BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 01: Jacob Young #30 reacts after scoring on a three-run home run hit by James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 01, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After the 4th inning brawl last night, there was only one team up for the fight the rest of the series. That team was the Washington Nationals, who totally outclassed the Red Sox following that dust up. At one point, the Nats were out scoring the Sox 18-0 post brawl before the Red Sox got a couple runs in garbage time.
Since Willson Contreras charged the mound last night:
It is unusual to have such a clear turning point in a three game regular season series, but that is exactly what happened here. At the time of the Contreras vs Cavalli fight, the Red Sox were winning 1-0. However, the Nats ended up taking control of that contest and dominated from start to finish in this one.
As they tend to do, the Nats offense set the tone early. Against young Red Sox ace Payton Tolle, a pair of right handed bats got to him. Curtis Mead started the fun with a triple in the gap. After that, we got a homer from an unlikely character.
Today felt like a pretty important game for Andres Chaparro. With a batting average well below .200 and no homers, the heat was turning up on the 27 year old first baseman. He responded in a big way, destroying a Tolle heater and sending it over the Green Monster.
The Nats had a chance to make that first inning a monstrous frame, but ended up having to settle for two. However, they kept the pressure on Tolle all afternoon. Even in the innings where they did not score, the offense was really making Tolle work. On a hot day in Boston, the big lefty began to fade.
A big turning point in the game actually came in the bottom of the third. The Red Sox had a rally going against opener Brad Lord. With runners on first and third, Blake Butera wisely pulled his opener and went to Andrew Alvarez, the bulk man. Alvarez rewarded his manager right away, inducing a double play on the first pitch he threw.
That set up the 4th inning where the Nats really began to run away with it. If the Andres Chaparro home run was surprising, Nasim Nunez going yard was a stunner. Nunez has provided value on the bases and in the field, and has even been hitting better lately. However, he did not have a home run all year despite playing most of the games. He changed that in a big way though, clubbing a first pitch fastball over the monster.
Nasim Nuñez hits his first home run of the season in his 281st plate appearance! pic.twitter.com/480uIXTiXs
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 1, 2026
Tolle really began to labor after that, giving up a hit and walking a pair. After that his day was done. Even with a new pitcher on the mound, the Nats went right back to work. They made it a massive inning thanks to knocks by Luis Garcia Jr. and Jacob Young to stretch the lead to 7-0.
From there it was real smooth sailing for the Nats. Andrew Alvarez was sitting down Red Sox hitters with his sharp breaking balls, while the Nats offensive machine kept humming. They had good at bats all game long, and eventually had another homer, this time from a usual suspect in James Wood.
This was one of the more emotional series wins of the year. It further reinforced the idea that the Nats are back after the Phillies disaster. Turning the tides of the series after that brawl was also a great thing to see. That fight seemed to bring the team together and lock them in.
Tomorrow the boys have a much deserved off day, but it is back to business after that. They will face off against the Pirates on July 4th weekend in what should be an exciting series. The Nats and Pirates are right next to each other in the standings, so that series should be hotly contested. I can’t wait to see what unfolds, but this was one heck of a series win for the Nats.
Despite having just four hits and being shut out through the first eight innings, the Yankees had multiple chances to come away with a win late in Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
After scoring a couple of runs to tie the game at 2-2 in the ninth, the Yankees had Anthony Volpe thrown out trying to steal second base for a pivotal second out. In the 10th, New York had a runner at third with one out (the game-winning run), but Oswaldo Cabrera and Ali Sanchez both went down swinging.
In the 11th, Camilo Doval had two outs with a runner on third, but he followed an intentional walk with two more walks, and things snowballed from there.
“Tough one… had chances in the ninth and certainly in the 10th to put it away and weren’t able to do it,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “Then we get two outs and man on third there (in the 11th) and ahead 0-2 with (Hao-Yu) Lee and can’t get back in the zone.
“Obviously, a tough one going into the off day, but we’ve got to get over it and start playing better baseball.”
The Yankees also committed a pair of errors (Sanchez and Austin Wells), and Jose Caballero missed the cutoff man on throws from the outfield on multiple occasions.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., back in the lineup after colliding with Jasson Dominguez on Monday, made an impact with a couple of hits and a couple of steals while also scoring the tying run in the ninth inning on a wild pitch. He says the club still believes in itself, but they need to clean things up.
“I feel like we’ve just got to lock in, do all the small stuff,” he said. “We make a lot of mistakes and I feel like we beat ourselves.”
Chisholm later added: “We know that we’re a good team, we know that we have a lot of bumps in the road right now and have a lot of people down, but at the end of the day, we still believe in ourselves and believe in our teammates… we’ve just got to be better and focus more.”
After being swept by the Red Sox in a four-game series, the Yankees followed up with three more losses to Detroit.
They’ll host Minnesota on Friday on the other side of an off day, and Boone knows his club needs to play better.
“It’s been a terrible week for us, there’s no way of sugarcoating it,” said the skipper. “We’re capable of way more, obviously. Look, you’re going to have stretches where it’s tough, where you’re missing some guys, but this was a really difficult week for us offensively, and coupled with not playing clean enough and taking care of the ball well enough, that’s what you get. You get an awful weak.
“Hopefully we regroup on this off day and start playing better baseball this weekend.”
Mets reliever Joey Gerber exited Wednesday’s 9-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays with a blister on his right finger, interim manager Andy Green confirmed after the game.
In his first inning of work, Gerber worked around a leadoff walk for an 11-pitch fifth, and after getting the first man of the sixth on five pitches, the trainer was called upon.
Entering Wednesday's game, Gerber had pitched six innings on the year over four outings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.
The Los Angeles Dodgers go for the sweep of the Athletics on Wednesday night in Sacramento.
Having won seven of their last eight games, L.A. is the favorite (-163) in the betting market.
That being said, my Dodgers vs. A’s predictions and MLB picks for Wednesday, July 1, think there’s value with the A’s (+152) given their starting pitching advantage.
Who will win Dodgers vs A's today: Athletics (+152)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have opted to push back Shohei Ohtani’s start to Friday, leaving them in a precarious pitching situation for today’s series finale.
Charlie Barnes is expected to get the start, and neither his 6.14 xERA across 43 career Big League innings nor his 1.59 WHIP at Triple-A inspire confidence. The bullpen behind him has a below-average 4.12 SIERA in the last 14 days.
J.T. Ginn (3.93 xERA) gives the Athletics a starting pitching advantage. With L.A. having already wrapped up the series, I’ll back the A’s at home up to +145.
COVERS INTEL:With winds of 8–10 mph blowing out to dead center on a warm, sunny day in Sacramento, J.T. Ginn will look to keep the ball out of the air with his 74th-percentile groundball rate.
Dodgers vs A's Over/Under pick: Over 10.5 (-128)
Both of the first two games of this series went Over the total, moving the Athletics to 26-15-2 O/U at home.
Barnes has an unseemly 75 Stuff+ that would rank 289th out of 290 pitchers to have started a game in the MLB. The A’s rank ninth in wRC+ (102) against southpaws and should inflict damage.
The Dodgers’ lineup is fully operational with Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman back healthy and Mookie Betts resembling his former self (202 wRC+ since June 19).
There’s reason to expect supple offensive output from both teams at Sutter Health Park (110 Park Factor).
JD Yonke's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 24-23, -3.41 units
Over/Under bets: 32-15, +16.40 units
Dodgers vs A's weather
Dodgers vs A's odds
Moneyline: Los Angeles -160 | Athletics +156
Run line: Los Angeles -1.5 (+100) | Athletics +1.5 (-102)
Over/Under: Over 10.5 (-122) | Under 10.5 (-109)
Dodgers vs A's trend
The Atheltics are 12-5 in J.T. Ginn’s last 17 starts. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. A's.
How to watch Dodgers vs A's and game info
Location
Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento, CA
Date
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
First pitch
9:40 p.m. ET
TV
SNLA, NBCSCA
Dodgers starting pitcher
Charlie Barnes (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
A's starting pitcher
J.T. Ginn (6-4, 3.15 ERA)
Dodgers vs A's latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 29: Hao-Yu Lee #50 of the Detroit Tigers runs to first base after hitting a 2-run scoring single during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For a moment, we had hope. The Yankees came back in the bottom of the ninth inning, showing exactly the kind of fight and fire that has been so absent over the last week. They closed a two-run deficit in genuinely exciting fashion. Then the floor fell out from under them, they lost their seventh straight, and suffered their second straight sweep. Tigers 6, Yankees 2 is your final in 11 innings.
Let’s start with Will Warren, and you can tell that he came in with a defined gameplan. The Tigers are a dead-red fastball hitting team, and his career-high 29 percent changeup usage was deliberate in getting Detroit hitters out in front of the plate. For the most part it worked, with 15 whiffs leading to seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched. Warren is not your ace, on net you take that kind of start. It was Warren’s best start since May 31st, even if he never really seems to be driving the game in the way that certain other pitchers can just take over.
We have a couple easy takes here, stuff that’s in the dirt or on the toe, but that cluster down and just off the plate against righties should be an interesting watch in Warren’s next start. His changeup has been far better than his slider so far this season — indeed the offspeed is the only pitch besides Will’s four-seam that has a positive run value — and he’s using it just nine percent of the time. The pitches obviously have different uses but you wonder about him using today as a lesson and incorporating it into his repertoire more.
He got touched up by Kevin McGonigle for the rookie’s seventh homer of the season, and got into some trouble in the sixth allowing multiple Tigers to reach. Riley Greene brought in a second run with a sac fly ending Warren’s day, but the bullpen managed to limit damage the rest of the day. He doesn’t inspire me or make me think “dang, Warren’s on the hill, we got this,” but it was perfectly representative of a decent MLB pitcher today. The problem for most of the game was the Yankee B- lineup was about as bad today as the C lineup was yesterday.
They didn’t get their third hit until the eighth inning, a single from pinch-hitter Spencer Jones — the IV must have done its job. José Caballero followed with a single of his own to put multiple men on for the first time all game. Oswaldo Cabrera’s sac bunt was the right call, bringing Ben Rice to the plate with one out and two men in scoring position… only to go down swinging. Jasson Domínguez lined a ball to center to end the inning.
Things did pick up in the ninth, at least. Take it away, Amed Rosario:
After that, Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored a run all by himself. Beating out an infield single, Jazz stole second and third on consecutive pitches. A pitch bounced in front of the plate gave Chisholm the chance to scamper home and we were all tied up.
Anthony Volpe had an infield single of his own, before being tossed out trying to steal second, Spencer Jones flew out, and off to extra innings we went. Fernando Cruz managed to navigate the top of the tenth, surviving his own terrifying wild pitch to get the Yankees in the position to walk it off. Caballero’s sac bunt got Manfred Man Spencer Jones into scoring position, but neither Cabrera nor Ali Sánchez, batting after Detroit intentionally put Ben Rice on, could cash.
Enter Camilo Doval, and the Tigers put up four runs despite making two outs immediately. I don’t want to go into details because I thoroughly, thoroughly detest so many things about the person Doval is on a baseball diamond, but it involved a multitude of walks issued. I’m sure he is a pleasant dining companion and he uses his left and right turn signals but I would like him to not be on this team anymore. Sánchez added a throwing error for good measure, the team’s second of the day and 69474th of the last week.
The Yankees do not play a baseball game tomorrow, but I am somewhat convinced they will still find a way to lose. The Minnesota Twins come to town on Friday, and while that’s usually a salve for whatever ills the club, the way the team is playing right now it’s hard to get excited even about New York’s personal punching bag. First pitch of a new series comes at 7:05 p.m. Eastern Friday night.
Jul 1, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Camilo Doval (75) reacts after walking Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) with the baes loaded to drive in the game winning run during the eleventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
After a pair of home-run-saturated wins to start a three-game series in the Bronx, the Tigers looked to complete the sweep on a swelteringly-hot Wednesday afternoon. It took a couple of extra innings, and the drama was a little too much to bear at times, but the Tigers managed to pull off the sweep, winning 6-2 in 11 innings.
Troy Melton made his seventh start of the year for the Tigers. His previous two outings went six innings and saw him give up a single run each time. His previous start, at home against the Astros, saw him retire the first sixteen batters in a row before eight-hole hitter Taylor Trammell hit a solo home run. The one before that, against the White Sox, was almost as good: he surrendered a solo home run to the first batter he saw, and gave up no more hits (although he did walk three).
Facing the Tigers was righty Will Warren, who was making his seventeenth start of the year. He’s been good overall, in his second full season in the major leagues; he led the American League last year in games started with 33, and finshed eighth in Rookie of the Year voting. He got roughed-up in his last start in Fenway Park, though, and quite a few of his recent starts have seen him exit before the fifth inning. He definitely walks more batters than Yankee fans would like to see, and that’ll help shorten an outing.
Dillon Dingler, naturally, got on base with a double with one out in the top of the first. He advanced to third on a Kerry Carpenter groundout, but Riley Greene struck out to end the inning. Similarly, Melton gave up a leadoff single to Ben Rice, but he was stranded on first as the third out was made.
In the top of the third, Kevin McGonigle found a fastball he liked, and smacked it a long way over the bullpen in right-centrefield for a 1-0 Tiger lead.
Meanwhile, Melton kept rolling: he gave up a two-out double to Jazz Chisolm Jr. in the fourth, then struck out the next three batters he faced.
The Tigers added to their lead in the sixth: Dingler led off with a single, then took third on a Carpenter single, who himself skooched up to second when the outfielder’s throw sailed over the cutoff man. Greene hit a sacrifice fly to the wall in left field, scoring Dingler to make it 2-0.
Carpenter smartly advanced to third, seeing that Cody Bellinger in left field had caught the ball rather flat-footed and wouldn’t be able to get a good throw to third base. After Colt Keith struck out, Spencer Torkelson walked, but Zach McKinstry hit a sharp comebacker to the mound and the third out was recorded at first base.
After two quick outs in the bottom of the sixth, Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter paid Melton a visit on the mound to discuss how to pitch to Bellinger. Whatever they talked about seemed to work, as Bellinger struck out on a 1-2 cutter, and that officially made three straight starts that Melton had made it through six innings with two or fewer hits, and one or no runs surrendered. Seeing as how he was cruising, and his pitch count was at a comfortable 81 he didn’t get the ol’ handshake, meaning he’d come out to start the seventh.
After Melton got one out in the seventh, he was told his job was done for the day, and Drew Sommers was brought in to face the lefty Chisolm, and he struck him out on a drop-down sidearm slider. (Remember years ago when pitchers would occasionally drop down sidearm to give a different look? They don’t seem to do that much anymore.) Anyway, Melton’s final line was 6 1/3 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, and holy moly, that is lovely. Sommers coaxed a grounder to short for the final out of the seventh, and the Tigers were six outs away from a sweep… theoretically.
Drew “The Other One” Anderson came on for the eighth and he got into, and out of, a jam. A pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt (more on this in a minute) put runners on second and third with one out. But Anderson got Rice to strike out on three pitches — the final one swinging a 99-mph heater right down the middle — and then Jasson Dominguez followed with a screaming line drive to centre… which was caught by James “The Third” Outman.
Now, about bunts… some people love ‘em. Some people hate ‘em. My opinion is that their use should be extremely limited: by a home team in extra innings in a tie game with a runner on second (more on this in a minute), and maybe in a first-and-second, no-out situation. But that’s it, other than trying to bunt for a base hit. The revised Run Expectancy Matrix suggests that the latter case, on average, decreases expected run scoring — but you also have to take into account who’s at bat, who’s behind him, the game situation, and so on.
In the top of the ninth the Tigers went 1-2-3 against two different pitchers, so we’d go to the end with a two-run lead, a narrow margin in the Bronx Bandbox. Too narrow, as we shall see.
Anderson carried on into the ninth and gave up a one-out solo home run to Amed Rosario to make it a 2-1 game. Chisolm reached first on a ground ball that clanked off Torkelson’s glove, and he stole second on the first pitch. He stole third on the next pitch — pay attention, Drew! — and the infield drew in tight. Anderson yanked a changeup into the dirt, the wild pitch scored Chisolm, and the score was tied. Anthony Volpe hit a comebacker that Anderson couldn’t handle for an infield single, and he tried to steal second but came off the bag and McKinstry kept the glove on him. A popup to third base was the final out of the inning, and we’d go to extras.
With one out in the top of the tenth, McKinstry — who was on second — took third on a very wild pitch. Jake Rogers struck out for the second out, bringing up McGonigle… who flew out to right.
Keider Montero came in for the bottom of the tenth as he begins a stint in the bullpen, and Spencer Jones started the inning on second base. The Yankees came a-buntin’, and Jones advanced to third with one out. That pulled the outfielders in comically shallow, and Oswaldo Cabrera struck out for the second out. Rice was up next and he was intentionally walked so Montero could face Ali Sanchez, who he struck out to send the game into the eleventh.
Camilo Duval, armed with a 103-mph fastball, was brought in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh. McGonigle started the inning on second, and he moved up to third on a Dingler groundout to second. Matt Vierling followed with a grounder to a drawn-in shortstop for the second out, and Greene was intentionally walked to bring up Hao-Yu Lee with runners on the corners. Greene moved up to second uncontested, and Lee walked on a wild slider to load the bases for Torkelson. The count went full, and Torkelson held off on a low sinker for the bases-loaded walk and a 3-2 lead. McKinstry was up next, and he poked a single into right; Greene and Lee scored, and after a wild throw by the Yankee catcher to second to try to nab McKinstry at second, Torkelson scored as well for a 6-2 lead.
Montero carried on into the bottom of the eleventh and slammed the door with a 1-2-3 inning, and that completed the sweep. Huge performance from Keider Montero. That was nice, wasn’t it?
In case you missed it, Will Vest was placed on the Injured List with the dreaded “elbow inflammation.” Could this be the explanation behind his shaky performance so far this season, and especially lately? The Tigers are confident that it’s not a ligament issue, though, which is good news.
Jake Rogers hit 21 home runs in 2023. That isn’t news, of course, but given his struggles at the plate in recent years, that just seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?
When looking up information about Will Warren, I saw there was a pitcher in the Negro National League from 1945-47 named Warren Peace. No word on whether or not he was into extremely long books.
Happy Canada Day, everyone! On this day in 1867, after some people here asked the UK politely if they could run things themselves, the UK said, “Sure, why not? But we want you to keep the current king or queen on your coins. Could you do that for us?” We agreed to that, and a country was born.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 19, 2026: Keyner Martinez #48 of the San Francisco Giants throws a pitch during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Cincinnati Reds at Scottsdale Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
All seven of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Tuesday, with the A-ball teams all beginning a new series. So let’s jump straight into the excitement!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
The only news on the farm is that High-A Eugene teammates Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) were named to the All-Star Futures Game roster. Congrats to both!
AAA Sacramento (44-35)
Sacramento River Cats beat the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) 10-5 Box score
A great day of offense for the River Cats, who saw 8 of their 14 hits go for extra bases. There were tons of strong performances, but the best ones belonged to catcher Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) and left fielder Scott Bandura.
June was a rough month for Rodríguez, though he certainly ended it in style. He opened the month by getting optioned on June 1, ending his debut MLB stint. From there, he really struggled, not just with the bat (which was uncharacteristic), but also behind the dish (a bit more expected). The recently-turned 24-year old surely took notice when the Giants had a hole at catcher and decided to roster Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL), rather than bring Rodríguez back up.
But whether his future is as a catcher or a utility player, no one can deny the talent that remains in Rodríguez’s bat, and he showed it off on Tuesday when he hit 3-5 with a solo home run, a double, 3 runs batted in, and a strikeout. Luis Arráez wasn’t the only person in the organization to finish just shy of the cycle yesterday!
Hopefully that can jump-start the righty, as, even with that strong day, he posted just a .691 OPS in June, bringing him down to a .779 OPS and a 106 wRC+ on the year.
As for Bandura, it’s been a slow adjustment to AAA following a fairly early promotion this year. But, like Rodríguez, he has so much potential with his bat, and showed that off in this game, hitting 2-3 with a 2-run home run, a walk, a sacrifice fly, a stolen base, and a strikeout. A little bit of everything!
The lefty has been swinging the bat better lately, and in the final 5 games of June hit 6-17 with 4 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and just 2 strikeouts. He only has a .682 OPS and a 77 wRC+ through 35 games at the level, but there’s plenty to be excited about, including a very nice 19.5% strikeout rate, and some quality defense across the grass.
Recently-outrighted right fielder Will Brennan hit 2-4 with a double and a walk, while first baseman Jake Holton hit 2-5 with a pair of doubles, and do-everything third baseman Thomas Gavello went 2-3 with a triple, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base.
On the mound, LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) made his 5th AAA start since getting promoted, and was solid if certainly not spectacular. Whitman went 6 innings and gave up 6 hits (including a home run to rehabbing Major Leaguer Luis Campusano), 2 walks, and 3 runs, though he only struck out 3 batters. Whitman certainly wasn’t at his sharpest, as evidenced by throwing just 56 of 94 pitches for strikes, but the Giants have to love his ability to get deep into games. He’s pitched into the 6th inning in 4 of his 5 starts with Sacramento, and has finished it twice. That’s been something they’ve been lacking at the AAA level. On the whole, the 24-year old has a 4.23 ERA and a 5.40 FIP since his promotion, with just 6 walks allowed in 27.2 innings.
A rough outing for rehabbing RHP Jason Foley, who gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs, while only recording 1 out. Foley has been struggling during his rehab, which certainly puts the Giants in a little bit of a predicament. We’ll have to wait to see what they do there.
Veteran RHP Michael Fulmer pitched a perfect 9th inning with 2 strikeouts, and needed just 9 pitches to do it. His stuff isn’t particularly exciting, but he has a 3.38 ERA, a 3.33 FIP, and 12.7 strikeouts per 9 innings; that’s valuable depth in AAA.
A really nice day on the mound for RHP Trystan Vrieling, who has had an up-and-down season. The 2022 3rd-rounder, who came to the Giants in the Camilo Doval trade a year ago, cruised through 6 innings, giving up just 2 hits and 1 run, though he did walk 3 and commit an error, while only striking out 3 batters. Still: that’s a great start!
Vrieling, a 25-year old who didn’t debut until 2024, is back in AA after spending virtually the entire 2025 season there, and so far the results haven’t been encouraging. While the ERA is down ever so slightly (from 4.74 to 4.45), the FIP is up dramatically (4.37 to 5.81), and the strikeouts are down a tad (8.6 per 9 to 8.5). Most concerningly, the walks have spiked, from 3.4 per 9 innings to 6.7. There’s a lot of work to be done there, though Tuesday was a reminder as to why he was a high draft pick in the first place.
Another great showing from RHP Christian Alvarado, as the 31-year old settles back into affiliated ball for the first time since 2019, when he topped out in AA with the Orioles. He struck out a pair of batters while picking up the save, and issuing just 1 baserunner on a walk. Since signing with the Giants, Alvarado has allowed just 3 baserunners in 4 shutout innings, with 8 strikeouts. My guess is we see him in AAA at some point in the second half of the season.
In the batter’s box, third baseman Charlie Szykowny had a very nice 26th birthday, hitting 2-4 with a 2-run home run and a strikeout. The dinger was his 11th of the year, which moved him into a tie for 3rd place on the farm, behind only sluggers Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) and Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL).
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 30, 2026
Szykowny ended the month in style, as it was his second straight game with 2 hits and a home run. That’s got to feel good considering the slump he was in before that pair of games: in his prior 9 games, he was 2-34 with 0 home runs and 18 strikeouts. With that, the lefty is down to a .793 OPS and a 106 wRC+, but hopefully he can build on these games.
Left fielder Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit 2-4 with a double. He didn’t have a very strong June, but ends it with a 4-game hitting streak, and still has a very nice .860 OPS and 130 wRC+ on the year. Like his teammate Davidson, Harber has excellent numbers but the Giants likely want to see contact and swing decision improvements before moving him up to AAA. But then again, the Giants don’t really do anything developmentally the way I expect, so maybe that pair will be headed to Sacramento imminently!
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 30, 2026
Shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) capped a brutal June by going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. The lefty finished the month just 10-74 with 37 strikeouts … Richmond was an aggressive assignment for the 2023 4th-rounder out of Tennessee, and while it was going well for a while, it’s come crashing down now. He has a .640 OPS and a 74 wRC+ on the season.
High-A Eugene (46-30)
Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 6-5 Box score
A rough loss for the Emeralds, who carried a lead into the bottom of the 9th inning. RHP Liam Simon, who has been regressing lately, entered in the 9th with 2 outs and the tying run on 3rd base. He proceeded to walk the bases loaded, and then gave up a game-winning 2-run single.
Simon has some of the nastiest stuff in the system, but just has not been able to control his pitches following a strong of severe injuries. While he’s struck out a staggering 41 batters in 23.1 innings this year, he’s also walked 24 … while also hitting 4 batters, and allowing 28 hits. An odd season, but if he’s able to get his control back at some point, he could take off, a la Spencer Miles.
That (along with a tough outing from RHP Cole Hillier), ruined a nice start by LHP Tyler Switalski, who went 5.2 innings while giving up just 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, and striking out 6. It’s been an up-and-down season for the just-turned 23-year old, but in his last 3 starts he’s allowed only 4 runs in 16.2 innings, with 20 strikeouts.
While the overall numbers are middle of the road (3.91 ERA, 4.26 FIP), Switalski’s improvements this year are remarkable. In his debut season last year, the 2024 16th-rounder struck out just 7.9 batters per 9 innings in Low-A, and then a mere 6.7 in High-A. This year? 11.5! From awful to excellent! And just as remarkably, he’s made those strikeout gains while lowering his walk rate, from 3.7 per 9 across the pair of levels, to 3.2 this year.
There has really only been one downside to Switalski’s season: after ceding just 3 homers in 96.2 innings a year ago, he’s allowed a whopping 11 big flies in just 71.1 innings this year. Still, some awesome improvements.
A trio of nice days in the batter’s box, led by center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), who only hit 1-4 with a strikeout, but crushed a mammoth 2-run home run, which was his 12th of the year, moving him into solo second place in the system behind only Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL).
Jordan’s strikeout issues remain severe — he has a 29.5% strikeout rate and a 16.7% swinging strike rate — but my goodness does he make loud contact. He has a .798 OPS and a 110 wRC+ on the season, and hopefully can boost those numbers in July.
The other nice days flanked him in the outfield grass: right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) hit 1-3 with 2 walks and was caught stealing, giving him an .823 OPS and a 125 wRC+, while left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) went 2-3 with a walk and 2 stolen bases, bumping his OPS to .789 and his wRC+ to 113, with 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts.
Low-A San Jose (44-32)
San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels) 2-1 (11 innings) Box score
This was a dramatic game! It was scoreless going into the 8th inning, when the Baby Giants took the lead on a solo home run from designated hitter Yosneiker Rivas, who was playing in just his 2nd game since getting promoted from the Complex League.
WELCOME TO SAN JOSE YOSNEIKER RIVAS! His first home run in a Giants uniform breaks a scoreless game in the 8th. pic.twitter.com/1bZqZpb9RJ
They then gave up the lead in the 9th inning, but kept Rancho Cucamonga off the board in the 10th and 11th, before walking it off in the bottom half of the inning on a fielder’s choice with an error.
The drama may have been how it ended, but the story was how it started: with RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) having an utterly sensational showing. Martinez was completely dominant through 6 shutout innings, holding the Quakes to just 2 singles and 2 walks, while striking out 11 of the 21 batters he faced. My goodness!
It was the second time this year that the 21-year old reached double-digit strikeouts, and it gave him a staggering 41 punchouts in just 22.2 innings in June. There’s no denying that Martinez has some of the most electric stuff in the system, and I think you have to dip into the relief pools to find anyone who could even have a claim for matching his raw stuff. It’s simply overpowering, as evidenced by the 14.9 strikeouts per 98 innings … a mark that ranks 1st among the 449 Minor League pitchers with at least 50 innings thrown this year. The top of the top!
Keyner Martinez struck out 11 over six shutout innings, topping at 98mph, in Tuesday’s victory over Rancho Cucamonga. Following the victory, San Jose’s record improves to 44-32, best in the California League.
It’s not all perfect. You don’t have a 4.42 ERA and a 4.45 FIP without doing a few things wrong, and right now the main thing Martinez is struggling with is walking batters. After having just 1.9 walks per 9 innings in the Complex League last year, the young Venezuelan walked 4.5 batters per 9 following a midseason promotion to San Jose … and is walking 5.6 per 9 this year. His home runs per 9 innings has also spiked, from 0.19 in the Complex League to 0.82 in Low-A, both last year and this year, while his groundball rate has dropped about 10 percentage points.
Still and all. 91 strikeouts in 55 innings doesn’t grow on trees, especially with 21-year olds. Martinez may have a lot to work on, but his performance — combined with the performance of other pitchers in the system — has drawn a very firm line in the sand, in my eyes. Martinez is the organization’s top pitching prospect, and unless they draft Jackson Flora next weekend, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
RHP Fernando Vasquez also had a nice game, as the 24-year old tossed 2 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Like Martinez, Vasquez has a huge walk issue: he’s given up 30 in just 28.2 innings, which has given him a 6.28 ERA and a 6.23 FIP. But he’s only allowed 14 hits, and struck out 32, so when he stays in the zone he’s virtually unhittable.
No one did anything on offense save for the aforementioned dinger from the 20-year old Rivas, who was promoted to A-ball after just 16 games in the Complex League (which followed 3 seasons in the DSL). Catcher Junior Barajas had a particularly rough game, striking out in all 4 of his at-bats. Last year’s 11th-round pick has been in a free fall following his brilliant start to his debut season: he had a .940 OPS in April, a .573 OPS in May, and a .540 OPS in June.
This game was all about rehabbing players. All of the offense came on one swing of the bat from shortstop Christian Koss, who went just 1-4 but smashed a 2-run home run. Koss had spent the day prior in Phoenix, on the taxi squad for a Giants team that was without a backup infielder due to Willy Adames having the “too injured to play, not injured enough to go on the IL” specialty. After a day on the taxi squad, the Giants decided they were fine and sent Koss back to his rehab and proceeded with their shorthanded infield.
The result? Matt Chapman trying to play through an injury, center fielder Jonah Cox playing second base, and Luis Arráez getting moved to third. But hey, at least it won them a rookie league game, right?!?
On the mound, the ACL Giants used 4 pitchers, and 3 of them were rehabbing. It began with AAA LHP Matt Wilkinson, who was as good as you would expect a AAA pitcher to be in rookie ball, as he threw 3 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. Wilkinson rehabbing in the ACL was a tiny bit surprising, since he didn’t spend much time on the IL … he last pitched on June 17, so he really only missed 1 start.
Then it was LHP Hayden Wynja, who made his 2nd rehab appearance after missing the entirety of the 2025 season. A very tall 27-year old UDFA who was in High-A when he last pitched, Wynja gave up 3 hits and a run in 2 innings, with 3 strikeouts.
Finishing off the rehab appearances was AA RHP Logan Martin, who struck out 2 batters in 2 shutout innings, with 0 hits and 1 walk. It was the 2nd rehab appearance for Martin, a 24-year old who came to the Giants in the Mason Black trade this offseason. He missed a month with injury, so we’ll see how many rehab appearances he makes before heading back to Richmond.
While the rehabbing pitchers got the attention, the best pitching performance belonged to the one arm who wasn’t rehabbing: RHP Samir Chires, who struck out 5 batters in 2 scoreless innings, while allowing a hit and a walk. The 22-year old Venezuelan is in his 4th year in the ACL, so it’s go time for him … and so far he’s going, as he has a 2.25 ERA, a 4.00 FIP, and 38 strikeouts against just 9 walks in 24 innings.
Dominican Summer League Black (12-10)
DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Mets Blue 4-2 (7 innings) Box score
A pair of really nice pitching performances, courtesy of LHPs Santiago Guerrero and Hector Dos Santos. Guerrero struggled with command a bit, as he walked 3 batters and hit another, but he threw 4 no-hit innings in the start, while striking out 3. The 18-year old from Mexico, who is in his debut season, has been quite unhittable this year, allowing just 7 hits in 17.2 innings. The strikeout-to-walk numbers (18-to-11) aren’t great, but it’s still been a very encouraging debut, and has led to a 2.04 ERA (albeit with a 5.40 FIP). Dos Santos, a 20-year old in his 2nd season, had a similar performance, as he tossed 2 no-hit innings, but walked 2 while striking out 3. Like Guerrero, Dos Santos doesn’t have a great strikeout-to-walk ratio (12-to-7), but has only allowed 4 hits in 9.2 innings, leading to a 2.79 ERA and a 5.84 FIP.
On offense, left fielder Franco Willias did what he does best: get on base and do stuff once there. The recently-turned 21-year old went 0-1, but he drew 2 walks, was hit by a pitch, and stole a base. He has a .408 on-base percentage, with 11 stolen bases in 22 games (and has been caught stealing just once). Overall, it’s a .915 OPS and a 118 wRC+ in his 3rd season.
Dominican Summer League Orange (13-9)
DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Mariners 7-4 Box score
Might as well keep with the pitching theme from the other DSL game, as RHP Omar Calcurian pitched 2 no-hit innings but walked 2, while striking out 3. We’ve seen that line before! And hey, in keeping with that theme, Calcurian isn’t allowing hits, but doesn’t have great strikeout and walk numbers, either: the 21-year old has thrown 16.2 innings, and has allowed just 5 hits … but has walked 9 with 16 strikeouts. It’s a 1.62 ERA and a 5.51 FIP for the Venezuelan.
Also a good game for RHP Jose Trevizo, who allowed 2 hits, 1 hit batter, and 1 run in 3 innings, while striking out 5. Unlike the other pitchers we’ve mentioned, the 19-year old has a beautiful 20 strikeouts against 3 walks in 16 innings this year, his 2nd in the DSL. He has just a 5.06 ERA, but a 3.12 FIP.
Nice days in the box for second baseman Yoxander Benitez, left fielder Ricardo Crespo, and designated hitter Jesus Hernandez. Benitez, a 19-year old from Aruba in his 3rd season, hit 3-5 with a double and a strikeout, raising his OPS to .744 and his wRC+ to 96; Crespo, a 19-year fold from Venezuela in his 3rd season, went 1-3 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout, and now has an .841 OPS and a 154 wRC+; and Hernandez, a 17-year old from Venezuela playing in just his 7th game, went 1-3 with a double, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. The double was his 2nd career hit, after homering over the weekend.
Home run tracker
12 — Dakota Jordan — [High-A] 11 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA] 6 — Jesús Rodríguez — [2 in MLB; 4 in AAA] 5 — Scott Bandura — [2 in AAA; 3 in AA] 2 — Christian Koss — [1 in AAA; 1 in ACL] 1 — Yosneiker Rivas — [Low-A]
Wednesday schedule
Sacramento: 5:35 p.m. PT at El Paso (SP: TBD) Richmond: 3:30 p.m. PT at Harrisburg (SP: Yunior Marte) Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Luis De La Torre) San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Rancho Cucamonga (SP: Jordan Gottesman)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 01: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Fenway Park on July 01, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox are fully back down to earth after the thrill of sweeping the Yankees. Boston fell to Washington 10-2 on Wednesday and dropped the series to the Nationals. The Red Sox ran out of momentum after they won the series opener.
The starter didn’t have it in the finale and the bats resembled their usual underwhelming selves.
Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday’s loss.
PROBLEMS FOR PAYTON Payton Tolle put together a sensational outing through an illness Friday when he allowed just one hit in seven shutout innings against the Yankees. His start Wednesday afternoon took a complete 180.
The young left-hander struggled to begin the fourth inning and surrendered six earned runs on seven hits in just 3.0-plus innings of work. Tolle struck out five but walked three in a step back on the mound as the rotation comes off of the significant run of quality starts.
BATS FALL SHORT AGAIN The Red Sox put together solid at-bats even into Monday’s win before a rapid falloff. Boston mustered just a run and four hits on Tuesday. Wednesday wasn’t much better with four hits for most of the afternoon before the lineup mustered a pair of runs in the eighth inning.
The New York series offered a flash in the pan, but the lineup doesn’t have enough to make that run consistent.
COAST TO COAST
The Red Sox will not play another game at Fenway Park until after the All-Star break on July 17 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston hits the road for nine games and will travel coast to coast to do so.
Boston heads to Anaheim for three games with the Angels, including another Sunday night game. After an off-day, the Red Sox continue with three games against the surprisingly solid Chicago White Sox and finish the first half with a three-game set at Citi Field against the also-underwhelming New York Mets.
The Yankees rallied for a couple of runs in the ninth, but fell to the Detroit Tigers in 11 innings by a score of 6-2.
The Tigers completed the sweep, as the Yankees have now lost seven games in a row.
Here are the takeaways…
-- It was a pretty abysmal day for the Yankees’ bats, for most of the game anyway. The Bombers had just four hits through the first eight innings, but found a way to rally in the ninth.
After an Amed Rosario home run cut the lead to one run, Jazz Chisholm Jr. made a run happen almost entirely on his own. After a single off of first baseman Hao-Yu Lee's glove, Jazz stole second and third, then came in to score the tying run on a wild pitch by Tigers righty Drew Anderson.
Making his return to the lineup following being in the concussion protocol, Chisholm made an impact with a pair of hits and a pair of stolen bases.
-- In the 11th, with a runner on third and one out, the Yankees elected to intentionally walk Riley Greene, but the move backfired as Camilo Doval walked the next two hitters to force in the go-ahead run. Zach McKinstry then singled to right, and a comedy of errors ensued as Jose Caballero missed the cutoff man and Ali Sanchez's throw to second sailed into center field, making it a 6-2 lead.
Caballero, a shortstop by trade, missed the cutoff man multiple times in the loss, showing his inexperience in the outfield.
-- Troy Melton, a 25-year-old pitching in his second season, was excellent, going 6.1 innings while allowing just two hits, striking out seven, and walking one.
-- Will Warren didn’t pitch poorly, but he didn’t get any run support. The righty allowed a solo home run to Kevin McGonigle in the top of the third inning, hanging a breaking ball that McGonigle hit into the bleachers in right-center, and allowed another run in the top of the sixth on a Greene sac fly before being pulled.
Warren went 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. His season ERA is now 3.73.
-- Spencer Jones was not in the starting lineup as he was one of a handful of Yankees dealing with food poisoning. But he came up with a pinch-hit single to lead off the eighth inning.Caballerofollowed up with a single, and both moved into scoring position with one out. But Ben Rice went down swinging, and Jasson Dominguez lined out to center to leave the tying runs stranded on base.
--Austin Wells went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. He's hitting just .153 on the season.
Game MVP
Melton, who completely shut the Yankees down for 6.1 innings.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 01: Catcher Austin Hedges #27 celebrates with closing pitcher Matt Festa #52 of the Cleveland Guardians after the game against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field on July 01, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Guardians defeated the Rangers 9-4. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Much like in the last game I wrote about, this game, too, has been played by the Guardians quite a few times this year. Look out of whack for the first games of the series, and then suddenly put it all together to salvage the series in the finale. Regardless, I won’t be nearly as negative in today’s recap as I was in my last recap. Let’s start with the pitching.
Cantillo was shaky today, but managed — somehow — to Houdini act his way into a decent start. 5 innings, 2 runs. The command was an issue for him today (5 walks), most notably in the 3rd inning. Walk, walk, single, strikeout, RBI walk. The bases were loaded with 1 out, and the Guardians looked to be on the verge of blowing another lead. But, Cantillo managed to get Rangers’ rookie Cauley to ground into a double play, ending the inning. Cantillo’s only other earned run of the day came in the 6th. He walked the leadoff hitter, and was then pulled for Holdrman. Holderman gave up a single, then two groundouts (the second of which managed to drive in a run). Holderman, like Cantillo, was shaky. Holderman, however, moreso suffered from batted ball luck than command issues. He gave up 3 hits, 2 of which left the bat at less than 80 mph. (The sequence went single, forceout, RBI groundout, double, single, strikeout). One of those groundouts was corralled miraculously by second baseman Daniel Schneemann, preventing more damage that inning.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 1, 2026
Herrin pitched the 7th, giving up a single and a walk, but managed to get out of danger by striking out Pederson and getting Smith to ground into a double play.
Sabrowski pitched the 8th, striking out 2 Rangers but unfortunately also giving up a solo homer to Elias Diaz.
Festa pitched the 9th, allowing no baserunners in a 1-2-3 inning.
To the offense.
They actually started out pretty strong today, but finally managed to put runs on the board in the 2nd. Rocchio and Arias both singled to start off the inning, and then Watson struckout. Hedges pulled off a textbook bunt, driving in Rocchio. Schneemann was walked on four pitches, and then Fry did this.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 1, 2026
5 runs by the end of the 2nd inning is an almost Herculean task for this Guardians offense, and it’s nice to know that this, in one form or another, is actually possible with this iteration of the lineup.
The Rangers managed to pull within 2 runs of the Guardians (thanks to the bullpen) in the 6th, but the Guardians answered back in the 7th. Kwan hit a triple (?), and then DeLauter (recording his 3rd hit of the day), scorched a ball to right field (110 mph), driving in Kwan. DeLauter stole second, and then Rangers reliever Winston Santos threw a couple oopsies into the dirt. Those wild pitches got DeLauter from second to home in a matter of three pitches. Hoskins walked, and then the Guardians made 3 consecutive outs to end the inning.
Much to Josh Naylor’s chagrin, Austin Hedges hit a home run today. For those keeping track at home, Hedges now has a wRC+ above Naylor’s, and an fWAR total most likely tied with Naylor’s after today’s events. Not bad for a backup to a backup.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 1, 2026
The Guardians managed to salvage the series, winning today’s affair 9-4. The White Sox come to town for a very consequential 4-game set starting tomorrow. It’ll be Cecconi vs. Davis Martin.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 28: Dominic Smith #8 and Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate after the game against the Kansas City Royals at Truist Park on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
June swoon is OUT. Fly high July is IN.
We would very much like to see the Braves get back to playing watchable baseball. Decent, even, if they feel so inclined.
With a rough month in the rearview, it’s time for the Braves to take advantage of a little mental reset that the first of July can bring and get back to their winning ways on both sides of the ball.
One former-White-Sox-pitcher-turned-Braves-starter-turned-bullpen-arm-turned-starter-again follows another with Martín Pérez and Reynaldo López starting these first two games versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Walt Weiss is sticking with the same 1 through 5, 7, and 9 in the order. We saw some signs of life from leadoff man Drake Baldwin last night with his seventh inning single, snapping a 36-at-bat streak. He will be behind the plate for López today. Dominic Smith will DH and hit sixth while Mike Yastrzemski swaps out in Eli White’s spot to play right field and bat eighth ahead of shortstop Jorge Mateo.
Maybe this will be the magical combination that can put up a crooked number against their opponent (and win). A baseball team cannot sustain itself on weird defensive misplays and Ozzie Albies sac flies alone. (Fun stuff from the game notes: Ozzie’s sac fly last night was his 10th of the season and career high – he’s one of seven Braves with double-digit sac flies in a season. He’s the first to do it since Austin Riley had 11 in 2023.)
Only three current Cardinals have ever faced López before and they will be batting second, third, and sixth. In five collective ABs, they’re batting .000 and have one walk courtesy of Masyn Winn. Alec Burleson gets the start at first bae and bumps down Jordan Walker to the cleanup spot. New face Jimmy Crooks will catch for Michael McGreevy and bat ninth.
On the latest episode of CC Sabathia’s podcast, MLB According to CC, the Yankees legend previewed how the Padres will stack up against the Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball, with San Diego and Los Angeles set to lead one of Star-Spangled Sunday's marquee matchups at 7pm ET on NBC and Peacock.
Sabathia said the Padres “need Tatis driving the ball out of the yard” in order for them to compete, not only in critical four-game series, but as season-long challengers to the Dodgers' NL West supremacy. With Tatis Jr. seemingly free from his early-season struggles, the Padres head to their division rivals with some momentum.
This weekend's showdown will mark the first time this season the two teams have met in Los Angeles. “Dodgers and Padres fans really go at it,” said the Hall of Famer looking ahead to the series.
The Dodgers are 4-2 against the Padres this season, with better numbers than their division rival in most categories across the board. As of July 1, San Diego sits 12 games outside of first place, leaving the Friars with plenty of work to do in Southern California this weekend. It's the largest gap between the top two teams in any division so far this year.
Mason Miller and Tanner Scott may possess baseball’s best sliders. CC Sabathia dives into both elite pitches, highlighting how he threw his own back in the day.
Watch Star-Spangled Sunday on July 5, where all 15 MLB games will be presented nationally across Peacock, NBC and NBCSN. Every team. Every game. One home.
Very few could have predicted that the Chicago White Sox would lead the AL Central three months into the 2026 season. That's why Hall of Famer CC Sabathia believes they are the "surprise of the summer," entering July as the slight division leader over the Guardians. The youthful White Sox hit the road this weekend for a key division series in Cleveland, which sits just outside of first place, where they'll face off on Star-Spangled Sunday at 2pm ET, with all 15 MLB games available nationally on Peacock, NBC and NBCSN on July 5.
In the latest episode of his podcast, MLB According to CC, Sabathia evaluated the road ahead for the White Sox as they look to stick around in the American League playoff race. It's been a dramatic turnaround for a franchise that has lost 100+ games in each of the past three seasons, headlined by a dismal 2024 where they finished 41-121, the worst record in modern MLB history. The 2026 White Sox are fun and energetic, headlined by a core of young talent which Sabathia described as "a year or maybe two ahead of schedule."
The White Sox's recent success has largely come via the long ball. Since June 17, the White Sox lead the league in home runs (18, as of July 1). One of the offensive catalysts has been 23-year-old left fielder Sam Antonacci, who is enjoying an excellent rookie campaign with an OPS above .800. Miguel Vargas, Colston Montgomery, and Munetaka Murakami have also had big years at the plate so far in the South Side. All four are 26 years or younger. That's not to mention Braden Montgomery, Jacob Gonzalez, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, all of whom stand as key pieces of the organization's future.
"When you got a young team like that and they're all feeding off each other, you don't know any better," Sabathia said. "You're just going out every single day trying to win a ball game, it's fun to watch them come out with this much energy."
The White Sox will look to take their momentum into this weekend and the rest of the summer as they chase their first division title since 2021. With just a handful of AL teams above .500 and a Central division that is "treading water," a joyous return to October could be in the cards for the Sox.
Watch Star-Spangled Sunday on July 5, where all 15 MLB games will be presented nationally across Peacock, NBC and NBCSN. Every team. Every game. One home.
Jul 1, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) is safe at home plat as Texas Rangers catcher Elias Diaz (35) loses control of the ball during the second inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored four runs but the Cleveland Guardians scored nine runs.
I will simply choose to be glad that A. the Rangers enjoyed a successful road trip against all odds and B. the road trip has now concluded.
Despite this one appearing to be an imminently winnable contest (after all, Texas did have 12 opportunities with RISP of which they only converted three while also leaving nine on base), a MacKenzie Gore flareup inning in the bottom of the second put the Rangers in a 5-0 hole and that’s usually not something teams come back from.
It seemed like the Rangers might, though. They got to within 5-3 in the middle innings and had base runners and chances littered throughout but, in a game reminiscent of darker times from this season, they couldn’t get the big hit to get over the hump.
After getting the first two hitters on in the top of the seventh down a couple runs, Joc Pederson K’d in a pinch hit spot and then Josh Smith hit into a double play. That was the second double play that erased a prime scoring chance for Texas as Cam Cauley was doubled up to end a bases loaded threat in the top of the third.
Cole Winn was in the game for the bottom of the seventh and, well, you know what that usually means. Winn allowed a run and a hit that eventually came around to score to give Cleveland a comfortable lead.
Also, once the wheels kind of came off, Winston Santos finally got to make his MLB debut. After a shaky first few pitches, Santos got through his first inning as a big leaguer technically still sporting a 0.00 ERA despite allowing an inherited run to score. That did not last for long, however, as Santos was asked to finish things off with a second inning and old hero Austin Hedges took him deep for a two-run dong.
The Rangers are beat up. Probably like 60% of the roster would be in Round Rock if the FO had their druthers. They’ve played like 40 games in a row. They’ve played the most road games in baseball so far this season. They’ve played like 80 road games in a row. They’ve won some games they’ve had no business winning. I suppose for today we owe them a blind eye for an ugly afternoon.
Even with everything being familiarly weird for the Texas Rangers, and a blowout loss in this finale, they return home having enjoyed a 7-3 road trip which propelled them back over .500 and atop the AL West.
Player of the Game: Elias Diaz had a couple of hits and a couple of RBIs and also smacked his first home run as a Ranger. Unfortunately it was a solo shot in a 7-3 game and one of the rare moments that the Rangers didn’t have someone on the bases for them to strand.
Up Next: While the rest of the world has come down with a case of World Cup fever, the Rangers probably aren’t as thrilled about it. At least not this weekend.
There’s a World Cup Round of 32 match being played across the home parking lot on Friday which means, instead of getting a day off tomorrow, the Rangers fly out of Cleveland and immediately begin a home series against Detroit tomorrow night before getting their first rest in over two weeks on Friday after which the series will resume on Saturday.
RHP Nathan Eovaldi will pitch for Texas in the opener opposite LHP Framber Valdez. The Thursday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and you can catch it on the Rangers Sports Network.
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 01: Blaze Alexander #23 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates after the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Olivia Vega/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Orioles did not get swept by the White Sox. They decided to try something different in the series finale, getting a good outing from the starting pitcher, a respectable amount of offense, and a clean game on defense. They would be higher up in the standings if they got this more often. On Wednesday afternoon, it was the recipe for a 6-1 victory to avoid the sweep. It’s better than if they’d lost, but there is, of course, a lot of work still to do.
Early in the game, the signs were there of this thing going in a different direction. Starting pitcher Dean Kremer returned from the injured list to make the start after an absence of nearly two and a half months. He allowed a home run on the second pitch he threw. The Orioles trailed immediately in the game, down 1-0 as soon as rookie leadoff man Sam Antonacci finished rounding the bases.
This did not turn out to be the start of a disastrous return for Kremer. He retired the next 11 batters he faced and, with a little help from his friends, even once that streak came to an end, he still kept the White Sox off the board. Kremer’s 11-in-a-row was interrupted with two outs in the fourth inning as outfielder Braden Montgomery came maybe one inch away from hitting a home run. Montgomery hit a fly ball that bounced off the back edge of the right-center field fence padding, close enough that the Sox insisted on a crew chief review to check if this was actually a home run. It wasn’t.
Kremer walked the next batter, Jacob Gonzalez. An ongoing problem for Orioles pitchers this year has been getting that last out to stop a two-out rally from getting out of hand. That was nearly the story again on Wednesday, as Chase Meidroth slashed a line drive the other way towards right field. Tyler O’Neill got a good jump, gave chase, and made a great diving catch to stop Chicago from adding on more runs. No, really, O’Neill did something good. More on that in a moment.
Chicago’s leadoff man reached in the fifth inning. That was Tristan Peters, who hit a single. Helpfully for the Orioles, the White Sox made the tactically poor decision to have shortstop Luisangel Acuña drop an attempted sacrifice bunt. Acuña wasn’t good at it, with Kremer throwing out Peters at second base. Acuña compounded his negative contribution by attempting to steal second base, during which he was thrown out as Adley Rutschman made an excellent throw. Rutschman has now thrown out 15 of 40 runners this year. That’s a 37.5% rate, absolutely elite stuff.
Through all of this, the Orioles offense mustered zero hits. They had nothing to show through the first four innings of the game except for three walks. Better to have the three walks than not, but still. Sheesh. Get some hits!
It was O’Neill who broke the no-hitter before anyone really had to start wondering, “Geez, what if this White Sox pitcher who brought an over 5 ERA into the game throws a no-hitter?” Noah Schultz, a recent top 30ish prospect in the game, also returned from the injured list for this start. Schultz is notable for being 6’10” but more relevant to facing the Orioles, is left-handed. That’s their curse this year.
Schultz threw O’Neill a sweeper that didn’t quite sweep enough. The Canada native did not miss on Canada Day, blasting a mammoth home run 430 feet to left field to tie the game at 1-1.
Within three batters, Schultz’s day was done. The last two he faced were Jackson Holliday and Blaze Alexander, who walked and singled, respectively. Chicago turned to reliever Bryan Hudson to stop the rally. Instead, the Orioles continued the conga line around the bases. Gunnar Henderson added a single to load the bases with one out. Another curse for the Orioles this year, at times, is performance with the bases loaded. Could they write a different story today?
The answer turned out to be yes. Following Henderson, Rutschman hit a line drive that went out to the outfield so fast that there was no opportunity for any runner to advance more than 90 feet. This gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead, one that, it turned out, would be enough to win the game. Thankfully, they kept scoring anyway. Taylor Ward added a sacrifice fly, after which Chicago changed pitchers again. The next reliever, Trevor Richards, brought home a fourth Orioles run as he hurled a wild pitch. You may note that this means the Orioles scored all three runners after first loading the bases with one out. They should try that more often.
Staked to a three-run lead, Kremer gave up a single to the first Sox batter he faced before retiring the next three in order. Though he wasn’t at a high pitch count, the Orioles did not push him beyond six innings in his first start back from the injured list. Kremer’s final line with 79 pitches thrown was six innings with one run allowed on four hits and a walk. Chicago did not score again after their first batter of the game.
Alexander delivered an RBI triple for the fifth Orioles run, and later on, Leody Taveras homered for the third time this season to set the score at its 6-1 final. The O’s had the same number of hits in the game as they did walks, and they made a good showing out of their scoring chances. As we know, this is not guaranteed this year.
Even though the Orioles had a five-run lead, they were warming up closer Ryan Helsley to pitch the ninth inning just to get him an inning of work to keep him from getting rusty. Helsley never made it into the game. His warmup tosses were shut down and MASN cameras showed him sitting back down in the bullpen, holding his right elbow area ominously. After the game, manager Craig Albernaz said there was elbow discomfort. Helsley will get checked out further. That’s a sour lingering taste from a nice win.
The 40-48 Orioles have a day off on Thursday before resuming their season in Cincinnati for a 4th of July weekend series against the Reds. Trevor Rogers and Brady Singer are currently listed as the scheduled starting pitchers for the 7:10 Friday opening game of the series.
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It has been a tradition for many years on Camden Chat to nominate a Most Birdland Player of the game after every victory. What does “Most Birdland” mean? Each person must search themselves and decide. In some cases, this is the game’s most valuable player. In other cases, it does not. Give us your pick in the comments below.
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