Category: MLB

Mauricio Dubón’s Braves will be looking to end the homestand and first week of June with a 5-2 record with a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon. After two consecutive games with a final score of 6-3, Atlanta has a chance to beat the “series win hangover / complacent in game 3” allegations. C’mon, boys – do it for the home crowd before you’re off to Chicago.

As we can come to expect every fifth day, Bryce Elder (5-3, 2.63 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Braves. His quality start during Tuesday’s series opener against Toronto, where he gave up six hits, three earned runs, one home run, and struck out six, was a nice and much-needed bounceback from his Fenway implosion. In that outing on May 27, he was tagged for nine hits, six runs (five earned), and one walk before coming out in the fourth inning. Outside of that, Bryce just keeps Getting Away With It and is almost daring MLB to make him an All-Star for a second time (if an old friend doesn’t beat him out for a spot…).

The Pirate with the most ABs against Elder is Bryan Reynolds, who is 2-for-8 with a walk. Jared Triolo’s singular hit in four at-bats is a homer. 

To salvage a win before heading to the airport, the Pirates will go to the 23-year-old and Georgia native Bubba Chandler (2-6, 4.89 ERA). Full name Roy Reuben Chandler, his first and only start versus the Braves was September 17, 2025, where he tossed a “dream” start in his home state. He surrendered four hits and only one run in 5.2 innings in a 3-1 win for the Pirates. Drake Baldwin accounted for half of those hits off Chandler, both for extra bases. Drake was driven in after a second inning triple by Chandler’s now-teammate Marcell Ozuna. 

(Also on this day: this was the game where Matt Olson was ejected for the first time in his career over interference on a pop up.)

The rest of the Braves lineup couldn’t do much against Chandler or the rest of the Pirates staff, leaving yesterday’s winning pitcher Spencer Strider on the hook for the loss. Only four current Braves have seen him with a maximum of three at-bats. Ronald Acuña Jr., Olson, and Ha-Seong Kim are hitless, and Michael Harris II has a single in two plate appearances.

But if he was so dominant, you ask, then why does his current ERA start with a 4? He just hasn’t worked very efficiently in the 2026 campaign: he usually only goes five innings and reached six innings once in mid-April. The stuff has been as electric as advertised (with a fastball touching 99 mph), but command has been the issue. Carrying a 14.7% walk rate, he has had innings snowball on him. The Braves were able to solve the Pirates’ second-best starter in Braxton Ashcraft yesterday – let’s see if the Braves can be patient enough for some of their patented big innings to get Chandler out early. First pitch of the series finale is at 1:35 pm ET.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, June 7, 1:35 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

The Yankees were unintentionally idle yesterday, as the storms opened up in New York and eventually nixed their evening matchup with the Red Sox. They’ll play their 1:35pm ET today as expected and then have a doubleheaders scheduled for August 29th. The other big news of the night was that catcher Austin Wells went on the IL with painful-sounding cervical headaches. J.C. Escarra had been demoted late on Friday night after the loss to Boston with Ali Sánchez coming up to take his spot, but Escarra is now already back due to Wells’ injury. Ya got all that?

Here’s what else was going on around the Junior Circuit on Saturday.

Tampa Bay Rays (37-24) 3, Miami Marlins (30-35) 4

The pitching matchup on Saturday firmly favored the Rays with dangerous southpaw Shane McClanahan set to face what Joe Girardi liked to call Johnny Wholestaff (a bullpen game from Miami). That’s a tough proposition for anyone, and the Fish have a decidedly mediocre ’pen. But as a guy with a great voice once said, “You can’t predict baseball, Suzyn.”

McClanahan held up his end of the bargain through four, allowing only two baserunners. But opener Lake Bachar and first man up Anthony Bender were evidently just as tough, if not better. The Rays didn’t get a man on until Richie Palacios reached on a throwing error by Javier Sanoja to start the fifth. Bender struck out Ben Williamson, left the game, and John King made the situation more dicey by plunking Cedric Mullins. He made the pitch he needed to against Taylor Walls though, inducing a double-play ball to end the inning.

Sanoja was put in the perfect position to atone leading off the home half of the fifth, and he did so with a ringing first hit of the ballgame for either side. It was just his second homer of 2026, but the Fish were up 1-0.

McClanahan compounded issues by walking the speedy Esteury Ruiz, and the 2023 AL stolen base leader promptly swiped second, moving to third on an error. That was more than enough for rookie Joe Mack to put a great swing on an Uncle Charlie form McClanahan, doubling in Ruiz to double the Miami lead at 2-0.

Back on the mound, the Marlins continued to breeze past the Rays, even as new reliever Calvin Faucher allowed Tampa Bay’s first hit of the day, a clean single by Victor Mesa Jr. to start the sixth. Faucher fanned Nick Fortes and then worked around a knock by Yandy Díaz to strike out Jonathan Aranda as well before Junior Caminero grounded out to end the inning. Perhaps bolstered by the escape, Miami tacked on two more off McClanahan in the seventh, as Sanoja capped a run of three-straight singles with an RBI hit, and Liam Hicks lifted a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to make it 4-0, Fish.

The Rays wouldn’t dent home plate until Faucher was gone from the game. They made it hairy for Michael Peterson and their old friend Pete Fairbanks, as Yandy doubled off Peterson to score Mesa in the eighth, and Fairbanks nearly gave away the ballgame while trying to close it. A Williamson walk and a bunt single by Walls brought the tying run to the plate. Mesa’s groundout was a temporary reprieve; Fairbanks uncorked a wild pitch to bring Williamson home, issued a free pass to an ailing Chandler Simpson, surrendered an RBI single to Yandy, and walked Aranda to load the bases in a one-run game.

After 39 pitches, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough had seen enough and called on Tyler Zuber (another former Ray, albeit briefly) to finally slam the door. The righty stared down the tough Caminero and won the battle, jumping ahead 0-2 on a well-placed sweeper and heater, getting a couple fouls on the former, and then getting Caminero to chase a high fastball for the 27th out.

Zuber’s first career save helped the Yankees gain a half-game on the Rays. They’re now one back as we head into play on Sunday.

Other Games

Toronto Blue Jays (31-34) 6, Baltimore Orioles (31-34) 4: The Battle of the .500-ish Birds went back to a stalemate on Saturday following Baltimore’s 13-3 triumph the day before. Toronto rode a four-run third off Kyle Bradish to a win at home, with Ernie Clement cracking the decisive blow on a three-run shot. Like Miami, Toronto got the victory with a bullpen game, though Spencer Miles, Jeff Hoffman, and Mason Fluharty all got touched for long balls (Pete Alonso for a two-run host). The one-two punch of Tyler Rogers and Louie Varland sent the O’s packing. They’re both eight back of the Rays, seven games behnd the Yankees, and tied for a half-game behind the Rangers’ last Wild Card spot.

Seattle Mariners (34-31) 4, Detroit Tigers (26-39) 0: The Tigers’ four-game winning streak is over, as they were blanked by their ALDS conquerers in a two-hit shutout. They can’t afford many more losses before their Tarik Skubal sell/keep decision is made for them; they’re tied with the Angels for the second-worst record in the AL. Bryce Miller dominated through six, striking out nine and lowering his season ERA to 1.33 in 27 innings (an oblique strain delayed the start of his 2026 until mid-May). DH Dominic Canzone brought the pop to support his starter, doubling to the center-field wall to get Seattle on the board in the second against Keider Montero, then taking the righty 451 feet in the fourth. Randy Arozarena plated two on a double in the third for Seattle’s other two runs. The M’s lead the AL West by three games over the Rangers.

Cleveland Guardians (37-29) 6, Texas Rangers (31-33) 0: Speaking of those Rangers, they had no answer for Tanner Bibee on Saturday. The 27-year-old righty rolled over them in eight shutout innings, yielding just three hits and two walks. He was quite efficient, with few K’s but only 87 pitches through eight. José Ramírez got the scoring started for Cleveland in the fourth with a solo shot off Jack Leiter, and another from Brayan Rocchio in the fifth kicked off a four-run frame.

The Mets have shut down Jorge Polanco’s rehab assignment, which lasted ten days and saw him make a total of 17 appearances across stops in Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. The team announced that he’s returning to New York City for further evaluation of the Achilles bursitis that’s been affecting him since very early in the season.

Signed to a two-year, $40 million contract to be the Mets’ primary first baseman, Polanco’s early tenure with the team has been nothing short of a disaster. The Achilles issue arose after playing just two regular season games at first base to start the season, and the team attempted to manage the injury by exclusively playing him as a designated hitter. During that stretch, he played relatively sporadically and also picked up a wrist injury, and the team finally put him on the injured list on April 18.

In his limited time at the plate with the Mets during all of that, he also struggled mightily, hitting just .179/.246/.286 with a 53 wRC+ in 61 plate appearances.

On his rehab assignment, Polanco mostly served as a designated hitter, but the Mets had him play three innings at first base in Binghamton in his third of three games that he played there over the course of a six-game series. He got two full days off after that appearance, after which the team moved his rehab to Syracuse. He served as a DH in his first game there on June 2, played five innings at first base on June 3, got the day off on June 4, played as a DH on June 5, and was unable to play in the team’s game last night. And for what it’s worth, he hit .167/.412/.417 in the 17 plate appearances he accrued in the minors before he was shut down.

The Dodgers starting pitching has been nearly unhittable this week, and the trend continued on Saturday with Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossing a season-high eight innings against the Angels.

Although Yamamoto couldn’t compare to Roki Sasaki’s 10 strikeouts from the game before, Yamamoto retired 22 hitters in a row and had a comfortable eight-run lead to work with over his final seven innings on Saturday. The strikeouts were once again low, punching out four after he struck out 10 in his previous start against the Philadelphia Phillies, but he has shown remarkable results over his last four starts, posting a 0.99 ERA in that span.

Being able to navigate through the game while not having the strikeout stuff was something that Dave Roberts is expecting of his rotation, and Yamamoto was able to execute that plan on Saturday, per Courtney Hollmon of MLB.com.

Coming into the matchup, manager Dave Roberts had recently emphasized the importance of a pitcher navigating Major League lineups when they do not have their absolute best feel for their pitches, calling it a true indicator of a high-level starter. By adjusting after a challenging opening frame, Yamamoto executed exactly that strategy on Saturday night.

Andy Pages helped ensure that Yamamoto would get a lead to work with, and at the very least some run support, as he launched a go-ahead two-run home run to give the Dodgers a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Pages spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about Yamamoto’s performance, noting that they’re always surprised with what he’s able to accomplish on the mound.

“We know the caliber of player he is. We know what kind of level he’ll take it to each and every day. He keeps surprising us each time he goes out and takes a turn. It was really nice to see him do what he did tonight.”

Will Smith was a late scratch before Saturday’s game due to neck stiffness, but he is expected to be back in the lineup for the series finale, notes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

Just a few Myles away

Los Angeles professional sports teams have emerged as the winners of blockbuster trades and signings. The Dodgers did so with the signing of Shohei Ohtani;,the Lakers pulled off a heist for Luka Dončić, and the Rams recently completed a blockbuster trade to land the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns off the heals of breaking the single-season sack record.

Garrett was at Dodger Stadium to throw out the first pitch before Saturday’s win over the Angels, and he had a moment to talk with David Vassegh of AM 570 about getting acclimated to Los Angeles.

“There’s a lot of great energy buzzing around. I’m really appreciative because this is an awesome atmosphere for football.”

The Dodgers have set the new standard for winning in the city, and the Rams are hoping to bring back the Lombardi trophy at SoFi Stadium in 2027.

Today’s Reflections

Following a game like Friday’s where the Cubs were errorless on the field while seven pitchers combined for an 19-hitter, it’s refreshing to start off a Cub Tracks with Matthew Boyd’s story. And with the lineup changes and trade ultimatums discussed, it will be good to change those boos into cheers once and for all.

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Gordon Edes (Chicago Sun-Times): For Cubs pitcher Matt Boyd, relief is his true calling. “Boyd and wife Ashley treasure mission in Uganda, providing safe haven for potential child-traffic victims who previously lived with terror and despair.”

Hard to believe, but was it the boos that struck a nerve in Craig Counsell for Saturday’s lineup?

• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Boos rain down at Wrigley Field as Cubs continue to ‘muddle’ through the season. “Friday was an early sign that the Cubs won’t build off Thursday’s win. Things could actually get worse. The fans are getting restless and exceedingly tired of watching the same story unfold day after day.”
• Zachary Draves (Clutch Points): Craig Counsell makes Dansby Swanson decision amid his brutal season. “Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Dansby Swanson will take a few days off amid a series of struggles this season.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Craig Counsell finally delivers a lineup change that’s weeks overdue at this point. “Better late than never?”
• Cole Bair (Bleacher Nation): 50 To Figure, Pitch Lab Drab, Ben Brown Day, and Other Cubs Bullets. “ ….. This Cubs team has 50 games to figure enough things out if they want to provoke their President of Baseball Operations to add at the deadline.”

A move, some trade cautiousness, and an interesting analysis of the Cubs’ lineup:

• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Cubs Recall Javier Assad, Option Ethan Roberts. “Javier Assad is back.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ roller-coaster season continues: ‘We have to play better. That’s the priority’. “When asked about the importance of a particular game or stretch within a season, Cubs manager Craig Counsell has more than once told the story of a teammate he had during his playing career who arrived each day with the same mantra.”
• Brandon Glick (Cubbies Crib): Just in case you thought Jed had plans to act any differently. Cubs’ trade deadline reality gets harsh dose of truth with Jed Hoyer’s latest comments. “Cubs’ inconsistency, lockout fears seem destined to sway trade deadline action.”
• Matt Carlson (Daily Herald): Cubs president Jed Hoyer says talented team will break out of slump, but needs to do so soon. ““That Friday game in Texas, I thought we looked like World Series quality at-bats in that game and we played great,” Hoyer said. “We haven’t really played well since then.”
• Nick Deeds (Cubbies Crib): A reunion with a former Cubs trade deadline hit is the last thing this team needs. “This is one old friend who should remain a thing of the past.”
• Yirsandy Rodríguez (North Side Baseball): Swapping Kyle Tucker for Alex Bregman Has Led to A Bizarre Cubs Lineup Paradox. “Alex Bregman’s arrival seemed to signal a more balanced lineup, but Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong have fueled a very different transformation.”

Food For Thought:

Something a little different from the Blues side: As it says below, Buddy Guy is going to name his 10 favorite guitarists.

(I can’t make this stuff up) — The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. celebrated the upcoming FIFA World Cup by organizing the world’s largest game of human foosball. The May 23 event at Humber Polytechnic Lakeshore Campus West in Etobicoke involved 254 participants holding onto giant horizontal poles and attempting to kick a soccer ball into an oversized goal.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

Last week was certainly a weird one as the Colorado Rockies kicked off the month of June.

It started with the Rockies—fresh off of back-to-back wins and a series win against the San Francisco Giants—getting absolutely shellacked in the series finale.

It got odder as the week progressed.

The series opener with the Los Angeles Angels could easily be described as “wacky” in a battle of bad baseball. The Rockies committed four errors in a win where the Angels pitching staff walked ten batters, plunked two, but still tallied 11 strikeouts. The next day, Rockies Rookie of the Month TJ Rumfield hit a home run that bounced off the head of outfielder Jo Adell and over the wall. However, the home run was later changed to a four-base error later in the week.

After once again securing a series win against a California team, the Rockies coughed up more than ten runs in a loss during the series finale.

The Rockies then returned to Coors Field on Friday to start their current series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Heading into the ninth inning the game had been a tightly contested 3-1 pitcher’s duel where the Rockies had the lead and the Brewers had just one hit. Then closer Antonio Senzatela spiked a double play ball and somehow the game ended with a 9-7 Rockies loss in ten innings.

With Tanner Gordon shelved with a hip injury, Zach Agnos was called upon to make his second major league start on Saturday. The game ended as a blowout, though Agnos gave up just two earned runs in his three innings of work. The game was unfortunately highlighted by Tyler Freeman taking a 98.2 MPH cutter to the head and leaving the game. While Freeman is expected to be fine, he will likely land on the 7-day concussion list. Could this mean someone like Zac Veen might get called up?

We’ll find out later today as the Rockies wrap up their series against the Brewers on Dinger bobblehead day.

With that being said, here’s what our staff here at Purple Row had to say this week:

To Read: Rockpiles

• Monday:Making an All-Star case for Antonio Senzatela | Sam Bradfield
• Tuesday:Jake McCarthy finds his groove with the Rockies | Renee Dechert
• Wednesday:Attack angles help paint the picture of Rockies offensive profile | Skyler Timmins
• Thursday:How would the initial CBA proposals impact the Rockies? | Cory Cohen
• Friday:Troy Johnston’s .320 batting average is significant for Rockies | Joelle Milholm
• Saturday:Zac Veen, the Rockies, and what happens when hope and timeline diverge | James Riggenbach

To Read: News

• Rockies roster:Colorado Rockies announce pitching moves; promote TJ Shook | Sam Bradfield
• Weekly Pebble Report:Aidan Longwell embraces the challenge | Renee Dechert, Skyler Timmins, & Evan Lang
• Rockies news:TJ Rumfield named National League Rookie of the Month for May | Skyler Timmins
• Rockies minor league news:Catching chose Kyle McCann — and he’s been answering ever since | Eli Whitney
• Rockies news:Rockies beat reporter Patrick Saunders to leave Denver Post | Renee Dechert
• Rockies injuries:Colorado Rockies injury report, June 5, 2026 | Renee Dechert
• Rockies injuries: Tyler Freeman exits Rockies-Brewers game after being hit in head | Sam Bradfield

Weekly Discussion Topics

The games over the last week have ranged from sloppy, to ugly, to bizarre. What are some of your favorite or most notable weird, wild, wacky, or downright stupid games that you have watched? They can feature the Rockies, but could also be any other team. Let us know in the comments!

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

Let’s go Dodgers. High fives all around.

Because this time, with the newest historical exhibit at Dodger Stadium, the team got it right.

Amid all the historical installations and tributes in the open-air museum that is the Centerfield Plaza, and just a few feet from a Fernando Valenzuela mural, a new display honors Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, two former Dodgers outfielders who were the first and second professional baseball players to come out as gay.

It’s not a fleeting mention on Pride night, it’s a permanent record. A static reminder of progress made — and still to be made. And a much-deserved thank-you.

“It’ll be here tomorrow, it’ll be here on the weekend and if you come next month, it’ll be here,” said the Dodgers’ team historian Mark Langill, who pointed to a spot just down the hall where in 1976 he was an 11-year-old getting Burke’s autograph.

Baseball is steeped in such history. The personal, the statistical, the societal. And the Dodgers’ is incomplete without their stories — Burke’s and Bean’s.

But the Dodgers have not, of course, always gotten this stuff right.

In 1978, they did Burke wrong, trading him — he believed — after management learned he was gay.

In his three seasons in L.A., Burke had proved himself a capable reserve outfielder who was popular with his teammates.

As far as we know, in 1977, he was the first guy to initiate a high five — spontaneously reaching above his head to slap hands with Dusty Baker after the home run that made Baker the fourth Dodger, along with Ron Cey, Steve Garvey and Reggie Smith, to hit at least 30 home runs that season, a MLB first.

There’s a fantastic photo of the historic high five included in the tribute to Burke and Bean, which is situated on a hallway wall beneath the left-field bleachers, beside the “Dodger Dugout” augmented reality photo booth.

Burke was also the first guy in that Dodgers clubhouse to crack a joke when the team needed it, his former teammate Rick Monday said.

“When called upon, he could play really well,” Monday said before the Dodgers took the field against the Angels on Friday, when the Dodgers and many of their rainbow-sporting fans celebrated the team’s 13th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night. “And when we needed a moment of levity, Glenn was not afraid to come forward and put a smile on people’s face.”

But shortly before he died of AIDS in 1995 at 42, Burke published an autobiography, “Out at Home,” in which he described the team’s management being “afraid of my sexual orientation, even though I never flaunted it. To this day, the Dodgers deny trading me because I was gay. But it was painfully obvious.”

“Oh, what he had to deal with and keep it hid,” said Joyce Burke-Henderson, one of Glenn’s sisters at Friday’s pregame unveiling, where family members of both players gasped and cried and cheered the installation’s reveal.

“But as time went on, people did know. And then I think he came to the point where he just didn’t care and he just told it like it was.”

Burke came out in 1982, three years after playing his 225th and final big league game, in an Inside Sports article, “The Double Life of a Gay Dodger.”

“We just appreciate that now people are opening their eyes and just trusting in the Lord,” Burke-Henderson said Friday, “that things will go forward and work out and everybody will be loved regardless of their situation.”

The Dodgers first honored Burke in 2022, at their ninth Pride Night.

The next season, they made a mess of the Pride festivities, inviting and uninviting and then reinviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group known for its work in support of AIDS patients and whose members dress in drag, as nuns.

In 2023, the Dodgers also invited Bean — who was MLB’s senior vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He appeared in a pregame ceremony on the field while protesters gathered outside the stadium.

Bean died the next year, at 60, 11 months after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

Once a Northeast Santa Ana Little Leaguer, Bean became valedictorian at Santa Ana High, played for Loyola Marymount and went on to appear in 272 big-league games — including 51 for the Dodgers in 1989 — before abruptly walking away from baseball in 1995.

It got to be too much, he’d explain later, continuing to hustle to keep his baseball career afloat while keeping his sexuality secret, acutely aware of the blowback he’d get if it got out.

“For nine years,” he told the New York Times, “I felt as though I had one foot in the major leagues and one on a banana peel.”

“When he left baseball suddenly, I knew something was wrong,” Bean’s mother, Linda Kovac, said Friday, pausing to wipe away tears. “He was playing very well, it wasn’t like he was kicked out or anything. And it just didn’t make any sense.”

When Bean finally told his family he was gay, in 1996 — three years before clueing in an unsuspecting public via a Miami Herald article — none of his loved ones blinked. That included his stepfather, Ed Kovac, the homicide cop and former Marine who’d had a partner on the force who was gay.

“He worked with someone that he respected, side by side, on criminal cases,” Linda said. “We’re still friends with that guy.”

Knowing someone — or of someone — who is gay or lesbian has long tended to dispel falsehoods and quell fears that might exist.

“One of the most important things any one of us can do in our community is be out, to be proud,” said Greg Baker, Bean’s husband. “The fact that someone can be out in a world that typically doesn’t have a lot of role models of the same ilk, it’s a brave thing to stick your neck out. It’s also very important.”

And it’s not a surprise, Baker said, that more athletes aren’t out in sports like baseball. Not with Gallup polling released last week telling us that with public acceptance of same-sex marriage and relationships in the U.S. has flattened after two-plus decades of growing support — down from 71% to about 65%.

“I want to thank the Dodgers organization,” Baker said. “It’s brave of them in this day and age to spotlight someone in our community when other organizations are trying to erase us.”

The Dodgers have done the opposite, putting up a permanent marker. A long time coming, a tribute to last.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Triple-A: Gwinnett Stripers (ATL) 6, Norfolk Tides 4

Christian Herberholz pitched four innings and allowed six runs, though just three were earned. The Tides made three errors in the game, including two in the three-run fifth inning. Once and future Oriole Dietrich Enns pitched 2.1 scoreless innings. They were winning until that inning.

Creed Willems and José Barrero both hit solo home runs, while Bryan Ramos and Jud Fabian had two hits apiece from the bottom of the lineup. Willems has an .889 OPS in the season. The Tides had 10 hits pretty evenly spaced out. The only player without a hit was Heston Kjerstad.

Box Score

Double-A: Akron RubberDucks (CLE) 6, Chesapeake Baysox 1

Through four innings, Juaron Watts-Brown allowed three walks and a hit. He allowed one run in the third, but held his own. Then things fell apart in the fifth when he allowed three hits, all for extra bases. That includes a two-run homer and three runs total.

The offense also struggled, waiting until the bottom of the ninth to score the team’s only run. That run came on a single by Frederick Bencosme followed by an Aron Estrada double. Bencosme and Estrada had two hits. combining for four of the team’s six hits.

Box Score

High-A: Frederick Keys 8, Hudson Valley Renegades (NYY) 6

The Keys fell behind early, came back with a five-run third inning, blew the lead in the sixth, then went ahead for good in the seventh. A real back-and-forth affair!

Starter Yeiber Cartaya gave up three runs, one earned, in five innings. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. He gave up a solo home run in the second, then allowed two more in third after an error by Leandro Arias.

It was a good day for Victor Figueroa, who homered, doubled, and five RBI. Rehabbing Enrique Bradfield singled thrice and walked as the leadoff batter. Vance Honeycutt walked twice and didn’t strike out at all.

Box Score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 7, Augusta GreenJackets (ATL) 3

Christian Rodriguez pitched six innings and allowed just two runs. He did allow eight hits but didn’t walk a batter.

The game was tied 3-3 until a four-inning eighth. Stiven Martinez, Braylon Whitaker, and Juan Ortega doubled in the game. It was a two-hit game for Ortega and Whitaker. Elvin Garcia walked four times! Edwin Amparo reached twice with a single and a walk.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• Norfolk @ Gwinnett, 1:05. Starter: Yaqui Rivera
• Chesapeake vs Akron, 1:05. Starter: Evan Yates
• Frederick vs Hudson Valley, 3:00. Starter: JT Quinn
• Delmarva @ Augusta, 2:05. Starter: Denton Biller

Good morning, baseball fans!

Another week of San Francisco Giants baseball draws to a close today, so it’s time to pick our favorite highlights of the week!

If you know me, you know what I’m picking. I love a grand slam, if there’s a grand slam in the week I’m picking it. This week, Eric Haase did the honors in Thursday’s 12-9 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

What was your favorite highlight of the week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants wrap up this series against the Chicago Cubs tonight at 5:30 p.m. PT.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 0-5 at Syracuse Mets

SS George Lombard Jr. 1-4, 2 K, 1 SB
RF Oswaldo Cabrera 2-4, 1 K
DH Yanquiel Fernández 0-4, 1 K
3B Tyler Hardman 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K, throwing error
1B Seth Brown 0-4, 2 K
2B Jonathan Ornelas 1-4, 1 K
LF Ernesto Martinez Jr. 1-3, 1 2B, 1 K
CF Kenedy Corona 1-3, 1 2B, 1 SB
C Abrahan Gutierrez 0-3

Adam Kloffenstein 6 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR (loss)
Peter Strzelecki 1 IP, 0 R, 3 K
Zach Messinger 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 5-2 at Harrisburg Senators

DH Jackson Castillo 1-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 CS
CF Garrett Martin 0-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB
1B Coby Morales 1-4, 2 RBI, 3 K
LF DJ Gladney 2-4, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 K, 1 HR
2B Connor McGinnis 0-3, 1 BB, 3 K
C Manuel Palencia 0-4, 3 K
3B Kevin Verde 1-4, 2 K, throwing error
SS Owen Cobb 0-4, 1 K
RF Cole Gabrielson 2-3, 2 R, 1 K

Kyle Carr 5 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 3 BB, 9 K, 1 HR (win) — 27 strikeouts in 17 innings over his last three starts
Matt Keating 0.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB (hold)
Chris Veach 1.2 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (hold)
Ben Grable 1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K (hold)
Will Brian 0.2 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 6-8 at Frederick Keys

SS Kaeden Kent 4-5, 1 2B, 1 K
3B Core Jackson 0-5, 1 R, 1 K
DH Eric Genther 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K
1B Kyle West 1-3, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RF Wilson Rodriguez 0-4, 3 K
2B Roderick Arias 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 K, 1 SB — got on the board first with a second-inning blast
C Josue Gonzalez 0-4, 1 K
LF Josh Moylan 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
CF Camden Troyer 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Chase Hampton 3 IP, 5 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
Tanner Bauman 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K
Thomas Balboni Jr. 1 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K (loss, blown save)
Aaron Nixon 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K
Bryce Warrecker 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 4-3 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals

SS Jackson Lovich 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 2-4, 1 R, 2 K
2B Hans Montero 1-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB, fielding error
RF Logan Maxwell 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
C Luis Puello 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
CF Willy Montero 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
LF JoJo Jackson 1-4, 1 2B, 3 K
DH Ediel Rivera 0-2, 1 RBI, 1 K
1B John Cristino 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 K

Tyler Boudreau 7 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HR (win)
Luis Velasquez 1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (hold)
Pedro Rodriguez 1 IP, 0 R (save)

Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 8-1 (7) vs. FCL Tigers

3B Richard Matic 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
CF Wilberson De Pena 1-3, 1 BB, 1 CS
DH Queni Pineda 1-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
2B Leni Done 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB
C David McCann 0-1, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
PR-LF Diego Flores 1-1, 1 R
RF Estivenzon Montero 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
SS Dexters Peralta 2-3, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R — grand slam in the first to put it to bed early, plus another homer late
1B-C Justin Capellan 0-1, 2 BB, 1 SB, 1 CS
LF-1B Christofer Reyes 1-2, 1 BB

Sabier Marte 4.1 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 5 K
Kevin Stevens 1.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 K (win)
Alexander Almonte 1 IP, 0 R, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Yankees:L, 8-11 at DSL Rangers Red

CF Isaias Castillo 2-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 2 K, 1 SB
2B Stiven Marinez 1-5, 1 R, 1 SB, fielding error
RF Yostin Pena 1-5, 1 RBI, 1 K
SS Juan Torres 3-5, 1 2B, 1 R, throwing error
C Cesar Lopez 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3B Abrahan Pichardo 0-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K
DH Juan Martinez 3-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 2 SB
LF Eliezer Adames 1-4, 1 RBI, 3 K
1B Jose Peralta 1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K throwing error

Victor De Leon 1.2 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB
Freddy Lopez 2.2 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Cesar Vivanco 1 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 BB (loss, blown save)
Emanuel Vargas 2.1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Brandon Rodriguez 0.1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 HR

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 14-15 (10) vs. DSL Mets Orange

2B Dariel Santana 1-4, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 SB
SS Mani Cedeno 0-5, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
DH Carlos Bello 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 K, 2 SB
RF David Carrera 0-3, 1 RBI, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 CS
C Alessandro Rodriguez 1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB
C Jesus Guerrero 0-0
3B Germayhoni Beltre 1-4, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K
LF Richard Meran 0-4, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
1B Stalen Ramirez 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
CF Alfiery Matos 0-4, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 CS

Carlos Hampshire 2.2 IP, 7 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Jhon Castro 0.1 IP, 4 R, 2 H, 4 BB
Lenin Caceres 1.1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Mauricio Vargas 2.1 IP, 0 R, 4 K
Josue Silvestre 2.1 IP, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K
John Rosillo 1 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 HR (loss)

A look at The Times’ All-Star baseball team:

Pitcher, Julian Garcia, St. John Bosco, Sr.: The Long Beach State commit threw a one-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts in the Southern Section Division 1 final and finished 9-1 with a 0.80 ERA.

Pitcher, Jordan Ayala, Norco, Jr.: Ayala was 8-2 with a 0.74 ERA, including a shutout of Orange Lutheran in the Division 1 quarterfinals.

Utility, Logan Schmidt, Ganesha, Sr.: In his only season playing high school baseball, the Louisiana State commit went 9-0 while allowing one earned run in 60 innings and batted over .500 in leading his team to a Division 2 title.

Catcher, Carson Sheffer, Oaks Christian, Sr.: The Oklahoma State commit batted .440 with 14 doubles and five home runs while also showing off strong defensive skills.

Infielder, James Tronstein, Harvard-Westlake, Sr.: The Vanderbilt commit had 52 hits, a .531 batting average and 10 home runs as the Mission League MVP.

Infielder, Dylan Seward, Norco, Jr.: The Tennessee commit batted .436 with 48 hits and 29 RBIs.

Infielder, Jack Champlin, St. John Bosco, Sr.: The UC Irvine commit and Trinity League MVP led the two-time Division 1 champions with a .390 batting average and 31 RBIs while repeatedly delivering clutch hits.

Infielder, Trey Ebel, Corona, Sr.: The Texas A&M commit got hot in the final month and finished with a .417 average, 45 hits and 47 RBIs.

Read more:Complete coverage: The Times' 2026 All-Star baseball and softball teams

Outfielder, Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach, Sr.: The expected first-round draft pick led the team with 42 hits, including 10 doubles, and also was an ace on the mound for the Sunset League champions and Division I regional champions.

Outfielder, Blake Bowen, JSerra, Sr.: The possible first-round MLB draft pick batted .360 with nine home runs and seven stolen bases.

Outfielder, Mattias Di Maggio, Dos Pueblos, Fr.: He set a school record with 11 home runs and struck out only once in 84 at-bats while batting .500 with 42 hits and nine doubles.

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

A look at the Los Angeles Times’ 2026 All-Star softball team:

Pitcher, Liliana Escobar, JSerra, Sr.: The Florida commit helped lead the Lions to their first Southern Section Division 1 title with a 1.25 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 146 innings.

Pitcher, Peyton May, Norco, Sr.: The Oklahoma State commit went 12-1 with 130 strikeouts in 83 innings.

Utility, Lily Hauser, Murrieta Mesa Sr.: The Arizona commit batted .542 with 52 hits and was 17-0 as a pitcher with a 0.25 ERA.

Catcher, Annabel Raftery, JSerra, So.: An A student and top defensive player, Raftery also hit .429 with 12 home runs for the Division 1 champions.

Infielder, Mia Camacho, Whittier Christian, Jr.: The Rutgers commit delivered clutch hits for the Division 2 champions, finishing with a .544 average, including 49 hits and 17 home runs.

Read more:Complete coverage: The Times' 2026 All-Star baseball and softball teams

Infielder, Kelsey Luderer, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, So.: The Mission League MVP batted .514 with 40 RBIs.

Infielder, Savannah Gonzalez, Norco, Jr.: The Cal Baptist commit batted .493 with four home runs and 20 RBIs.

Infielder, Riley Hilliard, La Mirada, Jr. : The Oklahoma commit helped her team reach the Division 1 final, finishing with a .568 average, 33 RBIs, 14 doubles and 10 home runs.

Outfielder, Shea Gonzalez, Villa Park, Sr.: The Washington commit had 59 hits, 40 stolen bases and was the Freeway League player of the year.

Outfielder, Aubrey McLaughlin, Eastvale Roosevelt, Sr.: The UCLA commit and left-handed power hitter batted .494 with 14 home runs and was intentionally walked nine times.

Outfielder, Zoe Justman, Granada Hills, Sr.: The UC Santa Barbara commit batted .521 with 49 hits and 40 RBIs for the City Section Open Division runner-ups.

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Tanner Bibee finally got some run support and a win against the Rangers.

Zach has your recap here. The series rubber match today features Joey Cantillo vs. Jacob deGrom. Then, the Guardians come back home to play the Yankees again on Monday.

Michael Baumann has an interesting article for FanGraphs about how contracts formerly seen as immovable are probably no longer immovable.

AROUND MLB:

Josh Naylor has been doing silly things like throwing his sliding glove into the catcher and the Tigers responded by throwing a 97 mph fastball at his head.

That’s bush league. Hit him on the butt. Or, as the Guardians do, get him out.

The Tigers lost that game, the White Sox won, and the Royals beat the Twins.

That loss is the perfect embodiment of a loss. Everything kind of stunk, so they just move on.

On to the link.

Phillies news:

• I always hate this cliche, but maybe the best thing the Phillies could get at the deadline is Trea Turner performing well.
• Jhoan Duran is giving the Phillies a show in the ninth inning like they have never seen before ($).

MLB news:

• During this deadline, teams need to show a little gumption. Go trade for Tarik Skubal like it’s CC Sabathia circa 2008.
• Jacob Misiorowski broke his own record by throwing the fastest pitch recorded by a starting pitcher.
• Seattle has several good starting pitchers that would bring back a solid return in a trade. However, it’s unlikely they deal from that depth.

All good things must come to an end, they say, and that applies to the Detroit Tigers as well. On Saturday afternoon, their four-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Seattle Mariners, who used some hard contact to hand Keider Montero and Co. a 4-0 loss at Comerica Park.

Never fear, the Motor City Kitties still have a chance to win their second-straight series on Sunday afternoon, but they will have to do it with right-hander Jack Flaherty on the mound. The good news is that the 30-year-old’s last start against the Tampa Bay Rays was a tidy one, shutting out his opponent over five innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out six for his first win of the season — an 8-0 triumph in St. Pete.

Flaherty’s last appearance against Seattle came in the ALDS Game 5 last September, in which he tossed a pair of scoreless, hitless frames during the 13th and 14th innings en route to a 3-2 team loss. He also started Game 3, but fared quite a bit worse, surrendering four runs (three earned) on four hits (one home run) and three walks while striking out six across 3 1/3 innings in an 8-4 loss.

For the Mariners, fellow righty Luis Castillo will take the mound for his 10th start of the season. Two of the 33-year-old’s last appearances have come in relief, including his most recent outing in which he earned a blown save and a win after giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five frames against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Seattle.

Similarly to Flaherty, Castillo faced Detroit twice in the ALDS last fall — once as a starter and as a reliever. Across those two appearances, he held the Tigers to just one hit and four walks while striking out four over six scoreless frames, both resulting in team wins.

Here is how the two matchup in Sunday afternoon’s series finale.

Detroit Tigers (26-39) vs. Seattle Mariners (34-31)

Time (ET): 1:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Lookout Landing
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 66: RHP Jack Flaherty (1-7, 5.31 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Castillo (2-5, 5.53 ERA)

FLAHERTY

CASTILLO