ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 18: J.T. Ginn #35 of the Athletics pitches during the game between the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Monday, May 18, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Tony Macon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The A’s have hit the road but it wasn’t a long trip. A quick hop on a flight down south to Anaheim has brought the A’s to the home of the Los Angeles Angels, where the two division rivals are set for a three-game weekend showdown. The Green & Gold managed to escape the Bay Area with at least one win and remain just a game and a half back of the AL West leading Mariners (along with the Astros and Rangers, crowded atop the division is putting it mildly). After splitting the four-game set last weekend the A’s need to clean up against the last-place Angels, and hopefully that starts tonight.
Taking the ball for the road team this evening will be right-hander J.T. Ginn. The righty has put together back-to-back quality outings since his real only bad outing of the year earlier this month. He’s coming off a performance where he pitched into the sixth inning and allowed three runs… to these very same Angels last weekend. With an absent offense behind him that was enough to saddle the emerging ace with his fourth loss of the season. He’ll be hoping for better results and better offense behind him this evening in a revenge game for the young starter.
Here’s how manager Mark Kotsay decided to line his squad up for the series opener:
It’s literally the exact same batting order as yesterday, and honestly why change things up a ton after a nine-run outburst? The only big difference is that Shea Langeliers will don the catcher’s gear this evening while Jonah Heim only has DH duties tonight. Again, no Jacob Wilson, who is still only considered day-to-day at this point as we all hold our breaths, which means Alika Williams back at short and batting ninth.
That lineup will be facing the Angels’ own up-and-coming righty in Walbert Urena. The 22-year-old rookie has dazzled in his first taste of the big leagues. Over his first 12 starts (plus two relief appearances), Urena has posted a sparkling 2.41 ERA spanning 67 1/3 innings pitched. After a fantastic May he’s come down to earth a bit in June but still has allowed just six runs in four starts this month. The A’s have now seen him twice already this season and have had little to no success: 11 innings, 8 hits, zero runs. We need to do better against him tonight. Hopefully seeing him so much in recent weeks will give the bats a better chance this evening.
And the Angels’ lineup, brought to you by old friend Kurt Suzuki:
Still no Mike Trout for the Angels, and now their also down their backup center fielder Jose Siri, who was placed on the paternity list this morning. Still some dangerous bats in that lineup though, all crowded around the top. If Ginn can take care of Neto, Adel, and not make a mistake to Soler, the A’s should be in business in this one.
Can the squad make it two in a row? Time to find out! Let’s go A’s!
Appearing as a guest on 97.3 The Fan, Buehler spoke about why the last eight starts have been better than his previous first seven.
“A lot of the stuff we’ve been working on being more in there. Obviously, the first six or seven weren’t kinda what we wanted,” Buehler said during an interview with Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan.
“Changing stuff takes time, and I feel like some of that stuff has settled in and been more natural. I feel like we’ve been doing the right things, and it’s nice for it to pay off.”
Over his last eight starts, Walker Buehler has looked reformed for the San Diego Padres. Getty Images
Walker Buehler spoke with @SammyLev about what's worked so well for him recently:
"Changing stuff takes time and I feel like some of that stuff's kinda settled in and been more natural. I feel like we've been doing the right things and it's nice for it to pay off."
Walker Buehler is regaining confidence while pitching with the San Diego Padres. Getty Images
Through his first seven starts this year, Buehler struggled for San Diego, pitching with a 6.75 ERA.
Since May 10, Buehler has had the fourth-best ERA [2.76] through his last eight starts with 36 strikeouts.
With all of the recent success, Buehler credits how he’s been throwing different kinds of pitches over the plate, instead of how he’s traditionally thrown.
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“Some improvement to the changeup, a lot more sinker, a lot less cutter, slider has improved a little bit,” Buehler said. “You know we’ve kind of taken a look at everything that I do and seen. Try to find something that we can kind of alter or fix and get myself a little more confidence to throw it on both sides of the plate.”
Buehler’s sinker usage has increased from 12.7% during April to 21.2% in May and 19.4% in June. Over the last two months, the pitch has seen 40 batters, and only 11 of them have landed hits, while 6 struck out.
MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Whiff percentage from the sinker has also gone up, as he generated a 0.0% Whiff rate during April. In May, his sinker had a 12.5% whiff, and a 3.2% in June.
As Buehler has started to find his groove again while pitching for the Padres, Friday night will be a huge test for him, as he is scheduled to take on his former team, the Dodgers, when they come to Petco Park for a three-game series this weekend.
Jun 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) reacts as he walks off the field after the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals series versus the Miami Marlins this weekend will start off with a bang. A compelling pitching matchup featuring Michael McGreevy for the Cardinals against Max Meyer for the Marlins. Meyer, in particular, has been one of the best pitchers in the Majors especially since June where he’s 4-0 with 28 strikeouts and just 9 walks over those 4 starts. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm central time at Busch Stadium and the game TV broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
The Mets' firing of Carlos Mendoza reverberated through the baseball world on Friday and reached Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
Mendoza, of course, was Boone's bench coach with the Yankees for four seasons before he was hired by the Mets in late 2023. The Yankees skipper was asked about Mendoza's firing ahead of the second game of New York's four-game set with the Red Sox.
"Surprised, I guess, but not surprised," Boone said about how he felt when he found out about Mendoza. "I talked to Mendy. Obviously, it’s a tough situation over there right now with what they’ve been going through this year and going back to last year.
"Mendy is in a good place. He’s really good at what he does. He’s a great leader that as time goes on, my expectation is that he’ll be in line for another job in a lot of different way, shape and form. And has earned a strong reputation in the industry, even through all this, it solidified that reputation."
Relieving Mendoza came after the Mets lost their sixth straight game on Thursday, dropping the team's record to 34-47. But the Mets' struggles date back to last season when their year took a tailspin in the second half of the season, resulting in an 83-win season and missing the playoffs.
Mendoza's managerial career started off great as the 2024 Mets went 89-73 and made it to the NLCS. Mendoza finished with a 206-199 record.
Boone was asked whether he was surprised by the timing of Mendoza's firing, and the longtime Yankees manager said he was and wasn't.
"It’s always surprising. Can I say that I’m really surprised this happened with what they’ve been through? No, not necessarily," Boone explained. "But still, when you hear the news, it catches you. He’s a great baseball man. He’s a really good leader and I think he’s a really good manager that will get another opportunity."
"I talked to Mendy. Obviously, it's a tough situation over there right now with what they've been through this year and even going back to last year. Mendy's in a good place."
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) celebrates the third out, Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) fouling out to left, during the fifth inning of the National League Division Series game at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Oct. 6, 2025. | Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It’s a rivalry weekend in Milwaukee. After a 4-2 road trip, the Brewers are back home to open a seven-game homestand against two division rivals. This also marks the beginning of 18 games in 17 days leading into the All-Star Break, and is the final homestand before the break.
Jacob Misiorowski is back on the mound to make tonight’s start. In his last game, Misiorowski was still strong but had his “worst” game in a while. He pitched just six innings, allowed two runs, and only struck out seven (his lowest strikeout total since April 14). That’s obviously still a very good start, but a step down from what he had been doing. This is his second start against the Cubs this season. In his previous start against them, he pitched six shutout innings on May 19.
For the Cubs, former Brewer Colin Rea starts tonight’s game. He is one of the few healthy arms in the Cubs’ rotation, but has been having a rough season. In 16 games (12 starts) he has a 4.99 ERA and 4.83 FIP. His last start came against the Blue Jays, where he pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings. The last time the Brewers faced him was in the 2025 NLDS. He mostly kept the Brewers in check then, allowing just one run over six innings in two appearances.
The Brewers made one roster move prior to today’s game. Yesterday, they optioned Craig Yoho back to Triple-A Nashville. That cleared a roster spot for Jared Koenig to be activated for tonight’s game. Koenig has missed 2 1/2 months with an elbow sprain, but is finally back in the bullpen.
It’s a pretty standard lineup for tonight. Christian Yelich is batting leadoff as usual, with Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras behind him. Jake Bauers is playing in right field with Andrew Vaughn manning first base. Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, and David Hamilton round out the lineup.
First pitch is at 6:45 p.m. The game will be exclusively on Apple TV, with the usual radio broadcast available on the Brewers Radio Network.
David Sandlin looks to build upon his recent success in Charlotte.
A weird and wacky season has continued for the Chicago White Sox, and only time will tell how this upcoming series with the lowly Kansas City Royals will play out. On the surface, the South Siders should be able to roll over Kansas City and at least take the series. With that being said, this is the same team that took four of five from the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers before getting swept by the Detroit Tigers last weekend.
Fortunately for the White Sox, they took their last series against the Cleveland Guardians, and all is even atop the AL Central once again. With Cleveland slated to match up against a tougher Seattle Mariners team this weekend, the South Siders have a great opportunity to retake pole position.
To do that, they’ll have to take down the Royals. While their record screams “fire sale,” they may have found their stride recently. In their last two series, the Royals took two of three from a good St. Louis Cardinals team before splitting four games with the AL second-best Tampa Bay Rays.
Both teams displayed a little gamesmanship today, as neither team released their probable starters until late in the day. Whether it was both teams trying to gain an edge or simply trying to figure out who’s going to be available to take multiple innings remains to be seen, but don’t be surprised if either team switches up their starter last minute.
Taking the mound to try to keep some of K.C.’s success flowing is reliever Steven Cruz. He has started just four games in his career, all back in 2023. It’s important to note that all of those starts were as an “opener,” so it remains to be seen what pitchers the Royals throw to finish the game. As for Cruz, he started off the season extremely poorly, taking an 8.36 ERA into the month of June before settling down and allowing just three earned runs over his last nine innings. He leans heavily on his fastball (throwing it 58% of the time), so if Chicago can get the barrel to it, there could be plenty of runs early in this contest.
As for the White Sox, they are throwing out David Sandlin after recalling him from Charlotte earlier today. Sandlin has started in two of his three appearances for the White Sox, and the results have not been there so far. In just over 13 innings he has allowed 12 hits and 12 earned runs, along with an additional seven walks. In Charlotte, he’s been a completely different pitcher, posting a 1.57 ERA in 23 innings of work across six starts, although still a bit wild. It’s been a tale of two Sandlins so far, and it’s anyone’s guess as to which one shows up against the Royals.
For those of you who are looking for cheap game-used souvenirs, you may want to camp out in the outfield seats, as there will likely be plenty of free baseballs leaving the yard tonight.
Here is the starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox:
Here is the starting lineup for the Kansas City Royals:
First pitch is 6:40 p.m. CST. You can watch on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000. Let us know your thoughts and predictions below!
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 05: Robert Suarez (75) of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the Friday evening MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 5, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Despite getting reliever Tyler Kinley back from injury a couple of days ago, the Braves will now be without one of their best bullpen arms for the near future. Robert Suarez was unavailable during the Padres series due to what was being described as “right forearm tightness” and now it’s turned out that that ailment is enough to put him on the IL.
The #Braves today placed RHP Robert Suarez on the 15-day injured list, backdated to June 23, with right elbow inflammation, and recalled RHP Hurston Waldrep to Atlanta. The club also outrighted RHP Carlos Carrasco to Triple-A Gwinnett, and he elected free agency.
So far this season, Suarez was sitting on an ERA of 0.56 (13 ERA-) and. FIP of 2.45 (59 FIP-) across 32 innings of work. He’d also collected four saves in the process while teaming up as a dynamic duo with Raisel Iglesias when it came to dusting off late, high-leverage innings. In fact, Suarez held down the fort while Iglesias spent some time on the IL earlier this season after Iggy injured himself while sleeping (he’s 36, it happens). Now, Iglesias will have to return the favor now that the Braves are going to be without Suarez for however long it takes for him to get over it.
Meanwhile, Hurston Waldrep is finally back in action with the big league squad and apparently he’s going to be a man on a mission upon his return. Reynaldo López is starting tonight’s matchup against the Giants and according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Braves are intending on using Waldrep to come in after López is done so that the two can hopefully cover the vast majority of tonight’s game.
Suarez to the IL. We’ll learn more about how long he’ll miss when Walt talks shortly. Waldrep will likely follow Lopez tonight. How long he stays will depend on how he and Lopez both fare tonight. https://t.co/zFuU4Xp63d
As Bowman mentioned, this could be a strategy that the Braves employ going forward since that would kill two birds with one stone when it comes to filling a rotation spot and also giving the bullpen a day where most of the guys can rest up. That’s also assuming that López and Waldrep are effective in their roles so hopefully tonight’s experiment is the start of a good thing rather than yet another liability at a time when the Braves can ill-afford any further serious setbacks.
In other news, Carlos Carrasco is now a free agent after he has decided that he’s had enough of the DFA cycle for now. That’s not to say that the two parties won’t re-uinite again in the future since that’s very possible but for now, Carrasco and the Braves have gone their separate ways. Don’t be shocked if he ends up signing another minor league deal with Atlanta at some point down the road, though. We’ll see what happens.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 23: Mauricio Dubon #14 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Michael Harris II #23 after scoring a run during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on June 23, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There was a point, less than four hours from first pitch, when the Giants hadn’t announced a starter, and neither team had announced a lineup. Closer to three hours now, we have the lineups, but still no actual known Giants starter or opener.
In light of that, the Braves have this lineup going:
The top four in this lineup are the only Braves to have a .300+ wOBA in June. They’re also the only regulars to have an xwOBA above .300 in June, though Olson’s just barely there with a .301 mark. Michael Harris II and Mauricio Dubon are the only guys with actual good offensive inputs for the month, and they’re first and second in this lineup, respectively.
As for the rest of the guys, they basically need to get back on track or whatever metaphor you want to use for the Braves to go anywhere. None of them have hit for about a month or longer. I know people will keep clamoring for Jorge Mateo, but he’s apparently still hobbled, which is why he tends to slot in at DH. I guess you could play Eli White over Ha-Seong Kim, but there aren’t too many appealing options this far down the depth chart.
It’s another novel lineup for the Braves, who will have run 67 in 80 games out there when this one begins.
The Giants’ lineup looks like this:
Some new faces from when the Giants visited Atlanta include Drew Cavanaugh, who will be making his MLB debut, and Victor Bericoto, who didn’t appear in that series but has homered in consecutive games.
Bryce Eldridge, Casey Schmitt, and Jung Hoo Lee are the only guys on the entire Giants’ roster hitting even moderately well for the season, but that didn’t stop them from prolonging the Braves’ misery in Atlanta, so… who knows.
Tonight’s Rockies starter is Tomoyuki Sugano, who, as you can guess from the name, is not Swedish. A six-time All-Star with the Yomiuri Giants, he was eligible to play for an American team in 2020, but none wanted him. So Sugano re-signed with the Giants for a few more years, before playing for the Orioles last season and having a so-so 4.64 ERA (it’s at 4.31 this year). He throws a low-90s fastball and sinker/shuuto, plus a cutter, slider and split. It’s his offspeed stuff that’s best.
I’ve always thought of the Rockies as one of our sister teams, like the Mets. With the Mets, it’s because they came into the league one year after the Twins came here, and while they’ve had some stirring championship seasons, they’re generally overshadowed by their Bronx neighbors. (I mean, they spend a ton of money now, so that might change, but historically, the Mets were usually underdogs.)
With the Rockies, it’s because Coors Field is a popular road trip / short(ish) flight destination for visiting Twins fans, and a number of well-liked Twins have played for the Rockies. Take this bunch, from 2014: Jason Pridie, Matt Belisle, and Wilin Rosario.
OK, Pridie only played for the Twins in 11 games from 2008-2009, Matt Belisle managed to have a 9.13 ERA for the Twins in 2018, and Rosario (no relation to Eddie) never played with the Twins at all. But, for some reason, his BRef page has him in a Twins cap. He did play for Rochester in 2019, so presumably he was an invite to spring training that year. But why not have him in a Rockies hat? He was with the team for five seasons. Got fourth place in ROY voting in 2012. Huh. He was actually quite solid his one year in Rochester, too, with a .843 OPS. But, if you’ll remember, that year, the Twins were actually pretty good, and maybe didn’t have room on the roster for a gritty backup September guy. Who knows?
Anyways, I kid, I kid, the ex-Twins Rockies we all love are Michael Cuddyer, LaTroy Hawkins, and Justin Morneau, all of who were with the team in 2014. And all of whom had decent seasons. It didn’t help the Rockies any; they went 66-96 (while the Twins went 70-92). But they still drew the fifth-biggest crowd in the National League. (We were eighth-biggest in the AL.)
Maybe the Rockies’ ability to consistently draw huge crowds (partly because they’re the only MLB team in their geographical vicinity) makes them virtually the one American professional sports team that isn’t constantly gouging taxpayers for more money by threatening to leave. Their stadium lease runs until 2047. In 2017, the Rockies got a land deal to develop some property next to the stadium. In return, they re-upped the lease. So far, so customary. (Neil deMause, as always, has the details.)
But here’s the weird part; the Rockies didn’t ask to be given the land for cheap/free, or to pay no property taxes on it — that’s how these things usually go. They’re actually paying fair market value for the property, and they do pay property taxes on it. What the heck?
It’s possible the Rockies owners, the Monfort brothers (who inherited their dad’s meatpacking fortune) are simply happy to have ENOUGH money, and don’t feel the need to play “who’s got the biggest, hairiest luxury boxes” with all the other sports owners. I mean, it is possible that non-horrible rich people might, in theory, conceivably exist.
But, nah. I’m just guessing their business people went into negotiations in an Altered State and weren’t exactly thinking clearly. They were, shall we say…
Also, since 2017, they have mostly hovered around the middle of MLB in spending (although payroll dropped some in 2025 and dropped a ton this year). So, for the most part, the team hasn’t reacted to their “aah we coulda got so much more free money if we’d played hardball” situation by totally dumping on salaries. Maybe they are, now? I duuno.
Of course, the team’s also mostly stunk for the majority of its existence, and hasn’t won a real playoff game since 2009 (if you don’t count the expanded wild-card rounds as real playoff games, and I don’t). But the Twins have only won one such game since 2004, so we’re mostly in the same boat.
Finally, a story about a Willful Hound…
We do a fair amount of dogsitting. Mrs. James loves dogs, and I don’t mind ’em. She’d prefer to own one, and I wouldn’t, so the compromise is we do monthly (or so) dogsitting.
As dog owners/lovers know, each dog has its own personality and own challenges. The dog we were sitting last week is extremely friendly to humans, and tolerates other dogs, so those aren’t problems.
The only problems are with what it likes to eat (a common challenge with dogs). This one likes to eat under-ripe fruits, like the raspberries and apples we currently have in the backyard. If she gets to eat a ton of these, she will have bad doggarrhea, so we don’t let her do it.
Sometimes, when she indicates she wants to go outside, it’s to tinkle or poop. Sometimes, it’s just to eat unripe fruit. You have to keep an eye on this.
By the end of this last 10-day stay, she’d fallen into a nice pattern. After dark, when Mrs. James is asleep and I’m winding my night down by watching a movie in the basement or reading and having some beers, the dog stays upstairs. When I go upstairs to use the restroom, I ask the dog if it wants to go outside. And if it does, it tinkles/poops and comes right back in. No problems!
But, things got weird Saturday night. I was downstairs watching a movie, and the dog actually came downstairs. Huh. That’s new. If it wanted to sit on a chair or something in the same room, that’s fine.
Nope, it was whining at me. So I went upstairs and let it outside. It went straight for the unripe fruit. I brought it inside, and went back downstairs.
Ten minutes later — same thing. It came downstairs, whined, I let it out, it tried to eat fruit. Ten minutes again — same thing.
Then, ten minutes after that, it came downstairs and just stared silently at me. “What?”, I asked.
Still staring at me, it squatted down and took a big ol’ giant dump on the basement floor.
I was thinking how to respond, kinda taken aback by surprise, when the dog then promptly turned around and gobbled up all the poop. Slurp slurp slurp! Then took one more look at me, then went upstairs, and that was that. No more contact for the rest of that night.
Now, some dog training experts like Steve Mann will tell you how a dog always/only reacts to stimuli and impulse. How, as this The Guardian article says, “‘Your dog is never “ignoring” you or “doing it on purpose.”‘
I dunno. It felt very much like this dog was sending me a pretty direct message.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 05: Steven Cruz #64 of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the Minnesota Twins on June 5, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Normally, I like to get the game preview started relatively early. Usually, we know the pitching matchups well ahead of time, and I can start at least writing about the pitchers and get most of the preview done. Then I can add the lineups and a couple of sentences about those closer to game time. Unfortunately, when I went to start on this preview, both teams had TBD for their pitchers.
Ordinarily, this would be Stephen Kolek’s turn in the Royals’ rotation, but he’s about to become a father for the first time, and he is understandably away from the team. So the Royals are going to have to come up with a Plan B. I’m sure they know what their plan is. They probably even know what their three backup plans after that are. But they didn’t bother to tell me.
The White Sox, I think, were hoping to recall Noah Schultz from his rehab assignment. But when he last pitched on Sunday, it didn’t exactly go well, as he allowed two hits, a walk, and two hit-by-pitch in only 2.2 innings of work. I did some digging and managed to figure out that with Schultz not quite ready, the White Sox plan to turn to former Royals’ farm hand, David Sandlin.
Sandlin has made three appearances for the White Sox this year, including two starts, and the 6’4″ righty has struck out more than a batter per inning, but has also walked more than half as many. His 52.2% Left-On-Base percentage figures to climb, but the 12.1% K-BB% doesn’t leave room for a ton of improvement. Sandlin has a six-pitch mix, but he leads with a four-seamer that averages 97 and grades out as one of the best fastballs in the sport. After that, he mostly throws curveballs with a decent smattering of cutters. The sinker, sweeper, and changeup are all thrown less than 10% of the time, and he struggles to get them in the strike zone.
Sandlin succeeds by getting hitters to chase, but he doesn’t get a ton of whiffs. The Royals will need to be patient with him, or they could end up hitting his pitches, which often lead to groundballs. As those of us who watched Eric Hosmer know, groundballs are outs far too often, even when they’re hit hard.
Steven Cruz will be the opener for the Royals, Mitch Spence got called up to take Stephen Kolek’s roster spot while he’s on paternity leave and will be the bulk reliever. I think we’re all more familiar with both of them than we’d like to be at this point. Spence has a negative K-BB%, so there’s not a lot of hope he’ll even improve. He had been a serviceable pitcher for the Athletics, I wish I understood what happened there. The Cruz Missile, on the other hand, had been enjoying a bit of a renaissance until the three-run bomb against the Cardinals. Even with that bomb given up, he has a 2.70 ERA with a 20% K-BB% over his last 8 appearances spanning 10 innings. Hopefully he can show some juice, today and get us off on the right foot.
Lineups
As you can see, Kyle Teel has made his triumphant return to the White Sox lineup after missing a large chunk of the season following an injury during the World Baseball Classic. Honestly, I’d rather face Munetaka Murakami but I guess I don’t get to choose.
The Royals finally got Bobby Witt Jr. back into the lineup. He will be the Designated Hitter tonight, batting second. Hopefully, they aren’t risking further aggravating his injury by getting him back in the lineup so soon. Unfortunately, with Bobby DHing the Royals have chosen to keep Salvador Perez in the lineup, so he will play first, and both John Rave and Kameron Misner will ride the pine despite both being much more interesting to watch than Sal right now.
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 20: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies inspects a baseball during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field on June 20, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images)
The Rockies head to Minnesota tonight to begin the actual second half of the season — Game 82, not the post-All-Star-break version — still buried in the NL West at 32-49 with a -90 run differential. They are 11.5 games out of the final National League playoff spot, and the fan conversation has already moved fully into trade deadline mode. That feels appropriate. The Rockies should be active at the deadline, and for several players on the roster, playing well over the next month will make them more likely to be moved, not less.
That does not mean the first half was empty. The Rockies have made some measurable progress from last year’s 119-loss disaster.
Colorado has also been more competitive lately. The Rockies have won their last two series, taking two of three from Pittsburgh behind a tight win in Kyle Freeland’s gem and a pitchers’ duel win from Sugano, then following it with a series win over Boston that included a walk-off win and a late comeback. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games.
The Twins enter the series at 38-44, third in the AL Central and 4.5 games back in a division that remains available. The larger state of things in Minnesota is still uneven: the Twins are 6-4 over their last 10, but they were just swept by the Dodgers, ending with a one-run loss full of stranded chances. They carry a -29 run differential, and their expected record is also 38-44, so this is not a team being misrepresented by its overall record.
The interleague split is worth noting, too. Minnesota is just 9-18 against National League teams this season, while Colorado is 12-9 against the American League. That might not mean much on the whole, but it is an interesting wrinkle in a series between one team trying to hang around and another already looking toward the deadline.
Taking the ball for the Rox is Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之). The 36-year-old right-hander enters at 8-4 with a 4.31 ERA, 46 strikeouts, and 79.1 innings pitched across 15 starts. Sugano has become one of the more enjoyable players on the roster thanks to his calm mound presence and the extra layer of mystique that comes with his work through an interpreter. He has also been effective enough to make his future in Colorado a legitimate question as the deadline approaches.
He was sharp his last time out, allowing four hits and one run across six innings against the Pirates while striking out five. Sugano threw seven different pitch types in that start, led by his splitter, slider, and four-seam fastball, and generated 11 whiffs on 50 swings. The splitter has been the most useful pitch in the mix overall, while the four-seamer remains the pitch most likely to get him into trouble. Sugano is a pitcher, not a thrower, and he has been very effective — just maybe do not stare at his Baseball Savant page for too long. His path is built around mixing shapes, limiting walks, and keeping hitters from sitting on one speed. When that is working, he can deliver what he has all year long: a competitive start.
Opposite Sugano is Taj Bradley, a 25-year-old right-hander who enters at 6-3 with a 4.11 ERA, 84 strikeouts, and 76.2 innings pitched across 14 starts. The contrast is pretty clear. Sugano is trying to survive with mix, command, and sequencing. Bradley is trying to beat hitters with power.
Bradley allowed two runs over five innings against Arizona his last time out, striking out four in a short but effective start. He leans on a four-seam fastball nearly half the time, and it is his best pitch by run value. The fastball averages 96.8 mph, and he pairs it with a cutter, splitter, and curveball. The cutter and splitter have been closer to neutral, while the curveball has generated whiffs but has also been hit hard enough to show up as a clear run-value weakness.
Bradley can miss bats, but the contact quality against him is the opening for Colorado. He has allowed a 46.9% hard-hit rate and a 10.3% barrel rate.
The Rockies lineup has a few bats worth tracking, too. Hunter Goodman enters the night fifth in MLB in home runs, TJ Rumfield has been especially hot over his last 15 games with a .345/.415/.724 line, five homers, and 14 RBI, and Mickey Moniak is back in the starting lineup for the second time in four games since returning from his IL/rehab stint.
For a rebuilding team, a 6-4 stretch is worth enjoying. The Rockies still have plenty of warts, and the deadline picture is only going to get louder, but this version of the roster has been more watchable, more competitive, and a lot more fun. Against an under .500 Twins team that has struggled in interleague play, Colorado has a chance to keep that going.
First Pitch: 6:10 p.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: Zach Thornton #49 of the New York Mets pitches during the first inning of his Major League debut against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 20, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets Lineup
Carson Benge – RF
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – DH
Francisco Lindor – SS
Jared Young – 1B
A.J. Ewing – CF
Ronny Mauricio – 2B
Brett Baty – 3B
Luis Torrens – C
Zach Thornton – LHP
Phillies Lineup
Trea Turner – SS
Kyle Schwarber – DH
Bryce Harper – 1B
Alec Bohm – 3B
Brandon Marsh – RF
Derek Hill – CF
J.T. Realmuto – C
Bryson Stott – 2B
Edmundo Sosa – LF
Zack Wheeler – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:10pm EDT TV: WPIX Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App 92.3 HD2
Jun 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Ernie Clement (22) congratulates third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) on his two run home run against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
It’s been a dispiriting three game losing streak, although yesterday’s near comeback at least raises some hopes. They get a chance to break out of their funk against Nathan Eovaldi today. Patrick Corbin will go for the Jays, trying to improve after a few weaker outings. Here are the lineups:
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Nick Martinez #28 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on before the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 12, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 31: Will Warren #29 of the New York Yankees pitches in the bottom of the second inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on May 31, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What do the Yankees have in store for us tonight after a sloppy effort in the opener at Fenway? Hopefully they have cleaned up their act after committing four errors leading to six unearned runs scoring. All units were to blame, not just the defense, with multiple HBPs and many runners stranded. It’ll take a cleaner brand of baseball to level the series heading into the weekend.
It becomes doubly important to play error-free baseball with Will Warren on the mound. He allowed four unearned runs to score in an inning following an error, that habit of unraveling cropping up multiple times this season. The trouble seems to stem from pitching out of the stretch with a lot of Warren’s misses coming in the strike zone when there are runners on – certainly something to monitor tonight. In 15 starts, Warren is 7-2 with a 3.45 ERA (121 ERA+), 3.36 FIP, and 84 strikeouts in 78.1 innings.
The Red Sox throw out back-to-back southpaws to open this series. Payton Tolle dominated the Yankees back on April 23rd, with 11 strikeouts as he allowed just one run on three hits in six innings. The 23-year-old rookie was particularly effective with his four-seamer that averages 96 and tops out at 99. In 11 starts, Tolle is 3-5 with a 3.08 ERA (133 ERA+), 3.32 FIP, and 62 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.
Ben Rice gets a rare day off, meaning Paul Goldschmidt gets the start at first. This allows Amed Rosario to DH after his costly error yesterday, moving José Caballero from left field to third. This also allows the Yankees to field a more defensively sound outfield, with Cody Bellinger in left, Spencer Jones in center, and Jasson Domínguez in right.
The Red Sox also make several changes to their lineup from last night. Mickey Gasper replaces Masataka Yoshida atop the batting order. Connor Wong replace Carlos Narváez behind the dish and Tsung-Che Cheng subs in for Marcelo Mayer at short.
How to watch
Location: Fenway Park – Boston, MA
First pitch: 7:10 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, NESN
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | WEEI 93.7, WESX 1230 AM, WCCM 1490 AM (BOS)
