, and he’s been solid in his three starts since rejoining the rotation. Tatsuya Imai has improved markedly of late, and is coming off a six-inning, 10-K, one-walk, scoreless dismantling of the Detroit Tigers in his latest start. If the Astros do get to enjoy some good starting pitching, they’ll be sure to move up the divisional standings.
Fourth Place: The Athletics (40-46)
Top Position Player: Nick Kurtz (3.3 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: J.T. Ginn (1.3 fWAR)
Much like the Astros, the A’s score a bunch of runs but can’t keep them off the board. Their offense has been legitimately good, led by young phenom Nick Kurtz, and flanked by solid-to-stellar performances from Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof, and Tyler Soderstrom. New faces like Henry Bolte and Carlos Cortes are also hitting well, softening the blow of the disappointing showings from Brent Rooker, Jeff McNeil, and Lawrence Butler. Ideally, you’d like a little more depth, but this lineup can do some damage.
The pitching, however, is…less than ideal. Their team ERA of 5.01 is the worst among MLB teams that don’t play on the Moon (read: excluding the Colorado Rockies). Top prospect Gage Jump has flashed top-of-the-rotation stuff, and J.T. Ginn looks like a solid No. 3 or 4, but that’s about where the positives end. Until the A’s shore up their arms, I won’t really be convinced to see them as contenders.
Last Place: Los Angeles Angels (36-51)
Top Position Player: Mike Trout (2.4 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Reid Detmers (2.9 fWAR)
Oh Angels, you poor, poor team. If I had told an Angels fan before the season that Mike Trout would have a bounceback season after a down 2025, and that Reid Detmers would finally realize his tantalizing potential and look the part of a frontline starter, I’m pretty sure that they would have been ecstatic. And yet, in this world where those two things have happened (although Trout is currently sidelined due to a strained hamstring because the beings above really enjoy denying us joy), the Angels find themselves dead last in this otherwise wide open division. Indeed, they just fired GM Perry Minasian, who–even acknowledging the limitations of working for a meddler like owner Arte Moreno–had accomplished very little with this roster since taking over in November 2020.
Looking at the rest of the roster, it’s not hard to see why. On the position player side, Zach Neto has been characteristically solid, and Wade Meckler has been a pleasant surprise, but that’s about where the good news ends. On the pitching side, Walbert Ureña and José Soriano have been competent, but outside of that duo and Detmers, the rest of the Halos’ arms have generated just 0.8 WAR. It’s looking like yet another lost season for the Angels. Maybe interim GM John Mozeliak of old Cardinals fame can salvage it by selling everything not nailed to the floor at the deadline and getting a haul. I doubt it, though — Moreno has also voiced a preference on retaining his best trade chips, so I think the organization lacks both the brains and the guts to do so. MLB’s longest playoff drought will continue with no clear end in sight.
Yankees Birthday of the Day: Jack Quinn
These days, we are blessed with an overabundance of information about professional athletes. Thanks to systemic and easily accessible databases (at least, relative to previous centuries), it’s fairly easy to track down basic information about a player – where and when they were born, where they lived, what schools they attended, and how they became known to professional scouts in the sport of their choosing.
That was not always the case, however. Historians of the late 19th and early 20th centuries regularly have to struggle to piece together even the most basic information about a person, even a renowned professional athlete whose name still sits in the record books a century later. Today, we remember one of those players: a man known to history as Jack Quinn.
Jack Picus Quinn (possibly born Joannes “Jan” Pajkos)
Born: probably July 1, 1883 (Stefurov, Austria-Hungary – modern-day Slovakia)
Died: April 17, 1946 (Pottsville, PA)
Yankees Tenure: 1909-12, 1919-21
There is perhaps no better way to summarize the life and legacy of Jack Quinn than his SABR biography, which opens with the following:
He won 247 games in his 23 seasons in the major leagues, plus dozens more in the minors and as a semipro in a pitching career that spanned more than 30 years. Yet we do not know for certain when or where he was born, the national origin of his forebears, or even his birth name. We know him as Jack Quinn, and the reference books agree that he was born John Quinn Picus, which very likely was not the case. Among four editions of the Baseball Encyclopedia, no two of them gave the same birth date and birthplace. Jack Quinn’s personal life was a mystery and he liked it that way.
For much of the past century, Quinn’s background has been the subject of much debate, with both contemporaries and historians making the case at various points that he was Welsh, Irish, Polish, Greek, Slovak, French, Russian, and even Native American (perhaps a misunderstanding, given the fact that his teammates described the quiet and self-contained Quinn as a “wooden Indian”); the player himself certainly didn’t help, as he himself acknowledged that his mother died when he was very young, that “Picus” (the name he typically went by, except when playing baseball) was a phonetic spelling of his original name, and that he had absolutely no idea what his original nationality was.
Historian Michael D. Scott has put together what is today the most convincing case for Quinn’s background. Cross-referencing records from the former Austria-Hungarian Empire and Pennsylvania, where Quinn spent his childhood, Scott places Quinn’s birth on July 1, 1883, in Stefurov, a city in modern-day Slovakia, but which at the time was under the rule of the Habsburg emperors. Born Johannes Pajkos, Quinn’s family moved to America the following year, taking the SS Suevia in June 1884; his mother, Maria Pajkos (nee Dzjiacsko), died soon after, and his father moved to Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and began to work in the coal mines.
While a young Jack joined his father in the coal mines, lying about his age in order to begin work early, his true passion was baseball, and after almost dying in a mining accident, he hopped the rails and hit the road, heading as far west as Montana. His exact route is unknown, but by 1900, he was back in Pennsylvania, where he was discovered by professional scouts in the most 19th century way possible. Catching a semi-pro game on the Fourth of July, he caught a foul ball; one of the managers was so impressed by the velocity with which he threw the ball back that he was offered a job on the spot.
Armed with a fastball, a “dry” spitter (he used chewing gum, not chewing tobacco, to generate the spit), an unnamed pitch described almost like a knuckleball, and a changeup, Quinn – by this point, he began to play under this name in order to avoid ethnic discrimination – he caught the attention of the New York Highlanders in 1909. Making his MLB debut on April 15, 1909 and in front of the Vice President of the United States, James S. Sherman, Quinn more than held his own. He tossed a complete game in which he allowed just one run on five hits, earning the win.
Quinn spent four seasons with New York, ultimately getting sold to the Rochester minor league team in 1912 due to underperformance and a flaring temper (he was suspended earlier that season for throwing his glove at an umpire, sparking a riot in the stands). He then spent one year with the Boston Braves and two in the Federal League, before becoming the subject of a custody battle between the White Sox and the Yankees in 1918. Due to the United States’ entry into World War I, the league had decided that players from leagues which had been suspended because of the war – which included Quinn, who had been pitching in the independent Pacific Coast League – would be eligible to be signed by teams on an emergency basis. Due to this rule, Quinn was able to spend the latter part of the 1918 season with the Chicago White Sox. That winter, though, the Yankees – who had owned the rights to Quinn – staked a claim for the player, ultimately winning his services in arbitration (over Quinn’s objection).
Quinn spent three seasons with the Yankees, making his first World Series appearance along with them in 1921. Since, in his age-38 season, he was already considered old for a pitcher, the Yankees then traded him to the Red Sox that winter. Unbeknownst to them, however, he was just getting started. Quinn spent three seasons in Boston, then was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics in the middle of 1925. He would go on to spend five and a half seasons there, winning a pair of World Series titles. Moving full-time to the bullpen, Quinn then spent two years as the closer in Brooklyn (although they didn’t give it that title just yet), before finally finishing his Major League career in Cincinnati in 1933 in his age-49 season. He spent the next few seasons bouncing around independent ball, before finally calling it quits for good in 1935.
Over the course of his career, Quinn piled up many accolades. To this day, he remains the American League record holder for oldest player to hit a home run, as he did so in his age-46 season. His record for oldest pitcher to record a win was not broken until Jamie Moyer did so in April 2012, and he is the oldest pitcher ever to start on Opening Day (47 years old). The Baseball Reference Bullpen makes the claim that he is the oldest Major Leaguer in history, as his final game was two days after his 50th birthday, and unlike most other players who played at or near that age, he actually remained a regular all the way to the end: he is one of two players to have at least ten games played in each season from 35 to 50.
Despite these records, though, Quinn was considered a very good, but not great, player, and was not elected to the Hall of Fame. This, though, may be exactly what he would have wanted: after his playing career was over, the quiet Quinn lived a quiet life, getting married in Illinois, then moving back to Pennsylvania after his wife’s death, before himself dying in January 1946 due to an infection in the liver.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Pirates vs Phillies Prediction: Odds, recent stats, trends, and best bets for July 1
Philadelphia (48-38) and Pittsburgh (43-43) are bringing the aces out for their third meeting of a four-game series. The Phillies are 10-2 in Zack Wheeler's 12 starts this season, while the Pirates have lost eight straight when Paul Skenes is on the mound.
The Phillies are coming off an 8-0 win on Tuesday after blowing a 5-0 lead in Monday's 11-7 loss. Philadelphia has alternated wins and losses over the last five games and scored 24 runs in that span. The Phillies offense is cooking lately with a .278 batting average over the last six games (6th), the fourth-most home runs (10), and hits (58).
Over the past week (six games), the Pirates lead the MLB in home runs (14), strikeouts (72), and have the fifth-most walks taken (22). Pittsburgh has averaged six runs per game in that span as the offense hasn't been the problem. In June, the Buccos' pitching staff ranks 26th in ERA (4.98), 24th in WHIP (1.44), and 22nd in OBA (.258). Over the last week, Pittsburgh hasn't improved (5.60 ERA) with 36 runs allowed (35 in the last five).
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 Pirates at Phillies
- Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2026
- Time: 6:40 PM EST
- Site: Citizens 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 Pirates at the Phillies
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
- Moneyline: Philadelphia Phillies (-144), Pittsburgh Pirates (+109)
- Spread: Phillies -1.5 (+152), Pirates +1.5 (-185)
- Total: 8.0
Probable starting pitchers for Pirates at Phillies
- Wednesday's pitching matchup (July 1): Paul Skenes vs. Zack Wheeler
- Phillies: Zack Wheeler
2026 stats: 75.1 IP, 8-1, 2.03 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 74 K, 19 BB
- Pirates: Paul Skenes
2026 Stats: 93.0 IP, 6-7, 3.10 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 114 Ks, 20 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not
- The Phillies’ Brandon Marsh is hitting .317 with 95 hits, 14 home runs and 45 RBI over 300 at-bats
- The Phillies’ JT Realmuto is hitting .204 with 41 hits and 45 strikeouts over 201 at-bats
- The Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds is hitting .282 with 87 hits, 11 home runs, and 52 RBI over 309 at-bats
- The Pirates’ Marcell Ozuna is hitting .200 with 42 hits and 71 strikeouts over 210 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Pirates at Phillies
- Philadelphia is an MLB-worst 32-54 ATS
- Pittsburgh is 43-43 ATS
- Philadelphia is 44-37-5 to the Under, ranking fifth-best
- Pittsburgh is 49-34-3 to the Over, ranking fourth-best
- Philadelphia is 16-28 ATS at home, ranking third-worst
- Pittsburgh is 21-20 ATS on the road
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Pirates 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 Pirates and the Phillies:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Pirates on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pirates at +1.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 8.0
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Theo Gillen, Nathan Flewelling named to 2026 Futures Game roster
Two fast rising Rays prospects have been named to the 2026 Futures Game roster as part of MLB’s upcoming All-Star Game celebrations. This year’s teams are split between American and National leagues.
First up is OF Theo Gillen, the Rays first round pick from 2024 (18th overall) who has vaulted into a top-ten prospect in all of baseball this year. He just earned a promotion to Double-A and will be one of ten former first round picks on the AL roster.
The other is C Nathan Flewelling, one of only eight players from A-ball getting this honor, as he remains at the High-A Hot Rods. He’s shown strong power from his left handed swing, and has improved markedly on defense, bringing him also into focus for Top-100 prospect lists.
1980 World Series Champion and former Phillies manager Larry Bowa will manage the AL side, while former Rays nemesis Shane Victorino will manage the NL prospects. The All-Star Game festivities will be held in Philadelphia this year.
Red Sox News & Links: Connelly Early to IL with elbow injury
Oh boy. After leaving last night’s game with elbow discomfort, Connelly Early has officially been placed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the team is downplaying it for now. “I’m personally not too concerned as of right now,” Early said last night, while Chad Tracy described it as a hyperextension. I suppose we should take them at their word for now, but as soon as you start talking about a pitcher’s elbow it’s already bad news. (Avery Hill, Boston Globe)
Usually a young pitcher leaving a game with elbow discomfort is the biggest story to come out of any given game. But that wasn’t the case last night, when a fight broke out after Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli made what anyone with any sentience could recognize as a racist comment towards Willson Contreras. Not only did Cavalli somehow escape any in-game discipline while Contreras was ejected, but Contreras is now also under investigation by the league for social media comments he subsequently made. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
A Contreras suspension would deal a big blow to the Sox’ infield depth, which has already been decimated by injuries to Marcelo Mayer and Trevor Story. The Sox made a minor trade yesterday to try to shore-up that depth, acquiring the recently DFA’d Brett Harris from the Athletics in exchange for minor league pitcher Ben Hansen. Harris has a career .193 average with 3 homers. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
Could we be talking about Franklin Arias as a possibility in the infield soon? AAA promotion watch is on for Arias, who has played 73 games in AA — fewer games than even Roman Anthony got down there, but more than Kristian Campbell. “Part of this game is to be patient,” Arias said. “Moving up to Triple-A, those type of decisions, I can’t control. The one thing I can control is what are my intentions daily, and it’s just to improve across all facets of the game.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But Arias will be playing on a big league diamond soon. That’s because he was just selected for the Future’s Game, along with pitcher Anthony Eyanson. (Keith Law, The Athletic)