Kodai Sengatook the mound for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday for his latest rehab start, and it wasn't much better than his last outing.
The Mets right-hander pitched five innings for the first time on his current rehab assignment, but allowed three runs on six hits, two walks, two hit batters and two wild pitches against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre while striking out five. Senga tossed 91 pitches (54 strikes) and topped out at 95.7 mph. His ERA is now 5.19 across his three rehab starts.
Earlier this week, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza expected Senga to throw around 85 pitches, but the team will need to see how he does and how he feels afterwards before they decide on what Senga's next step will be.
In his previous start with Syracuse, Senga allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, two walks and one hit batter while striking out five. He tossed 80 pitches through his 3.2 innings, and while the workload has increased, the results have been less than encouraging.
Senga was placed on the IL in late April with lumbar spin inflammation, and the Mets hoped the he could be inserted into a rotation that is in need of arms after Clay Holmes went down with injury.
HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 02: Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three run homer in the top of the fifth inning during the MLB game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros on June 2, 2026 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a completely different offense than they were a year ago.
Calling it a night and day difference doesn’t do it justice.
A year after falling in the bottom five of most offensive categories, the Pirates are a top-five offense in baseball.
The team is second best in baseball in on-base percentage (.338), tied for second in hits (8.8), fourth in batting average (.255), tied for fourth in OPS (.740), and fifth best in baseball in runs per game (5.1).
It’s not an opinion, but a fact.
The most drastic improvement? Power.
Pittsburgh hit an MLB-low 117 home runs last season. The next closest team was the rival St. Louis Cardinals (148), who beat out the Bucs for last place by a jarring 31 homers.
This season? The Pirates are on pace to top 117 by mid-July.
Don Kelly’s team owns 71 home runs in 61 games, on pace for over 180 homers in 2026.
The Bucs hit three longballs on Tuesday in Houston and are getting contributions up and down the lineup. Brandon Lowe hit his 15th of the season, and Oneil Cruz smacked his 14th, both three-run long balls, to power the Pirates to a 10-6 victory.
Endy Rodriguez started the scoring with a two-run shot. Initially ruled a triple, the call was overturned to a home run following a video review for his first of the season.
Cruz led the Pirates in home runs last season, but only amounted 20 in 135 games. He is on pace for a 30/30 season and the best year of his career.
Lowe leads all Pirates with 15 and ranks tied for fourth in the National League, one year after hitting 31 with the Tampa Bay Rays in 134 games.
Bryan Reynolds finished second on the team in 2025 with 16 round-trippers. Lowe is one away. It’s June 3.
Five Pirates have hit six or more home runs, and Marcell Ozuna, who has been relegated to a part-time player, has hit five.
The Pirates offense is more balanced, and created lineup protection for veterans mainstays like Reynolds and Cruz.
Spencer Horwitz is having an eye-popping season with seven home runs and a .385 on-base percentage, eighth highest in the National League.
The Pirates were one of four teams to score at least 300 runs through May. The others are all World Series contenders (Braves, Dodgers, Yankees).
This season marked the first time the Pirates won 30 games before the end of May since 2013.
The expectation was that the Pirates’ offense would be good, but not THIS good.
Could this be the best offense since the 1979 “Lumber Company” Pirates?
The last World Series championship team led the NL in runs (775) and hits (1,496). Led by 1979 MVP Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, and Bill Robinson, the Pirates only hit 148 home runs.
This year’s club should well exceed it, albeit in a different era of baseball and how the game is played.
Lowe, Reynolds, Cruz, and even Ryan O’Hearn all have legitimate cases to make the All-Star Game.
Pittsburgh has an offense that has proven through the first third of the season that it can be sustained.
The club is +35 in run differential and sits in second place in the very difficult NL Central.
It’s not an illusion. It’s no fantasy. It’s not a dream. The Pirates’ offense is good for the first time in a long time, and they’re not looking to wake up from this dream.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 31: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammate Joc Pederson #3 following their team's win over the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field on May 31, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for June 3, 2026 against the St. Louis Cardinals: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Andre Pallante for the Cards.
Texas is looking to sweep the Cardinals in St. Louis, as well as extend their winning streak to six games and get back to .500. Skip Schumaker is rolling with the same lineup as yesterday.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Jung — 3B
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Duran — SS
Osuna — LF
Carter — CF
Higashioka — C
Lopez — 2B
6:45 p.m. Central start time. The game is a pick ‘em.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 02: Gavin Sheets #30 of the San Diego Padres celebrates his two-run home run in the third inning with Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 02, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (32-27) at Philadelphia Phillies (31-29), June 3, 2026, 3:40 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, Penn.
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our threads
The Good Guys’ offense ran on Sam Antonacci energy, as the rookie spark plug went 4-for-4 in a dominant win over the Twins. | (David Berding/Getty Images)
After two frustrating losses to begin the series, the White Sox responded exactly how good teams are supposed to: They punched back.
Erick Fedde spun five shutout innings, the offense piled on 12 hits and eight walks, and the Sox steamrolled the Twins. Sure, they lost the series, but they leave Minnesota with a +11 run differential and at least a little dignity restored.
The Sox jumped all over Taj Bradley from pitch one. Sam Antonacci singled, Miguel Vargas walked, and Andrew Benintendi slapped a base hit, and suddenly the sacks were packed with nobody out. Colson Montgomery, who had a rough game, whiffed on three pitches, but Chase Meidroth worked an eight-pitch walk to push home the first run and keep his on-base streak alive at 17.
Rookie Jacob Gonzalez delivered the big blow of the frame, slapping a single the other way to plate two more.
The Twins then gift-wrapped another run on a soft Tristan Peters grounder and some classic Minnesota bumbling. The Good guys were up 4-0.
Fedde could have pitched in slippers with that early cushion. The righthander, finally in the win column, was on cruise control. He mowed down the first 11 Twinkies and breezed through three innings on just 30 pitches. Minnesota didn’t sniff a baserunner until he walked Trevor Larnach with two outs in the fourth, and didn’t surrender a base hit until Luke Keaschall finally broke up the party with two gone in the fifth. The veteran’s final line: five scoreless, two hits, a walk, two Ks. Efficient, effective, and with 61 pitches, he barely broke a sweat.
The Sox kept loading the bases and then leaving them there, stranding runners in the second, third, and fourth. Montgomery had a day to forget with four strikeouts, seven left in scoring position, and a golden sombrero for his troubles.
The South Siders finally broke it open in the sixth, thanks to some generous Twins defense. Rikuu Nishida reached on an error, took second on another, and Antonacci cashed him in with a double for 5-0.
The bullpen relieved Fedde after five frames and ensured there would be no drama. Grant Taylor took care of the sixth and seventh, mowing down six of seven and picking up three Ks. Chris Murphy cleaned up the last two, dodging a couple of late baserunners to lock down the shutout.
The bats added some finishing touches in the eighth. Antonacci doubled again, Vargas singled him home, and Benintendi put the cherry on top with a two-run Benny Bomb to right-center. 8-0, let’s go!
Antonacci, Vargas, and Benintendi did the heavy lifting at the top, combining to go 7-for-10 and reaching base 13 times. The offense also did exactly what was discussed in our game thread: they were patient and worked the free passes. Eight walks later, Minnesota’s pitchers were begging for mercy.
Despite the big lead, the Sox went just 5-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left a pile of runs on the table, but after the first two games, nobody in the clubhouse was about to gripe. The guys gets a breather on Thursday, then it’s off to Philly for the weekend.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 29: AJ Smith-Shawver #32 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, May 29, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abdoul Sow/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Not to fear, Braves fans, the starting rotation’s depth is soon to get stronger.
AJ Smith-Shawver will be facing hitters soon, the final step before beginning a rehab assignment. He is throwing high intensity bullpen sessions currently and is not too far behind Hurston Waldrep (who made his first rehab start Monday) according to #Braves MGR Walt Weiss.
While we are waiting for the return of some more helpful hands like Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep, Smith-Shawver is another young dominant arm that is expected to make an impact in Atlanta’s rotation.
After suffering a torn UCL that cut his strong stint (3.86 ERA) short last May, he’s making significant progress in his high-intensity bullpen sessions and looking to take the final step in facing live hitters before he’s assigned to rehab and find his way back in Atlanta’s clubhouse.
Waldrep started his rehab stint this past Monday, so the two are not far behind in each other in terms of progression.
It isn’t often that a pitcher gives up a game-tying run and receives a long and loud standing ovation.
But it isn’t often that a pitcher accomplishes what Cristopher Sanchez did over the last month plus.
The gifted Phillies left-hander saw his scoreless streak rise to 50 2/3 innings – fifth-best of all-time – in the team’s 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.
Sanchez, who did not allow a run in five starts in the month of May, began the game with six scoreless innings before allowing a pair of two-out hits and a run in the top of the seventh inning. Ty France doubled down the left field line and scored on a base hit by Jackson Merrill. That hit tied the game at 1-1 but J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber had Sanchez’ back. They both clubbed solo homers in the bottom of the inning to put the Phillies ahead and get Sanchez the win.
Sanchez, who leads the majors with a 1.46 ERA, passed Hall of Famer Bob Gibson (47 consecutive scoreless innings in 1968) on his way to fifth place on the all-time list. Sanchez walked just one and struck out eight in seven innings of work. He appeared frustrated with himself after giving up the two hits and losing his scoreless innings streak in the seventh, but the Citizens Bank Park crowd of 40,453 sure appreciated him. As France reached home plate, the entire ballpark rose to its feet and saluted Sanchez with hearty applause.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sanchez had been named National League Pitcher of the Month for May. He pitched 39 scoreless innings over five starts in the month. He struck out 45 and walked just three.
While impressed with Sanchez’ streak, teammates have come to expect greatness from him. The 29-year-old Dominican finished second in the NL Cy Young voting last season.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t think a lot of us are talking about it,” Bryce Harper said of the streak before the game. “It seems simple and normal for him to go out and there and pitch and do his thing, so we’re not thinking about it too much.
“He’s a super special pitcher and person, as well. Nothing against the streak or anything, but he’s been doing it for so long, it feels like he’s been on a streak the last couple of years. It’s just all come together for him and it’s a lot of fun to be part of. It’s really cool.”
After the Phils went up, 3-1, in the bottom of the seventh, the Padres cut the lead to one with a run against reliever Brad Keller in the eighth. Jhoan Duran protected the one-run lead in the ninth for his 14th save.
Sanchez improved to 7-2 on the season and the Phillies improved to 32-29. They are now 16-16 at home, heading into Thursday afternoon’s series finale. The Phils and Padres have played five times over the last week with the Phillies winning all of them. Three have been one-run victories.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, first in the NL West with a 39-22 record, face the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are third at 32-28 record in a key divisional matchup. The Dodgers are favored with a -193 moneyline compared to the Diamondbacks' +160. Starting pitchers are scheduled to be Shohei Ohtani for Los Angeles, with a 0.82 ERA, and Zac Gallen for Arizona, with a 5.16 ERA.
How to watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 31: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after reaching second base on a sharp fly ball to left field to tie the game 3-3 in the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field on May 31, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Athletics, third in the AL West with a 29-31 record, face the Chicago Cubs, who are fourth in the NL Central at 32-29. The Chicago Cubs are favored with a -125 moneyline compared to the Athletics' +105. Starting pitchers are Jeffrey Springs for the Athletics, with a 4.07 ERA, and Colin Rea for the Chicago Cubs (4.70 ERA).
Don't rule out the Los Angeles Dodgers adding more firepower at next month's trade deadline.
Despite their gaudy payroll, NL West leaders are down two major pieces of the rotation with Blake Snell (loose bodies in left elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (lower back spasms) both on the IL for the foreseeable future.
One name that the Dodgers have been attached to on the rumor mill for some time now is Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, and as manager Dave Roberts joked to USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles may be the only team with a strong enough farm system to pull off a hypothetical deal for the back-to-back Cy Young winner.
"They would go ballistic," Roberts told USA TODAY, laughing. "But we would have the prospect capital to do that. We are one of the teams that could do that with the Tigers."
Armed with the No. 2-ranked farm system in the league and five top-100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, there's no shortage of options the Dodgers could use to entice Detroit to part ways with Skubal, if the TIgers were to deal him.
The Dodgers' top prospects include Josue De Paula, who's hitting .320 with a .958 OPS and eight home runs in 49 games with Double-A Tulsa, Zyhir Hope (.296 with 11 homers and .871 OPS), Eduardo Quintero (their 2025 Minor League Player of the Year) or Mike Sirota, who's hitting .349 with a 1.035 OPS in 12 games since being called up to Double-A.
Skubal's currently on the IL with loose bodies in his throwing elbow, an injury the Dodgers are all too familiar with right now with both Snell and closer Edwin Díaz. Skubal, however, is closest to a return out of all three. According to MLB.com's Jason Beck, he threw 64 pitches in a four-inning simulated game at Tropicana Field on Monday and could go on a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 02: A detail shot of the Philadelphia Phillies jersey with a patch commemorating Lou Gehrig Day worn by Bryce Harper #3 during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Denis Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Baltimore Orioles, ranked third in the AL East with a 29-32 record, face the Boston Red Sox, who are fifth in the division at 25-3. Boston is favored with a -148 moneyline compared to Baltimore's +123. Starting pitchers are Chris Bassitt for Baltimore, with a 5.06 ERA, and Payton Tolle for Boston, with a 2.61 ERA.
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 29: Matt Gage #93 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates after an outfield play to end the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 29, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants are making yet another move, as it seems they have a daily quota to fulfill. This one, unfortunately, was mandated by injuries. Before their Wednesday game against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Giants announced that left-handed reliever Matt Gage had been placed on the 15-Day Injured List, while right-handed reliever Dylan Smith had been recalled from AAA Sacramento to take his place.
It’s a hit to a bullpen that is already struggling, as Gage has been one of their most reliable arms. The veteran southpaw, whose IL stint is for right knee inflammation, and is retroactive to June 2, has a 2.63 ERA on the season, third on the team (minimum: 10 innings pitched) behind only Joel Peguero (2.38) and Keaton Winn (2.45). That said, it hasn’t been the prettiest low ERA, as Gage has just 19 strikeouts in 24 innings, with 13 walks and three home runs allowed. That’s resulted in a fairly ugly FIP (4.76), which suggests the ERA could be primed for some regression.
Still, he’s been a trustworthy arm out of the ‘pen for Tony Vitello, and that’s more than most players have been able to say this year. Gage pitched during Monday’s blowout loss, and it seems the injury flared up then, and was likely partially responsible for the five baserunners that he allowed in an inning of work.
Replacing him is Smith, who returns to the roster after a very brief stint earlier in the year. A 3rd-round pick in 2021, Smith was sent to the Giants right before the start of the season in a DFA/cash trade with the Detroit Tigers. He’s pitched decently in Sacramento, with a 3.98 ERA, a 4.43 FIP, and 23 strikeouts to 10 walks in 20.1 innings. Smith, who turned 26 last week, has pitched once for the Giants this year, and faced three batters while getting two outs and walking a hitter during an extra-innings victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 10.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 01: Nasim Nunez #26 of the Washington Nationals is caught trying to steal second base by Xavier Edwards at Nationals Park on June 01, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well that was certainly a gut punch. The Nats just got swept at home by a Marlins team that had lost five straight entering the series. For whatever reason, the Fish just seem to have our number. That is especially true of Marlins pitchers who have contained this offense better than any other team.
In this series, the Nats only scored 7 runs in the three games. Today, they only managed 1 run on 3 hits. The one run they did score was due to Otto Lopez booting what could have been an inning ending double play. That elite offense which has been so consistent all season long was nowhere to be found in this series.
Part of that is due to the Marlins pitching staff. The Marlins threw the ball well in all three games, and saved their best performance for last. Emerging ace Max Meyer just carved up this Nats lineup with elite breaking balls. The sweeper and slider were both working well for the 27 year old, who has pitched like an All-Star this year. He struck out 7 and also got 7 ground outs.
There were a couple missed opportunities for the Nats offense, but for most of the day, they were just being dominated. Keibert Ruiz, Jacob Young and Luis Garcia Jr. were the only ones who looked like they had a chance for most of this series. Young hit the only Nats home run of the series, while the contact oriented Marlins hit 8 homers.
While the depth pieces have been solid for this Nats offense, this group really goes as CJ Abrams and James Wood go. When the big guns are rolling, this offense is elite. However, when they go quiet, the house of cards begins to fold. In this series, the duo went 3/23 with 9 strikeouts. Today it felt like Wood and Abrams were both trying to do too much to spark the struggling offense.
Daylen Lile had a good game yesterday, but he has been in an extended slump since his massive series against the Reds with his family in the house. Lile’s increased chase rate is alarming. Last season, he chased 26.7% of the time, which is slightly less than the average hitter. Impressively, he was able to do this while being very aggressive in the zone. This season, Lile’s chase rate is up 10% to 36.7% which is in the 14th percentile.
We are going to do a deeper dive on Lile, but the Nats need him to step up. He was a big part of this offense at the end of last season, and has gone on some very impressive runs this season as well. However, his season has been slightly underwhelming so far, especially offensively.
On the mound, the Nats were lucky to only allow 4 runs. The Marlins were putting constant pressure on Nats pitchers. Nationals pitchers were constantly falling behind hitters and nibbling as well. They walked 8 and gave up 10 hits. Usually when that happens, you are allowing at least 6 runs. However, the Marlins were not great with runners in scoring position. Fortunately for them, the Nats offense was in no mood to make them pay.
Final: Marlins 4, Nationals 1
The Nats continue to have some trouble hitting in day games. The pitching staff has reverted to some old habits, falling behind in counts. They are swept by the Marlins and fall back under .500.
Sweeps happen in baseball, but this stings. However, what happens next is what will truly define this season. The Nats are at a crossroads right now. They can either bounce back and keep their exciting season rolling on this west coast trip, or this could be where everything goes off the rails.
Last season, the Nats entered June only two games under .500 before everything unraveled. Another June swoon would be so discouraging for a Nats fanbase that was beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. It could also have major implications on CJ Abrams’ future. If the Nats fold again in June, it makes it much easier for Paul Toboni to stick to his original timeline and trade CJ Abrams.
However, if the Nats prove that this was just a blip, we could push forward with Abrams and try to maximize his window. It may sound melodramatic, but how the Nats respond to this sweep could legitimately decide the future direction of this franchise for years to come.
