ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Luke Maile #17 of the Kansas City Royals at bat during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 24, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals have made a lot of transactions today, which could be exciting for fans hoping for a shakeup, but they’re mostly internal to the team.
The first announced move was to reinstate Stephen Kolek to the 26-man roster from the Family Medical Emergency List. In a corresponding move, Jose Cuas was optioned back to Omaha. Cuas pitched two innings last night in his season debut, and while he did allow a run, he also struck out three. So hopefully we’ll see him get more chances going forward.
Then, shortly before the game, the Royals announced that they had selected Luke Maile’s contract from Omaha and added him to the major league team. To accommodate his addition to the 40-man and 26-man rosters, John Rave was demoted back to Omaha and Eric Cerantola was designated for assignment.
Personally, despite Cerantola’s unsightly big league performances so far – 10 walks and a 10.13 ERA in 5.1 innings – I would have preferred to keep him around over Mitch Spence. At least Cerantola could also get a strikeout on occasion. I also probably would have demoted Tyler Tolbert or Kameron Misner over John Rave. Rave hasn’t actually made any boneheaded plays at the big league level so far this year, which is more than I can say for the other two, and I’m still very fascinated to see where his revamped swing could take him. But the Royals didn’t agree.
Considering Salvador Perez is also not in tonight’s starting lineup, we can add 2 + 2 and get 4. Salvy is probably hurting again. So the best move probably would have been to go ahead and put him on the IL so they could have a full, healthy bench. But the Royals would prefer to demote Rave to Omaha rather than put the aging catcher on the IL, which is what it’s there for. The IL has not stopped being lava, I guess.
Oh, and the Royals made one other under-the-radar move. It didn’t even get announced on their main social channels:
Royals fans from the last few years before Dayton Moore was fired will remember this move. The “add a guy we used to like a few years ago because we desperately need someone to pitch and heaven knows we don’t want to try anyone new!“ special. No guarantees that Barlow will make it back to the bigs with KC, but considering the bullpen carousel we’ve been on all year, I wouldn’t bet against it, either.
Finally, we got this tidbit from Anne Rogers:
Cole Ragans underwent a UCL repair on his left elbow yesterday. That was what the #Royals had feared but ultimately expected, and now they’re looking at getting Ragans back midseason next year.
Based on the timeline, it’s possible Cole Ragans underwent the internal brace procedure rather than a third Tommy John surgery, but it’s a pretty brutal blow to lose him for not just the remainder of this season, but at least midway into next year, too. It would seem to make it even less likely that they trade either Michael Wacha or Seth Lugo at this deadline, even if they’re currently the only guys with trade value that it would make any sense for the Royals to part with.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: Sean Murphy #12 of the Atlanta Braves bats in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’re just under an hour away from first pitch at Truist Park and there’s going to be a bit of a new look both on the mound and out in the field for the third game of this series between the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals. Hurston Waldrep is set to make his first start of the season and Jim Jarvis is in the lineup and starting at shortstop for Atlanta.
Walt Weiss spoke with the media ahead of tonight’s contest and as you can imagine, those two aforementioned players were certainly the topic of conversation and people of interest in the run-up to Thursday night’s game.
On Hurston Waldrep ahead of tonight’s start
Walt Weiss told the media that he’s expecting something like 70-to-around-80-or-so pitches from Waldrep tonight. He described his expectations as “hopefully similar to what we got last night from [Reynaldo López].” López threw 69 pitches and tossed five innings with the Cardinals scoring their lone run of the night in the first inning. Anything similar to that would be greatly appreciated and Weiss said that he’s really “looking forward to it. [Waldrep] was dominant at times last year…it’s good to have him back in the mix here.
On having Jim Jarvis back in the lineup
“A baseball-y player, to use a common term,” is how Walt Weiss described having Jim Jarvis in the fold. “He’s got a good bat. He’s a little different from all the other players in the lineup to where he wants to go deep into counts and draw walks.”
Weiss continued to discuss how he was looking forward to utilizing his starting shortstop for the rubber match against the Cardinals by going into his versatility. “He can hit too,” continued Weiss. He’s having a nice year at Triple-A. He defends well and he’s got a good arm. He runs pretty well. It’s nice having another left-handed bat against a tough righty like [Cardinals starter] Dustin May. It’s nice to have that option as a left-handed option. The shortstop thing will be day-to-day but he’s nice to have.”
When asked about whether or not Jim Jarvis could be deployed in a platoon-type situation, Walt Weiss mentioned that it’s possible but was ultimately non-committal and preferred to keep his options open in that regard. “I’ll look into the numbers and go from there but other than that, he can play other spots in the infield and spell some other guys against right-handers. It gives us a bit more flexibility,” answered Weiss.
On long-relief options
“I think we’re covered,” said Weiss when he was asked about the multi-inning relief options out of the bullpen ahead of Thursday’s game against the Cardinals. “[Ian] Hamitlon and [James] Karinchak have both gone multiple innings in Triple-A, so they’re capable of doing that. I think we’re covered, yeah.”
On Sean Murphy’s status
It’s been around eight weeks now for the Braves when it comes to haing Sean Murphy on the shelf. Friend of the site Grant McAuley asked Weiss about whether or not Murphy was getting close to a rehab stint and Weiss seemed to indicate that any rehab stint wouldn’t exactly be imminent at the moment.
“I’m not exactly sure when he’s going out on rehab,” said Weiss. “I don’t want to speculate. He’s starting to progress and do some baseball things but I’m not sure exactly when that rehab clock will start.”
Apr 30, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick (10) reacts after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning as Arizona Diamondbacks catcher James McCann (8) looks on at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers are back on the road this weekend, as they’ll head to the desert to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games beginning Friday evening. The Brewers, fresh off a winning homestand against the Reds and Cubs, are about halfway through the biggest gauntlet of their season — they’ve played seven games in the last seven days, with 11 games in the next 10 days leading into the All-Star break. They still sit atop the NL Central, five games ahead of the second-place Cubs.
On the other side, the Diamondbacks had a disappointing month of June, going 12-15 as they’re now an even 43-43 on the season. They’re still in the wild card hunt but sit third in the NL West, 12.5 games behind the NL-leading Dodgers and just behind the Padres for second place.
Milwaukee’s IL currently includes RHP Carlos Rodriguez (late July return), RHP Logan Henderson (expected back next week), RHP Coleman Crow (July), LHP DL Hall (late July), LHP Rob Zastryzny (early July), LHP Brian Fitzpatrick (TBD), RHP Quinn Priester (2027), and LHP Angel Zerpa (early to mid-2027). Outfielder Brandon Lockridge is the lone position player on the shelf, and he’s currently looking at a late July return.
For the Diamondbacks, they’re currently without catcher James McCann (expected back next week), RHP Michael Soroka (post-All-Star break), OF Jordan Lawlar (late July/August), RHP Ryne Nelson (September), RHP Justin Martinez (second half), LHP A.J. Puk (TBD), RHP Corbin Burnes (September), RHP Cristian Mena (TBD), LHP Blake Walston (second half), and LHP Andrew Saalfrank (2027).
Jake Bauers leads the Brewers’ offense with 15 homers this season, while Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang have both added 12 homers. William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn, David Hamilton, and Cooper Pratt are among the other regular contributors of late, while Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, Joey Ortiz, and Blake Perkins provide depth. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .254/.339/.396 (.734 OPS ranks 10th), with 79 homers (tied for 25th), 436 runs (fifth), and 83 steals (fifth).
Despite having a few big names like Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, Nolan Arenado, and Geraldo Perdomo, the D-backs haven’t been great offensively this year. Marte leads the team with 17 homers and 54 RBIs, while Carroll has 13 homers and a league-best 10 triples. Arenado has nine homers, and Ildemaro Vargas has cooled off considerably after a red-hot start. Gabriel Moreno, LuJames Groover, Max Kepler, Jorge Barrosa, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. round out the regulars for Arizona, with Pavin Smith, Adrian Del Castillo, and Tommy Troy serving as depth. As a team, the D-backs are hitting .238/.308/.386 (.694 OPS ranks tied for 26th), with 78 homers (tied for 28th), 367 runs (19th), and 54 steals (tied for 18th).
Aaron Ashby leads Milwaukee’s bullpen with a 3.16 ERA over 51 1/3 innings, and he also leads the league with a whopping 12 wins (to just one loss). Trevor Megill has been great after a shaky start to the season, and the same goes for Abner Uribe. Grant Anderson, Jared Koenig, and Chad Patrick provide valuable depth, and Joel Kuhnel and recent call-up Garrett Stallings round things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.36 team ERA (tied for first), including a 3.17 starter ERA (first) and a 3.60 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 842 batters (second) over 762 1/3 innings.
The D-backs have had a solid bullpen, at least in terms of high-leverage arms. Taylor Clarke, Juan Morillo, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Ryan Thompson all have 30-plus appearances with sub-3.00 ERAs. Paul Sewald has struggled in the closer role with a 4.50 ERA, though he’s still 19-for-20 in save opportunities. Brandyn Garcia has a 2.33 ERA over 19 1/3 inning, Kevin Ginkel has a 3.06 ERA over 32 1/3 innings, and Drey Jameson’s 4.76 ERA (over just 11 1/3 innings) is actually the worst of the current bullpen. As a staff, the D-backs have a 4.32 team ERA (20th), including a 4.42 starter ERA (18th) and a 4.23 bullpen ERA (17th). They’ve struck out 580 batters (30th) over 756 2/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, July 3 @ 8:45 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (8-1, 2.57 ERA, 3.03 FIP) vs. RHP JoséCabrera (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.21 FIP)
Harrison continues to make his All-Star case in his first season in Milwaukee. Across 15 starts this year, he’s 8-1 with a 2.57 ERA, 3.03 FIP, and 96 strikeouts over 77 frames. He took a no-decision in his last outing as the bullpen wasn’t able to help him out. Over five frames against the Cubs, he allowed two runs on three hits and a walk, striking out nine on 92 pitches. Harrison made four appearances (three starts) against the D-backs as a Giant, going 0-2 with an 8.56 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings.
Cabrera, 24, is a rookie who has made just two starts in the majors thus far. Signed out of the Dominican Republic back in 2021, he’s 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA, 5.21 FIP, and seven strikeouts over 10 innings to begin his career, pitching in a pair of losses to the Twins and Rays. This obviously marks Cabrera’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.
Saturday, July 4 @ 8:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-1, 2.59 ERA, 3.11 FIP) vs. RHP Merrill Kelly (5-8, 5.84 ERA, 6.11 FIP)
Woodruff, who has had trouble staying on the field over the last few seasons, has looked fantastic in two starts since returning from his latest IL stint. Over 11 2/3 total innings against the Reds and Cubs, he allowed no runs on two hits and two walks, striking out 16. For the season, he’s 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA, 3.11 FIP, and 41 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings. Woodruff has made nine career appearances (eight starts) against the D-backs, going 3-1 with a 4.65 ERA and 51 strikeouts across 40 2/3 innings.
Kelly, 37, does not look like the average pitcher he was in the last several seasons. In his eighth season in the majors, he has a career-worst 5.84 ERA and 6.11 FIP this year, with just 47 strikeouts over 81 2/3 innings through 14 starts. It’s really been a case of three seasons for Kelly. Here are his splits by month (he missed the first few weeks of the season due to injury):
Let’s hope we see April/June Kelly and not May Kelly. He did get a start against the Brewers back in April, going five innings with five runs allowed and just one strikeout. For his career, he’s made 11 starts, going 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 66 innings.
Despite his rough season-long numbers, Sproat has looked a lot better over his last several outings, including a pair of starts against the Reds in his last two appearances. In those games, he totaled 11 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 17 to pick up a pair of wins. Sproat started against the D-backs (and Rodriguez) back in late April of this year, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over 4 1/3 innings in a loss.
Rodriguez, 33, is an 11-year veteran who is quietly turning in a great season. Despite a FIP of 3.98, he has a much better 2.21 ERA, with a 7-2 record and 71 strikeouts over 102 innings through 17 starts. He’s been especially good of late, allowing just two runs on 14 hits and six walks while striking out 11 over 20 2/3 innings in wins over the Angels, Cardinals, and Giants in his last three outings. As I mentioned above, Rodriguez faced off against Sproat and the Brewers back in April. He went 4 2/3 innings with two runs allowed on five hits and four walks, striking out four in that one. For his career, he’s 0-3 with a 4.44 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings in five starts against the Crew.
How to Watch & Listen
Friday, July 3: Exclusively on Apple TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, July 4: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, July 5: Exclusively on Peacock/NBCSN Extra; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
The D-backs have been less than great the last few weeks, while the Brewers have looked a lot better. Give me the Crew to take two of three in the desert.
Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli and Boston Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras were each suspended seven games by Major League Baseball Thursday, July 2 for their actions that precipitated a bases-clearing incident in the teams' June 30 game.
Cavalli struck out Contreras in the bottom of the fourth inning, and as the Boston slugger returned to his dugout, Cavalli shouted, "Sit down, boy!" at Contreras. Contreras, already an emotional player who admittedly was even moreso after an earthquake devastated his home country of Venezuela, stopped in his tracks and asked if Cavalli said something.
The two began to jaw and Contreras approached the mound, at one point tossing his helmet in Cavalli's direction. Cavalli remained in the game, much to the chagrin of Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, while Contreras, Tracy and Red Sox reserve Nate Eaton were ejected. Washington pitcher Miles Mikolas, who pitched Monday, was also ejected.
Mikolas was suspended five games and Eaton received a three-game suspension. All four players are appealing their suspensions.
"I felt as though the comment made, ‘Sit down, boy,’ at the top of (Cavalli's) lungs was part of what caused that to happen,” says Tracy, who said he was ejected for protesting that Cavalli wasn't ejected. "I just felt like the other pitcher should have been one of them too. That was my biggest complaint there: 'Why is he still in the game?' That was my take on it."
Contreras was taken aback by Cavalli's remark, yet was unsure if there were racial overtones.
“I think it was more like the fact that he yelled whatever he said," says Contreras, 34, of the 27-year-old Cavalli. "Because, prior to that, I was talking to [Nationals catcher] Keibert Ruiz, you can go ask him, about how good Cavalli is. I was like, 'He has good stuff,' and then he struck me out on a good pitch. I was walking back to the dugout, then he did what he did. The rest of it was history."
As for any further intent, Contreras said: "To be honest, I don’t know. I'm Venezuelan. I don’t know if he’s racist or not. I’ll let MLB handle that."
Cavalli told reporters: "I don't know, I just lose my head in it. I mean, I'm competitive. I just told him to sit down, and then he asked if I was talking to him. I was just standing there, I said, ‘You heard me.’ It's really not a big deal. So that's it."
Cavalli and Contreras crossed paths after an earlier at-bat, with Cavalli noting that Contreras appeared to get in his way after he was walking off the mound. Contreras denied any intent.
Cade Cavalli and Paul Toboni spoke about the incident with Willson Contreras last night. Cavalli said there was no ill intention and he will eliminate “boy” from his vocabulary.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 02: Jose Trevino #35 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated after hitting a three run homer in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on July 02, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Maybe all it takes for the Cincinnati Reds to morph back into playing good baseball is to face the absolute best, hardest-throwing arms in the game.
Just days after thumping Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, the Reds took aim at Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski on Thursday afternoon in the series finale, and their aim was pretty perfect. Sal Stewart homered off the game’s hardest thrower in the Top of the 1st to set the tone, and Jose Trevino later added a 3-run blast down the left-field line to give Cincinnati’s own ace Chase Burns a 5-0 lead that he would not relinquish.
Cincinnati scraped out an eventual 7-2 win, beating the Brewers for the first time in seven chances so far in this disappointing 2026 season. Burns, whose down velocity had him only sitting 95-97 on the day, still battled his way through 6.0 IP of 2 ER ball, and the much maligned bullpen managed to hold things down completely after that to secure the win and avoid yet another sweep.
The win moved the Reds to 40-46 on the season, still miles away from any relevance in the Central and still buried in the crowded wild card standings despite the superexpanded megaplayoff format championed by Rob Manfred. That said, they did get a resurgent performance from the recalled TJ Friedl, finally, as he homered as part of a 2-hit, 2-RBI afternoon, and now they will return home for a two-series homestand where ace Hunter Greene will make his much anticipated return to the club.
So, there’s the slightest hint of optimism, I’d say. At least, there’s a lot more after today’s game than there was just 16 or so hours ago, as the Reds finally, mercifully got the Brewers monkey off their backs for a day.
Davis Martin takes the mound looking to keep the White Sox on top of the division. | (Getty Images)
Between the White Sox losing and the Guardians winning yesterday, the division rivals sit atop the AL Central, with the Guardians just one game back in second place. The White Sox did win their first road series since May 3, but they will also need to win at least three of the four games in this series, not only to remain in first place, but also to convince me they’re improving on the road.
Davis Martin (9-3) will be on the mound tonight. Martin has been consistent, bringing his ERA back down to 3.00 entering this series in Cleveland. Kyle Teel will be behind the plate, and Andrew Benintendi will serve as the designated hitter. The rest of the lineup is what we’re used to seeing.
Slade Cecconi will be the starter for Cleveland. Cecconi, who is 4-6 with a 4.08 ERA, has only given up 12 earned runs on 35 hits in his last seven games. He doesn’t issue many walks and features a fastball-heavy approach. As for the lineup, Sports Info Solutions just named Brayan Rocchio Defensive Player of the Month, so perhaps it would be wise not to hit the ball to him. Chase DeLauter is also having a good season with a respectable .462/.500/.615 slash line over his past seven games.
First pitch will be at 5:40 p.m. CT. You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.
May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Paul Gervase (65) follows through on a pitch during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
For the third day in a row, the Dodgers have called up a new pitcher from Triple-A Oklahoma City. On Thursday, Paul Gervase joins the Dodgers in Los Angeles before the start of a four-game weekend series against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.
Charlie Barnes was the fresh arm on Wednesday, covering the final seven innings in a loss to the A’s in West Sacramento. Barnes, who has been starting in Oklahoma City, followed an opener on Wednesday and allowed seven runs, a classic “take one for the team” outing in which a pitcher soaks up innings to rest most of the bullpen. Wednesday was the sixth game of a 13-day stretch for the Dodgers, and a rotation shuffle moved Shohei Ohtani from Wednesday to start on the mound Friday against the Padres.
Gervase had a classic “take one for the team” outing on May 9, pitching the final three innings of a loss to the Atlanta Braves, a major league career high in innings for the 6’10 right-hander, and one out shy of his professional career high. He was optioned the next day.
Gervase with Oklahoma City this season has a 3.60 ERA and two saves in 19 appearances, with 35 strikeouts and 18 walks in 25 innings. In two games with the Dodgers, Gervase allowed one run in five innings with five strikeouts.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 01: Relief pitcher Winston Santos #47 of the Texas Rangers pitches during the seventh inning of his major league debut against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 01, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers have purchased the contract of righthanded relief pitcher Ben Peoples from AAA Round Rock, the team announced today. To make room for Peoples on the active roster, the Rangers have optioned righthanded pitcher Winston Santos to AAA Round Rock. With Peoples being added, the Rangers’ 40 man roster now stands at 39.
Peoples was acquired from the Chicago White Sox earlier this week in exchange for A ball catcher Ben Hartl. Peoples, 25, was a 22nd round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019. The Rays traded him to the White Sox last summer as part of the package for Adrian Houser.
Peoples was a starter until last season, when he started working exclusively out of the bullpen. In 37 innings over 29 appearances in AAA this year, he has a 2.39 ERA with 45 Ks against 21 walks. He will presumably be part of the middle relief mix for the Rangers.
Jul 2, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jared Koenig (47) talks with Milwaukee Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook (84) in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Jacob Misiorowski versus Chase Burns was rightfully billed as one of the season’s top pitching matchups. And we did get to see a bunch of really good pitching from both pitchers. But one ill-timed and uncharacteristic mistake from Misiorowski cost the Brewers, while the bottom of the Reds’ order did a whole bunch of damage today and gave Burns more than enough of an early cushion to lead Cincinnati to a comfortable win.
Surprisingly, it was the Reds who jumped out to an early advantage. After Misiorowski started the game with a three-pitch strikeout of Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart pounced on a 102-mph, 1-2 fastball that didn’t quite get high enough in the zone and hit it out to right-center. Credit to Stewart — players just haven’t been able to barrel up Misiorowski’s fastball this year, and Stewart caught one. Misiorowski proceeded to strike out both of the next two hitters to end the inning, but Cincinnati handed Burns an early lead.
Burns didn’t get off to an ideal start either, as his afternoon began with a four-pitch walk to the scuffling Christian Yelich. Burns recovered and got Jackson Chourio to pop out to first base, and Brice Turang struck out, though Yelich stole second base on the last pitch to Turang. William Contreras had a chance with a runner in scoring position and two outs, but he struck out on three pitches, and the inning ended.
Misiorowski started the second with his fourth strikeout, and then finally decided to mix it up by getting Noelvi Marte to ground out. A strikeout of Edwin Arroyo ended the inning and gave Misiorowski five Ks through two innings.
Jake Bauers crushed a line drive to start the bottom of the second, but he hit it right at the first baseman, Nathaniel Lowe, for a tough-luck out. Garrett Mitchell had a nice at-bat too, and drew a seven-pitch walk, but then had a brain fart; Sal Frelick hit a ball to fairly deep right-center, but it was pretty clearly catchable, and Mitchell forgot how many outs there were. Frelick’s fly ball was just the second, but Mitchell was at third base when the catch was made, and he was casually doubled off.
Jose Trevino started the Reds’ third with a single just past a diving David Hamilton at third. TJ Friedl followed with a bunt that might’ve gone for a hit, but Hamilton made a nice bare-handed play, and then Bauers made a great pick on the throw over to first to secure the first out. De La Cruz hit a fly ball to medium left that became the second out, and with Trevino still at second base, Stewart struck out on an unsuccessfully checked swing on a 3-2 curveball in the dirt.
Cooper Pratt started the bottom of the third with a solid drive to right field, but Marte was able to make the catch on the warning track. Hamilton was next and hit a ground ball up the middle that Burns knocked down with his glove, which gave Hamilton an infield single. Yelich, up next, jumped on the first pitch and hit a drive deep to left, but JJ Bleday made a jumping catch against the wall (and briefly got his foot stuck in the padding at the base of the wall). With Chourio batting, Hamilton stole second base, but Chourio struck out to end the inning.
Bleday started the fourth with a perfect bunt toward third. Hamilton very nearly made a great play to get him, but Bauers couldn’t hold onto the throw — it wasn’t a difficult play for Bauers, so it was a weird E3. Misiorowski’s tough luck continued when Euguenio Suárez hit a jam-shot pop-up single to shallow right that put runners on the corners with nobody out. Miz took a step toward getting out of it when Lowe, on the first pitch, hit a pop-up to Pratt, but Marte, also swinging at the first pitch, lined a single up the middle for an RBI single. Arroyo struck out, too, but Misiorowski left a 3-2 cutter over the plate, and Trevino hit it just over the wall in the left-field corner for his first home run of the season, a three-run shot that made it 5-0. Given Trevino’s marginal ability with the bat, it was fair — as Brian Anderson did on the broadcast — to question why Misiorowski didn’t just use his fastball on 3-2, but hindsight is 20/20, as they say.
Turang reached on an error by De La Cruz to start the bottom of the fourth, but Contreras flew out, Turang was caught stealing, and Bauers hit one to the warning track in the wrong part of the ballpark in deep center. Through four innings, the Brewers had three of the top five and eight of the top 12 hardest-hit balls in the game, but they had nothing to show for it — almost literally, as only Turang’s error and Hamilton’s infield single were the only of those eight batted balls in which any Brewer reached base.
Miz came back in the fifth with a quick three-up, three-down, two-strikeout inning, but the Brewers needed runs. Mitchell was happy to oblige. He jumped on Burns’ second pitch of the bottom of the fifth and sliced it out to nearly the same place that Trevino hit his, down the left-field line, for a solo home run; that made Mitchell 5-for-5 with four extra-base hits and a walk in his last six plate appearances.
Milwaukee unfortunately couldn’t build on the momentum of Mitchell’s homer. Frelick grounded out to second, Pratt flew out to right, and Hamilton struck out. The Brewers were on the board, but still had a long way to go.
Misiorowski was pulled after five innings, perhaps a strategic move to manage his long-term workload, given he had thrown only 82 pitches (there was no sign of any injury). Miz made a couple of mistakes, but his defense didn’t help him, and he still showcased what makes him so unhittable. In five innings, Misiorowski allowed five runs (though only one was earned), didn’t walk anyone, and struck out 10.
He was replaced by Grant Anderson, who did a nice job. He struck out Suárez and Lowe, then got Marte to ground out to second for a quick inning. Milwaukee’s offense then kept pecking away in the bottom of the inning. Yelich, after not challenging a 3-0 pitch that appeared to be ball four, flew out to left. But Chourio hit a one-out single on a ground ball up the middle, and Turang followed by slapping a ball down the left-field line for a double, which Bleday misplayed, allowing Chourio to score from first. Contreras was next, and he hit a ground ball back to Burns, who made a heads-up play and, instead of throwing to first, caught Turang too far off the bag at second. After the ensuing pickle, the Brewers had Contreras on first with two out instead of Turang at second, but it didn’t matter anyway as Bauers grounded out. The Reds led 5-2 after six.
Anderson was out for his second inning in the seventh. He got the first two quickly, but the Reds’ nine-hole hitter, TJ Friedl, got a 1-0 fastball right down the middle at 92.7 mph and managed to hit it out to right-center. It was a nice day for five batters for Anderson, but the sixth left a sour taste, and Anderson was pulled in favor of Jared Koenig. De La Cruz, Koenig’s first batter, lined a single into left, and his second batter, Stewart, walked. Koenig got ahead of Bleday 0-2, but followed with four straight balls to load the bases. It wasn’t easy, but Koenig managed to get Suárez to fly out to right to end the inning and strand the bases loaded.
Burns gave way to Sam Moll in the seventh. He finally retired Mitchell, but it took a nice play on a swinging bunt up the first-base line. Frelick was next, and he was hit by a pitch to give the Brewers a baserunner. Pratt, who needs a hit, made good contact, but his line drive was snagged by Stewart — brutal, as Pratt would’ve had extra bases. Instead, the Brewers had two outs and sent Joey Ortiz to the plate to pinch-hit for Hamilton, and he flew out to right.
The Reds added another in the eighth. Joel Kuhnel replaced Koenig and gave up a leadoff single to Lowe. After a couple of fielder’s choice groundouts (including an incredible play by Ortiz), Trevino and Friedl hit back-to-back two-out singles to score the Reds’ seventh run. It could’ve been worse, too, but Frelick made a fantastic diving catch to rob De La Cruz of another run-scoring hit.
Yelich appeared to draw a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the eighth, but an ABS challenge from Trevino reversed the 3-2 pitch by the slimmest of margins. Moll then gave way to Tejay Antone, who got Chourio to ground out and struck out Turang.
For a feel-good moment at the end of a lousy day of baseball, the Brewers handed the almost-29-year-old Garrett Stallings his major league debut in the top of the ninth. Stallings, who was drafted by the Angels way back in 2017 and has been pitching for Triple-A Nashville since midway through the 2024 season, needed just one pitch to get his first major league out when Stewart flew out to left. The next hitter, Bleday, picked up a cheap single off the end of the bat, and Suárez worked a walk. But Spencer Steer flew out to center, Marte struck out, and Stallings had a scoreless first outing.
Brock Burke was the Cincinnati pitcher in the ninth, and the game ended anticlimactically. Contreras grounded out on the first pitch, Bauers struck out looking, and Mitchell lined out to second base to end the game.
It was a dud of a game and a disappointing use of what could’ve been another good Misiorowski start — he really only made the one bad pitch, to Trevino — but it was still a good series for the Brewers, who took three of four and still hold a five-game lead in the NL Central despite the Cubs’ recent hot streak. The Brewers only managed four hits in this game, with the highlights being Mitchell’s home run and Turang’s double.
Flush it and move on to the next one! That next one comes tomorrow night in Arizona, with an 8:45 p.m. CT start.
Well, I’m back. No more balmy 70 degree days and pleasing trips to look for bison and gaze at geysers. Wyoming was very pleasant, and I thoroughly enjoyed the disconnect for a few days. Many thanks to James and Justin for keeping things ticking over in my absence! Normal service is now being resumed…
June results
When we checked in at the start of June, things were going pretty well in Diamondbacks land. They had posted a winning record for the month of May, and the +32 run differential was their best for a calendar month since July 2024. The battle for the wild-card was a tight one, with only 2.5 games covering fourth and eleventh in the National League standings. But Arizona were in a tie for the third spot, and it was the pitching staff who they had to thank for that, posting the third best ERA in the majors at 2.98. It was the first time since August of 2018 the D-backs had a collective ERA for the month below three – and that included Zac Gallen’s 7.04 figure.
Everything was looking good, and that definitely had an impact on fan confidence…
In particular, the bottom of the poll looks a lot better. At the beginning of May, almost half of the votes (47%) came in at four or below. This month, that has largely evaporated, with only fourteen percent now falling into those categories. Instead, both six and seven basically doubled, going from 19% to 37%, and 9% to 23% respectively. The overall result was a bounceback month, improving by almost a full point, the average rating going from 4.78 to 5.71. It was the highest figure at this point since 2023, reflecting an overall record for the D-backs four games better than last year, and 5.5 games above the end of May 2024.
Below, you can see the breakdown for the past 12 polls’ results, followed by the line graph showing the trends over this and previous seasons.
July poll
The month of June, however…? The exact opposite run differential for Arizona, at -32, as the team ERA plummeted to 25th in the majors, at 4.90. The only pitcher with an ERA below two? Ildemaro Vargas. It was confirmed that Corbin Burnes will not be back as soon as hoped, and the same goes for A.J. Puk. The team continues to do well against weak opponents, an MLB-best 30-13 record against sides below .500. But against those at or above .500, they are the exact opposite there too: 13-30 is ahead only of the Rockies. It feels like the 2026 D-backs are defined largely by who they play.
How do you feel? That’s what the poll below is for. And, of course, tell us in the comments why you feel that way, especially if your opinion has changed from last month.
LOS ANGELES, CA - May 08: Jim Jarvis #74 of the Atlanta Braves in action during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 8, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves had the worst offense in MLB in the month of June after having one of the best in the previous months. Some of that had to do with injuries, and regression to the mean of some players overperforming their underlying metrics, but a lot of it had to do with key players just not hitting.
The shortstop position has been bad for the Braves for years, but it looked like they would have a stop gap in place with Ha-Seong Kim, but that clearly has not worked out. Jorge Mateo has had his moments but he has also been struggling over the past month. On the other hand, Jim Jarvis is slashing .313/.406/.461 in AAA, and the call was finally made to bring him back up after his earlier season cup of coffee call up.
The Cardinals will have Dustin May on the mound tonight. May had an incredible start two starts ago where he had a one hit complete game shutout with no walks and nine strikeouts. However, he followed that up with his last start where he gave up two HRs and six earned runs in only 2.0 innings.
Mike Yastrzemski spent time on the Giants and May was on the Dodgers for years so it make sense that he would lead the team with fourteen at-bats against May. He has been successful with a .500 average and 1.206 OPS against May. Austin Riley only has five at-bats against May but has made the most of them with two HRs, and Dominic Smith has a HR in three at-bats against May. Outside of these mentioned players though the rest of the team has struggled. No other starter has an OPS better than .400. However, it should be noted that none of those players have more than eight at-bats against him either.
The Braves are bringing Hurston Waldrep to the mound and with his limited MLB experience it should come as no shock that none of the Cardinals players have faced him before. Waldrep was hitting ninety-nine MPH before his injury. If he shows a strong outing against this lineup it would go a long way in giving the Braves some hope of the future.
Jul 2, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Sign displays the air temperature of 100 just before first pitch between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The temperature was hot. The Phillies’ bats were not. Throw in some more shaky work by the Phillies’ bullpen and you have a 6-1 loss to the Pirates that most in attendance probably wish they had skipped.
A day after pummeling Pirates ace Paul Skenes, the Phillies were facing Jared Jones who entered the game with a 5.76 ERA. When he struck out the side in the first inning, that gave us a good indication as to how the day was going to go.
The Phillies broke through for a run in the third when they got a couple of runners on board thanks to walks and Bryce Harper doubled one of them home.
Alan Rangel got the start for the Phillies, and despite having plenty of baserunners aboard during his four innings, he somehow stranded them all. The Phillies’ bullpen couldn’t say the same. Tim Mayza took over in the fifth, and gave up three hits to allow the Pirates to tie it up.
After a scoreless frame by Jonathan Bowlan, Jose Alvarado pitched the seventh and immediately ran into trouble. A single by Brandon Lowe followed by a triple by Esmerlyn Valdez (Alvarado certainly wasn’t helped by Justin Crawford’s defense) put the Pirates up 2-1.
A single by Nick Gonzales then made it 3-1, and then the rest of the game consisted of the Pirates slowly extending their lead and the Phillies’ bats doing absolutely nothing to counter it. After Jones left the game, the Phillies managed just two hits in five innings against the Pittsburgh bullpen.
The Phillies gave an inning each to Lou Trivino and Kyle Backhus, and both men showed why they are limited to low leverage situations. After Trivino walked his second batter of the inning, I questioned why any fans not sitting in an air-conditioned suite would choose to remain in their seats.
The Phillies will have a full day to stew in the loss – and hopefully avoid the heat – before they travel to Kansas City for an ultra-rare Saturday through Monday series.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Earlier this week, I asked you: If the Cubs can’t trade for Tarik Skubal (for whatever reason), who would you want as your next choice for a starting pitcher trade?
Your answer was close, but Joe Ryan of the Twins is your guy:
The advantage to Ryan – beyond his obvious talent – is that he’s under team control for one more year after 2026. So this would be more than a rental, as Freddy Peralta would be. (BTW, I still like that pic of Ryan, so I decided to use it again.)
One other guy on that list who is intriguing is Reid Detmers, who’s having a solid year for a bad team and is three years younger than Ryan (Detmers turns 27 next week). He comes with two years of team control after 2026 and is making only $2.625 million this year. If Ryan can’t be acquired (for whatever reason) I think the Cubs should seriously look into Detmers.
Here are the responses to the national questions asked in the SB Nation Reacts survey this week.
Mets owner Steve Cohen has said he’s not firing David Stearns, which could be the dreaded “vote of confidence.” But I suspect Stearns finishes out this year, at least.
Both Buster Posey and Craig Breslow could be out of jobs after 2026, though the Red Sox have righted the ship, to some extent. The Giants are a hot mess and clearly, Posey, as great a player as he was, is way over his head in this job.
That’s about a 50/50 split, and the question didn’t go into exactly how the Draft should be revamped. What sorts of ideas would you have?
Yeah, that’s a definite “no one.” The Giants have been awful. The Red Sox got a really good starting pitcher in that deal, Kyle Harrison… oh, wait, he was traded to the Brewers for Caleb Durbin (and others). What a disastrously bad deal for Breslow, as Harrison has been one of the best pitchers in the league this year.
May 10, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) center fielder Cedric Mullins (31) and right fielder Jonny DeLuca (21) celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Following the hiring of Corey Dickerson this offseason — who has received significant buy-in from the Rays outfielders this season — and by having Kevin Kiermaier in camp during Spring Training, the Rays outfield has quietly become one of the better defensive groups in baseball. They have taken an unconventional approach to doing so as well, as they consistently post the fastest reactions off the bat, emphasizing initial speed rather than running perfect routes.
In other words, the Rays outfielders appear to prioritize getting to full speed immediately and trusting their athleticism to make up the difference. Here’s how Rays outfielders stack up in several key defensive metrics:
3rd best rate converting fly balls and line drives into outs
5th most outs above average
5th best fielding run value
9th most outfield assists
10th most defensive runs saved
The Rays were bottom 10 in the league in every one of these statistics last season.
Personnel changes have helped this to an extent (for example, swapping Christopher Morel for Ryan Vilade, Cedric Mullins instead of Kameron Misner, and returning Jonny DeLuca from injury), but one player remains the same. Instead, another big reason though is the defensive growth we’ve seen from Chandler Simpson. His jumps (how many feet an outfielder covers in the first three seconds in the correct direction towards a batted ball) have gone from roughly average to plus-plus territory. Statcast measures an outfielder’s jump using three components:
Reaction: How many feet are covered in any direction from 0 to 1.5 seconds of a ball being put in play
Burst: How many feet are covered in any direction from 1.6 to 3 seconds
Route: Feet covered against direct route to the ball from 0 to 3 seconds
Here’s how the outfield defenses around the league have compared so far based on jump and its components:
You might notice that big blue label for the Rays outfielder’s routes. The Rays take the worst routes in baseball on average, yet still cover the third-most ground above average. This appears to be by design; take a look at their reactions and you’ll find they’re the best in the league by a large margin.
Intuitively this makes some sense, even if you weren’t raised on watching B.J. Upton lead the Rays outfield to the World Series with a similar approach.
Once an outfielder hesitates, that lost acceleration is almost impossible to recover. An imperfect route taken at full speed can often beat a perfect route taken after a delayed first step. The Rays appear to be optimizing for the one thing that can’t be made up later: immediate acceleration.
To be clear, Simpson’s new defensive strategy of “get to top speed first, figure out the route later” is actually something the entire Rays outfield group has bought into. All four of the Rays primary outfielders (Simpson, Mullins, Vilade, and DeLuca) included in the data rank in the top 20 in reactions in the league with Simpson ranking 2nd and Mullins ranking 4th. If fifth outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. had enough opportunities to be included, he would rank 3rd just behind Simpson. If the injured Jake Fraley had enough opportunities to qualify, he would be tied with Michael Harris II of the Braves at 14th — just behind Vilade at 13th and ahead of DeLuca at 17th.
The resurgence of Mullins as a quality defender really helps drive this home. Take a look at his reactions in each season as a professional:
Mullins is having his quickest reactions ever and his best jumps since 2021 despite being the slowest and oldest he has ever been (sorry Cedric, no offense). His sprint speed in 2021 was in the 86th percentile at 28.5 feet per second, clearly plus and one of the faster players in the game. In 2026, he’s still above average as he’s in the 63rd percentile with 27.8 feet per second, but it’s clear he has lost a step from elite.
While Mullins hasn’t fully regained his reputation as one of the best defenders in the league like he was during his prime, he has transformed from a roughly average defender across the last couple of seasons into a plus one once again, and the player credits Corey Dickerson for the improvement, as noted in Adam Berry’s article linked above:
Mullins told a similar story. He wasn’t happy with his defensive performance last season, but admitted he didn’t fully grasp what needed to change or how to go about doing it. After one conversation with Dickerson, he did. “I know that’s not me as a defensive player. I wanted to definitely improve upon that as quickly as I could,” Mullins said. “He came in with a true plan for us, and it’s been working really well.”
It seems clear this is indeed an organizational emphasis rather than a coincidence, and that the Rays may once again be ahead of the curve. It wouldn’t be surprising if outfield defense is simply the next frontier in what is frequently written about as The Rays Way.
Overall, these improvements become both intuitive and intriguing when you consider who’s teaching it. Dickerson and Kiermaier posted below-average route efficiency during their playing careers while consistently excelling in jump metrics by getting to top speed immediately and trusting their athleticism. Now young coaches, Dickerson the team’s first base and outfield coach and Kiermaier an organizational consultant, it’s fascinating to see those same tendencies emerge throughout Tampa Bay’s current outfield.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Dakota Jordan #2 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Sacramento River Cats during the ninth inning of an exhibition game at Sutter Health Park on March 22, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Four games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Wednesday, as all the A-ball teams were in action, while the trio of rookie ball squads had the day off. Let’s dive in!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Just a little news. AAA RHP Wilkin Ramos cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Sacramento. AA Richmond RHP Brad Deppermann was placed on the 7-Day IL.
AAA Sacramento (44-36)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) 6-3 Box score
It seems likely that the Giants will have some holes in their rotation to fill by the end of this month, as Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle will presumably be traded. While Adrian Houser could slide back into the rotation, that’s not an exciting option, especially with Landen Roupp seemingly forgetting how to pitch. So they’ll almost surely dip into their reserve in AAA.
Unfortunately, Wednesday was not a good audition for Sacramento’s top pitcher, LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL). Whisenhunt couldn’t miss bats against the Chihuahuas, as he gave up 7 hits in 5 innings (which included 2 home runs and 2 doubles), and only struck out 1 of the 24 batters he faced. The southpaw also walked 3, en route to allowing 6 earned runs and picking up the loss.
It was a continuation of a few concerning trends with Whisenhunt. Perhaps most notably given what the Giants desperately want and need out of starters, is that Whisenhunt has greatly struggled with efficiency this year. He needed 94 pitches (just 56 of which were strikes) to get through 5 innings, and has only recorded an out in the 6th inning in 4 of his 17 appearances this year. After a hot stretch a little while ago, Whisenhunt has also seen his strikeouts and walks get flipped on their heads: over his last 4 starts (3 with Sacramento, and 1 with San Francisco), Whisenhunt has more walks (13) than strikeouts (12) in 18.1 innings. That’s brought his ERA up to 4.42, and his FIP to 4.09.
His fellow Carson was quite a bit better, as RHP Carson Seymour came out of the pen to throw 2 no-hit innings with a walk and 3 strikeouts. It’s been an odd year for Seymour, who has a nice 3.63 ERA, but hasn’t been particularly impressive (4.46 FIP, and just 8.0 strikeouts per 9 innings). With LHP Matt Wilkinson set to rejoin Sacramento’s rotation, it seems that maybe Seymour is shifting full-time to relief for now. We’ll see.
Rounding out the pitching was RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL), who gave up a walk with a strikeout in a no-hit inning. After a very rough start to the year, the 27-year old has had 14 scoreless outings in his last 15 appearances. If he keeps this up, you can expect him to make an MLB debut later in the year.
It was a boring but well-balanced game on offense for the River Cats, as all 9 of their position players picked up a hit … but only 1 of those 9 had multiple hits. That player was right fielder Will Brennan, who hit 3-5 with a double and a strikeout. Getting designated for assignment appears to have motivated Brennan, who has gone 14-41 with 4 doubles, 2 walks, and just 2 strikeouts since being outrighted.
AA Richmond (49-27)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 7-2 Box score
Great news: it doesn’t appear that June was the secret to success for center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL). It instead appears that he has just turned a corner. If you read this space with any regularity, you know that the lefty UDFA had a phenomenal June, in which he slashed .309/.391/.681 with 11 home runs.
And July? Off to the same start! Davidson was the star in this game, leading off and hitting 1-3 with a solo home run, a walk, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Hell of a game!
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 2, 2026
It was his organization-leading 18th home run of the season, and brought him up to an .868 OPS and a 122 wRC+ on the year, despite his slow start. And he has 12 home runs in his last 26 games! Fans will surely be clamoring for a AAA promotion for Davidson, though there’s still work to be done on contact and chase, but still. There’s so much talent for the soon-to-turn 24-year old, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s in Sacramento by the end of the month … and rostered as a Rule 5 protection come November.
Otherwise a quiet offensive day, as the rest of the team combined for just 5 hits (all singles) and 5 walks. Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) and catcher Adrián Sugastey continued to quietly hit decently, as both went 1-3 with a walk. Velasquez, a 22-year old switch-hitter in his 3rd AA season, has a .743 OPS and a 104 wRC+; Sugastey, a 23-year old righty, has a .721 OPS and a 92 wRC+. Both have very low strikeout rates.
RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) made his 6th start since getting promoted. The electric 22-year old from the DR, who was the return in the Mike Yastrzemski trade last year, had a good if not overpowering start, allowing 5 hits (including a home run), 1 walk, and 2 runs in 5 innings of work, but only striking out 3 batters. Despite the low punchout total in this game, Marte has a blissful 11.1 per 9 innings in AA, with just 3.3 walks. Home runs have done him in, however, as he’s allowed 5 in just 27.2 innings (and 32 hits total), which has led to a 4.55 ERA and a 4.56 FIP.
A great relief appearance from another recently-promoted pitcher, RHP Ryan Vanderhei. The just-turned 25-year old, who was a 10th-round selection in 2023, tossed 2 no-hit innings with a walk and 3 strikeouts. Vanderhei has officially adjusted to life in AA: after giving up 7 hits, 9 runs, and 6 earned runs in his first 4 games at the level (spanning just 3.1 innings), Vanderhei has now gone 4 straight outings without allowing a hit or a run (and has 8 strikeouts against just 2 walks in those 5.2 innings).
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) who had a very difficult outing, giving up 3 hits, 2 hit batters, and 5 runs, while recording just 1 out. Choate has really been struggling with free passes and strikeouts lately: over his last 12 games, the 2022 9th-rounder has pitched 15.1 innings and issued 13 walks and 4 hit batsmen, while striking out just 15. He has a 3.34 ERA and a 4.16 FIP on the season.
High-A Eugene (47-30)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 12-9 Box score
Richmond’s Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) may be the farm’s clear leader in the home run race, but Eugene center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) is making himself the clear runner-up. The ultra-powerful Jordan, who I’d argue easily has the most raw power in the system, smashed yet another glorious home run in this game, as part of a 2-4 outing that also featured a walk and 4 runs batted in.
Dakota Jordan absolutely destroys his 13th home run of the season. He’s also up to 56 RBI, only trailing Gavin Kilen (61) in the entire org. #SFGiantspic.twitter.com/UXgZktYQDt
With that, Jordan is up to 13 home runs on the year, and has some separation between the trio of 3rd-place homer hitters. He’s also firmly put a slump behind him: over his last 6 games, he’s hit 9-22 with 4 home runs, 2 doubles, and, most excitedly, just 2 strikeouts. After dipping to near league-average, Jordan is back to an .814 OPS and a 114 wRC+, albeit there’s still a lot of work to do on the strikeouts.
One of those players who is tied for 3rd in the organization with 11 home runs is Jordan’s newish teammate, second baseman Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL). And while Level only has 1 of those 11 home runs in High-A, he did put on a show on Wednesday, going 2-4 with 2 doubles and a walk, though he also committed 2 errors (admittedly he’s a shortstop by trade, just sharing the position with Gavin Kilen).
Level’s numbers have fallen off a little bit since moving up from Low-A a month ago, but that’s to be expected. And ultimately, the numbers are still quite good, as the switch-hitter has a .781 OPS and a 110 wRC+ … and a reminder that, at a young 19 years old, he’s still more than 3.5 years younger than his peers in the Northwest League. Perhaps most encouraging is that Level’s contact skills have remained strong while moving up a level: his strikeout rate his risen by less than a percentage point, to just 17.5%, while his batting average is at .299. The walks and power are lagging a little bit, but I’d say that’s better than the other way around.
Another painful day for catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), who hit 2-4 with a hit by pitch and a strikeout. It was the 2nd straight game being plunked for Villarroel, who has been hit 11 times on the year. That’s tied for most in the system with Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) … what is it about catchers that makes pitchers want to throw at them whether they’re catching or hitting?
Regardless, Villarroel has had a delightful season, as the 21-year old righty is sporting an .820 OPS and a 121 wRC+. That’s made it a little easier to overlook the fact that Kai-Wei Teng (whom the Giants traded for Villarroel) has had a decent year for the Astros (though he’s been struggling lately).
Not a very good pitching performance for Eugene. LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL) had some struggles once again, allowing 6 hits, 3 walks, and 5 runs in 5 innings, while striking out 5. After his breakout 2025 campaign, De La Torre has continually flashed things things season, but just has not been able to put it all together. He’s been especially poor lately, as his last 3 starts have resulted in 13 walks and 15 earned runs in just 13.1 innings. While he remains a great strikeout artist, with 11.8 punchouts per 9 innings, his other stats have cratered compared to last year, which he split between the Complex League and Low-A. His walks per 9 have more than doubled (3.3 to 7.0), his home runs per 9 have more than tripled (0.24 to 0.75), and his groundball rate has dropped by more than 10 percentage points (48.4% to 37.9%). The result is a fairly ugly 5.22 ERA and 4.70 FIP for the 22-year old. Still too early to be worried, but a little concern is mounting.
RHP Ryan Slater continued his run of dominance, pitching 1.1 perfect innings with a strikeout. Since returning to Eugene following an injury and a rehab stint, Slater has made 6 appearances and thrown 6.2 scoreless innings, giving up just 1 hit and 2 walks, while striking out 11. He has a delightful 3.18 ERA and a 2.42 FIP.
Low-A San Jose (45-32)
San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels) 5-4 Box score
A nice day for the strikeouts. LHP Jordan Gottesman, last year’s 5th-round selection (and the 1st pitcher the Giants took in the draft), showed off the strikeout stuff, K’ing 8 batters in 5 innings while walking 0 (though he hit a batter). That’s elite stuff!
As you would expect from an 8-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Gottesman lived in the zone, throwing 63 of 83 pitches for strikes. That came with a severe tradeoff, unfortunately, as he did give up 8 hits, including a home run. And as a result, he got hit for 4 earned runs. That’s been the debut season for the 23-year old Northeastern product: he has 9.7 strikeouts to just 2.9 walks per 9 innings … but is giving up nearly a hit per inning, and has already ceded 9 dingers in just 62 innings, giving him a 4.35 ERA and a 5.44 FIP. There’s a solid foundation there, but a lot to work on.
RHP Ubert Mejias struck out 3 batters in 3 shutout innings, giving up just 2 hits and 0 walks. That was a much-needed nice showing for Mejias, as he allowed runs in all 5 of his June appearances (13 total runs, in just 11.1 innings). Through both the good and bad performances, Mejias has maintained an elite strikeout-to-walk ratio: he has 55 strikeouts against just 7 walks in 51.2 innings. Like Gottesman, however, Mejias is allowing too many hits and way too many dingers: in those 51.2 innings he’s allowed 58 hits and 10 home runs, giving him a 4.70 ERA and a 5.26 FIP across 2 levels (Low and High-A).
Really not much at all on offense. Just a solid, well-balanced day, with no standout performances. Left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) hit 2-3 with a walk, though he had a strikeout and an error. Diaz is staying sharp with San Jose while High-A Eugene is playing in Canada, where he can’t travel due to visa issues. Third baseman Dario Reynoso, who has cooled after a brilliant stretch, went 1-3 with a double and a walk, but struck out twice. The 21-year old has a .924 OPS and a 130 wRC+, but a 30.6% strikeout rate.
Home run tracker
18 — Bo Davidson — [AA] 13 — Dakota Jordan — [High-A]
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 5:35 p.m. PT at El Paso (SP: TBD) Richmond: 3:30 p.m. PT at Harrisburg (SP: Cesar Perdomo) Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Hunter Dryden) San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Rancho Cucamonga (SP: Ben Bybee)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
