Category: MLB

Good morning, San Francisco Giants fans. Yesterday’s game against the Atlanta Braves was postponed in between the top and the bottom of the second inning, and will kick off again today at 11:00 a.m. PT, as Game 1 of a doubleheader. San Francisco leads Atlanta 3-2. The original game will proceed as scheduled, at 4:15 p.m. PT … assuming the weather allows it.

Since the first game is on the early side, it’s a combo BP/Game 1 gamethread for you all. For better and for worse.

Assuming that the teams use their scheduled Wednesday starters in the first game — which would make sense given that the added 27th player is only available for the second game — then it should be a matchup between Robbie Ray and JR Ritchie. Ray, a lefty, has made 14 starts, and is 4-6 with a 4.42 ERA, a 5.25 FIP, and 66 strikeouts to 36 walks in 73.1 innings. Ritchie, a 22-year old rookie right-hander, is 1-1 in six games (five starts), with a 3.82 ERA, a 5.15 FIP, and 26 strikeouts to 18 walks in 30.2 innings.

Enjoy the game, everyone.

Game #73, Take 2

Who: San Francisco Giants (29-43) vs. Atlanta Braves (46-25)

Where: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia

When: 11:10 a.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Though the Atlanta Braves only completed one inning on Tuesday night, the injury scares continued. In the bottom of the second inning against the San Francisco Giants, Michael Harris II was removed due to lower back tightness. There has not been any update on his status at this time.

Earlier this month, Harris dealt with lower back tightness and was out of the lineup for a couple days. He was able to come on as a pinch hitter and win the game for Atlanta, so hopefully this is a similar situation and nothing overly serious.

As far as the contest, the game was suspended in the bottom of the second inning and will resume this afternoon at 2pm ET with a 3-2 Giants lead.

More Braves News:

Check out the latest Braves Biweekly to be caught up on how Atlanta has performed the first half of June. 

Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress has been connected to the Braves, so here is a scouting report ahead of the MLB Draft. 

MLB News:

The Seattle Mariners placed Randy Arozarena on the 10-day injured list with left hamstring tightness. The move is retroactive to June 13.

The Chicago Cubs placed closer Daniel Palencia on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. 

The Cleveland Guardians placed outfielder Angel Martinez on the 10-day injured list with a fractured food. He is expected to miss four to six weeks. 

From the Feed:

Drake Baldwin returned from the IL and launched a home run Tuesday. 

One of the main problems last season was that the Cardinals were in R&D mode and in budget-aging-vet pitcher mode simultaneously, resulting in negative WAR value output from several players. From the testing of developing players standpoint, a brigade of suck was in effect from enough players that it created a siphoning effect that spoiled the performance of the team. We aren’t talking about just a player or two, but an aggregate of -.1 and -.2 WAR guys, basically replacement-level players on the downturn (Michael Siani, Cesar Prieto, Nolan Gorman, Garret Hampson, Ryan Vilade, Jose Barrero), a -.4 WAR version of Jimmy Crooks, and the failing big prospect that was 2025 Jordan Walker who finished at -1.3 WAR. The siphoning effect of this R&D mode was a negative 2.7 WAR!

On the pitching side there was a total of -1.3 WAR, so theoretically the team could’ve been 4 wins better if they would have just gotten replacement level performances out of 13 roster spots. It was not as fun as it should’ve been.

Then you had the constant reminder that two spots in the rotation would be occupied by guys like Miles Mikolas (a hair above replacement level last season), replacement level Erick Fedde, with up-and-comer Michael McGreevy doing his best. But that’s the past now, and in 2026, Chaim Bloom’s Cardinals roster management is more up to the task.

***

Jimmy Crooks will be 25 before the season is over. All of the projection systems like his bat more than Pedro Pages’, and maybe his defense too. According to projections, look to get from .8 to 1 WAR out of Jimmy. Or if his bat surprises, he will be more than an 87 to 101 wRC+ hitter, which covers the range of mainstream projection systems. Could we hope for something like 105-110+? _{My wishcasting projections articles at the beginning of the season seem less wishy-washy at this point for several players (*I did not know that Jordan Walker was going to do this, though, just to be clear!).} With Jimmy Crooks, it sure feels like it’s a main catcher upgraded scenario! Pedro is still there for depth and support, and of course, Ivan Herrera carries on as a DH/C hybrid.

How is Jimmy Crooks actually hitting so far? 83 wRC+ over 35 PA with 1 HR… he’s hitting like Pedro Pages!

After Nolan Gorman was set to soon surpass his -.2 WAR total of last season, the Cardinals decided to stop that situation from happening again. Blaze Jordan was hitting really well at AAA, so the timing was perfect. Blaze Jordan is just 23, but is projected to be about average on 3B defense, maybe a tad less, if anything, but not bad projections there really. But what he was really promoted for was his hitting. A consensus of projections have him at 94 wRC+, but there are a good number of systems projecting him as a league average hitter. And we think he can be better than that, don’t we? _{Wishcasting again.} If nothing else, he should turn the tide at third base and not be negative fWAR. Projections say that Blaze should be worth at least half a WAR. Maybe more if he is mature for his age. Could be… it would be sort of a miracle if the Cardinals get more than 1 WAR from his the rest of the way, but, it also doesn’t sound too far-fetched.

How is Blaze Jordan actually hitting so far? 159 wRC+ over 19 PA! 1 HR and 12 Total Bases ( he already has a home run, triple, double, and singles, well played Blaze).

Nathan Church falls under the same category of stop-gap reinforcement players. I like all three of these guys enough to view the projections as their floor. It’s the same story with Church, he isn’t projected to be league average at hitting, but he is projected as a helluva lot better than Victor Scott II at the plate. He should also be good for half a WAR, instead of minus fWAR. The consensus projection has him at around 88 wRC+.

How is Nathan Church actually hitting so far? 92 wRC+ over 185 PA, right around his projections. But to make it more fun, he’s hit 5 HR! It may be funny to hear that Blaze Jordan is beating Nathan Church in the triples dept.

Which of the three do you think will be the best hitter? The obvious answer is Blaze Jordan, but Jimmy Crooks is probably the best overall prospect of the three. And the darkhorse candidate would be one Nathan Church, he isn’t projected to be too bad at the plate either. Maybe one of them will end up being above league average at hitting! Wouldn’t that be nice. So far we have Jimmy underperforming on offense, Church at projections, and Blaze torching his projections sheet.

The upgrade of Crooks over Pages is probably only a marginal upgrade, but if he can hit MLB pitching, he will be a sizable one. His defense is better, overall, and he could be the catcher of the future for all we know. Maybe we will have three different catchers tailored to different pitchers? Get creative, Cardinals! I know you will.

The upgrade over Gorman will be tough to tell for a while. The projections still like Gorman as much as Blaze Jordan at hitting, and his defense is probably a little better than Jordan’s. But in the abstract, it sure seems like the bleeding has been stopped when it comes to third base offense. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think the projections are right about Gorman.

Nathan Church is obviously an upgrade on offense over Victor Scott II, so that problem is also sort of solved. The defense won’t be quite as good, but it is certainly good enough. It will help a lot if Church ends up a league average hitter or more…

These three players may only be marginal upgrades, but they have made the lineup a lot easier to watch, more balanced, and a lot less lopsided. A bottom of the order of Jimmy Crooks, Blaze Jordan, and Nathan Church is just obviously better than it was earlier in the season, at least watching as a fan so far. The middle of the season is where we are going to find out if Nathan Church is more than a stopgap measure, if Jimmy Crooks is ready to take the reins of the main Cardinals catcher, and if Blaze Jordan has been promoted too soon or right on time!

***

Ok so, this comes as a surpise to me, but it could be that Bloom and the Cardinals freaked out a bit because there is another list of negative WAR players this season, and they have already reached -2.4 WAR. Break glass! EXIT!

With a tough month of July coming up, the Cardinals needed reinforcements. By changing the roster so much for the middle third of the season, the Cardinals just may stem the flow of loss through player value. Victor Scott II, Pedro Pages, and Nolan Gorman obviously could not hit 2026 MLB pitching.

One last note: who was even more demotable than Gorman and Victor Scott II? Thomas Saggese at -.4 WAR.

Along Came Noot

While we have turned the tide with rising prospects (hopefully!), we must not forget what may be the biggest upgrade of all: Lars Nootbaar. Noot has come back from a somewhat long healing process from surgery on his heels… and it’s at a next level for him: in 45 PA, Lars has hit 2 HR, 2 doubles, knocked in 6 runs, and scored 7 times. It sure is fun having this guy back on the team, and watching him now as the elder is wonderful!

At 138 wRC+, Nootbaar is hitting at Burly and Herrera levels! I know he won’t be able to keep that up (but hope he does!), but wow, this lineup is stacked with Lars Nootbaar in it! And let’s keep in mind Nootbaar won’t even turn 30 until next year. Not only is the bottom of the order not a huge liability now, there are 5 well above average hitters in the lineup. That’s fantastic!

And it’s not just the ‘Return of Nootbaar’, the ignition of Blaze Jordan, the return of injured Church, and Jimmy Crooks III; the bench is WAY better with Bryan Torres and Nelson Velazquez. Jose Fermin isn’t too shabby either, hitting around league average. That’s some real depth all of a sudden.

***

And so ends the baseball portion of this week’s article. And it is time to talk music over the years of my life. After going through COVID this decade I have been listening to a lot of music of the past, but now, I am focusing on each year going back 50 years. I started with 1975, and now I’m up to 1991.

1991

1991 featured an explosion of the evolution of heavy metal, the big grungey debuts of Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ and the masterpiece that is ‘Badmotorfinger’ by Soundgarden, several important and absolutely classic shoegaze albums, and the advancement of hiphop into new creative realms. And more! Next week I will be focusing on that huge heavy metal explosion… this week, all that other good stuff.

• My Bloody Valentine – ‘Loveless’ you probably either love it, hate it, or still have never heard of it, but Loveless by My Bloody Valentine of the UK is absolutely incredible and sounds like nothing else before or after. Channeling punk, pop, psychedelia, noise, and even hiphop influences as per the band leader’s interviews, the notoriously over budget, multiple studio warpage of time and space into sonic art is a capture of guitar innovations, gigantic walls of sound generated by actual walls of amplifiers and oozing with effects pedals. Best heard on vinyl with your head between two big speakers with the sound cranked up. I’m not even so sure it’s their best album but it is absolutely memorable and fantastic and stands on its own planet of sound.
• Mr Bungle – self titled It was pretty tough not to rank this #1 because this album opened a lot of doors into different genres of music for me, and also acted as a weirdo dark comedic concept album recorded impeccably well. The main aspects of this album is how it’s somehow on a major label, it’s from way back in 1991, and it just gets you ready for hearing heavy metal, funk, jazz, ska, experimental music, and more.
• Soundgarden – ‘Badmotorfinger’ perhaps the best grunge album of all time! this or Dirt by AIC. If there is a sound more unmistakenly 90s, I guess it would have to be something like Nevermind because of it’s uber-popularity (which will be covered further down in the list). Perfect album from start to finish. I have retired all of the first three into my album hall of fame, btw, written in past years! We are getting into my high school stomping ground of music.
• Massive Attack – ‘Blue Lines’ Massive Attack’s debut I would file under the very best of trip-hop releases, and among the band’s best albums. This to me is every bit as good as their mega-release ‘Mezzanine’, it’s just a lot different. (my other favorite by Massive Attack is ‘100th Window’). ‘Blue Lines’ shows the roots of the genre, way back in 1991 there wasn’t much else like this. Another big UK release! But forget all that, I would simply call this an all time classic of any genre!
• PRIMUS – ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese’ rounding out my top 5 is this super fun, genius level musical experience, complete with claymation cover and videos! The musicianship on display here is both of some of the most tightly crafted and the most bizarre. Super creative, artsy, but also dark and heavy and magnificently twisted. I would rank this higher but I honestly listen to ‘Badmotorfinger’ and ‘Blue Lines’ more often these days. Primus is more of a special, cheesy occasion. But also, super necessary.
• Dogfaced Hermans – ‘Mental Blocks For All Ages’ wow has this band gone from the outer reaches of my brain to one of the favorite bands in a really short period of time! I always remembered hearing the name over the years but never bought an album or saw them live. Well now, consider me a big fan. Really cool post-punk music recorded really well and where have you been all my life.
• The Jesus Lizard – ‘Goat’ the Jesus Lizard get even weirder here, and it was either the first or second album I bought from them, while I was still in high school. I’m sure it warped my mind just as much as anything else! Creepy, weird, and brimming with creative rock and punk vibes. They are at their best here just as they are on all of their first 4 albums. David Yow is the nicest unhinged madman you’ll ever meet. Air-tight Steve Albini recording!
• Talk Talk – ‘Laughing Stock’ shout out to the VEB’rs who recommended this band to me! This so happens to be my favorite album by them. It crosses so many styles of music while sounding natural about it, taking music to new places while keeping it chill. I wasn’t expecting to put it high on the list but this is pretty high!
• Sonny Sharock – ‘Ask The Ages’ another big find that I am still getting accustomed to… for fans of jazz and rock! Sharock did the them for Space Ghost Coast to Coast, in case you hadn’t heard. Very uniquely gifted guitarist and the right band to back him up! Instrumental genius.
• SWANS – ‘White Light From the Mouth of Infinity’ goth rock at its best! there is even a song or two that sounds like, triphop? I think so! This sounds nothing like the Swans of the 80s. Music for a new era. A dark introspective masterpiece.
• Del the Funky Homosapien – ‘I Wish My Brother George Was Here’ Del The Funky Homosapien is one of the most gifted rappers and producers of all time! His wordplay is not to be fucked with. And this album is just a bunch of funky awesomeness from a big year in rap music. I have lost track of the amount of times I’ve listened to this one! Been with me since the late 90s on a used CD.
• Gang Starr – ‘Step In The Arena’ Gang Starr is Guru and DJ Premier. If you know, you know. I wasn’t too into hiphop in high school but I remembered years late that some of my friends were into Gang Starr. One of them is no longer with us. He got a little too into the lifestyle. I ended up buying their best of years later, which made me a fan of Guru’s socially conscious lyrics and the top notch production of DJ Premier.
• Organized Konfusion – self titled with Del the funky homosapien, hiphop began to branch out into an “alt hiphop” direction. Organized Konfusion I would throw under the same umbrella with A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul occupying that new territory as well. Organized Konfusion ended up being around for a while, never quite cracking into the mainstream, but they were too cool for that. To sum it up: this is just a damn good party album! An exciting, really fun listen, that if I gave it more of a chance, might move up several spots on this list.
• Main Source – ‘Breaking Atoms’ along the same lines as Organized Konfusion, if you like fun early 1990s hiphop, you need this in your library. Still new to me, and obviously sort of obscure, but I love it.
• Public Enemy – ‘Apocalypse 91… the Enemy Strikes Black’ running out of time here, but Public Enemy and the Bombsquad were still in their prime here! Classic hiphop.
• MC Solaar – ‘MC Solaar – “Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo when I worked at an ad agency my department (the scanning and imaging dept) used to play this album and the one after it all the time! That’s how I got into French rapper MC Solaar. I don’t know French but this music is really freakin cool.
• Nirvana – ‘Nevermind’ and yes I do love this album, and it’s very important along the musical timeline of history… but it’s not my favorite of theirs like at all. It’s a perfect album don’t get me wrong, and it deserves a lot of its legacy, and yep, ahead of its time. But yeah, I liked Bleach and In Utero and maybe even Incesticide more. I think it just may be one of those classic albums I’ve heard too many times, but it’s still good.
• Fishbone – ‘Reality of My Surroundings’ this album was on my bench for when I was sick of hearing everything else. It’s a really really good 90s album, I would recommend it to anyone looking to hear the sound of 1991. I should listen to this one more often, reminds me of being in high school and learning about a bunch of musical styles. Fantastic album, the opening track “Fight The Youth” is THE song to hear. Lots of funk and ska going on here, but mostly it just rocks in an alternative fashion.
• Chapterhouse – ‘Whirlpool’ obviously my 2nd favorite shoegaze album from the important year of 1991. It sounds like a cross between My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, sort of, but they are contemporaries and just didn’t get as famous. This album is truly fantastic, and good! If you like the genre, it’s a must have.
• Dinosaur Jr – ‘Green Mind’ total 90s classic rock here, and put Dinosaur Jr on the map around the country! They toned down their sound a bit here, but to good ends. The songs end up more memorable than previous albums, as good as they were.
• Slowdive – ‘Just For A Day’ another defining shoegazer classic! For those who don’t know the genre: it’s named because of a journalist coining the term, as a lot of the bands would stare at the floor and their pedalboards. It’s at times noisy, psychedelic, post-punk, but Slowdive pushed forward the dreampop nature of it, and this is them at their early stages, already nailing the sound.
• Nomeansno – ‘0+2=1’ oh man this is so good! Punk rock at its best! Maybe this should be higher. It’s growing on me.
• Swervedriver – ‘Deep Seat’ 1990s classic shoegaze album from the big year of 1991! My favorite song is “Rave Down”, getting goosebumps hearing it right now. Driving alt rock of the highest order.
• Rabih Abou-Khalil – ‘Al-Jadida’ as it turns out Middle Eastern jazz is really fucking cool! I would induct this into my jazz hall of fame in a heartbeat.
• Mercury Rev – ‘Yerself is Steam’ I have never given this album enough of a chance but whenever I heard it I recognize its place in music history as a very unique form of art and a very 1991 entry into the psychedelic rock lexicon. Very alternative.
• Honorable Mentions: Ween – ‘The Pod’ I don’t even know what to say about this but, it’s gotta be heard to be believed. The ultimate fucked up stupid drug music, or total genius bedroom recording masterpiece? You decide. De La Soul – ‘De La Soul Is Dead’ one more 1991 classic hiphop masterpiece! A Tribe Called Quest – ‘Low End Theory’ and how could I forget this top tier 1991 hiphop album for the ages! I almost did! wth

***

The Cardinals play an afternoon game today. At 1:15pm Kyle Leahy defends his home turf vs the Padres and Griffin Canning (what a name!) who isn’t doing so well this season. Fangraphs gives the Cardinals a 55.4% chance of winning.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: W, 3-1 at Columbus Clippers

SS George Lombard Jr. 1-1, 2B, BB, picked off — left the game after an awkward play in the field where his hand came right into the runner as he was stealing second, super unfortunate
LF Kenedy Corona 1-2, RBI, SF
C Austin Wells 0-3, BB, K — first rehab appearance
C Payton Henry 0-0
2B Marco Luciano 0-3, BB, 2 K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 0-4, 2 K
LF-SS Oswaldo Cabrera 0-4, K, GIDP — down to a .661 OPS, an injury may be the only reason we ever see Waldo again, unfortunately
1B Tyler Hardman 2-4, 2 K, HBP
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-2, BB, K
3B Jonathan Ornelas 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K
CF Duke Ellis 0-4, 2 K, SB

Brandon Beck 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 9 K (win)
Bradley Hanner 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Yovanny Cruz 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (save) — had the 14 fastest pitches of the game, with six at 100 mph or above and topping out at 101.7

Eeks. In this video, Lombard hops around in pain. https://t.co/zbOdnBarsXpic.twitter.com/l5t3PNFmUW

— Brendan Kuty 🧟‍♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) June 17, 2026

Double-A Somerset Patriots: L, 6-7 at Portland Sea Dogs

LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, BB
CF Garrett Martin 1-3, BB, K, SB
1B Nicholas Torres 0-4, 3 K, GIDP, missed catch error — not the best day for Somerset Patriots fundies
RF DJ Gladney 1-3, BB, dropped foul error
3B Coby Morales 2-4, RBI
C Miguel Palma 1-4, K, throwing error, passed ball
2B Connor McGinnis 1-4, HR, 5 RBI — launched a go-ahead grand slam in the third to give Somerset a 6-2 lead; it’s the 2025 10th-rounder’s first homer at Double-A
SS Owen Cobb 0-4, 3 K, fielding error
DH Cole Gabrielson 1-4, 2 K

Cade Smith 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
Trent Sellers 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB (1 IBB), 4 K, HR (loss) — blew the save on a solo homer in the ninth and then gave up two doubles for the Portland walk-off

🚨 GRAND SLAM ALERT 🚨

Connor McGinnis belts his FIRST career Double-A home run to take the lead in the third! 💪 pic.twitter.com/ncwUt2oFh2

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 16, 2026

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: W, 14-5 at Rome Emperors — seven homers overall for Hudson Valley (first seven-homer game for the ‘Gades since April 2023: two for Alexander Vargas and Benjamin Cowles each, plus Aaron Palensky, Luis Santos, and Aldenis Sanchez, just to give you a throwback)

2B Kaeden Kent 3-5, 2B, BB
SS Core Jackson 1-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI, GIDP, 2 SB, throwing error
DH Eric Genther 0-3, 2 BB, K, SB, HBP — only player not invited to the hit party
1B Kyle West 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, GIDP
RF Wilson Rodriguez 1-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI
3B Roderick Arias 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, SF
C Josue Gonzalez 1-5, 2B, 2 K
LF Josh Moylan 3-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, K — two bombs for Moylan
CF Camden Troyer 2-4, HR, BB, RBI — went back-to-back with Moylan in the seventh

Bryce Cunningham 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 5 K (win) — 55 strikes in a season-high 77 pitches
Aaron Nixon 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, HR, HBP
Brandon Decker 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Hansel Rincon 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 15-9 vs. Fort Myers Miracle — Puello hit three homers and drove in seven

SS Jackson Lovich 3-6, HR, 4 RBI, throwing error — after Puello finished his hat trick, Lovich got in on the fun with a two-run shot (413 feet) for his 12th homer in 48 games
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-5, K
2B Hans Montero 0-3, BB, 2 K, HBP, throwing error
CF Willy Montero 1-5, 3B, 3 K
RF JoJo Jackson 2-4, BB, outfield assist
LF Luis Puello 4-4, 3 HR, 7 RBI, BB, fielding error — holy moly what a day! Puello started with a 396-foot slam in the first to give Tampa lead, a 394-foot two-run shot in the fifth, and a solo shot to cap it in the seventh; now slugging .529 since mid-May promotion from Rookie ball
DH Engelth Urena 1-4, BB, 2 K
C Ediel Rivera 2-5, 2 RBI
1B David McCann 1-4, 3B, BB, 2 RBI, 3 K — two-run triple made it 6-3 Tampa in the fourth

Justin West 5 IP, 10 H, 6 R (5 ER), 0 BB, 4 K, 3 HR (win)
Jose M. Rodriguez 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Parker Seay 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Josh Tiedemann 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K

Three swings. Three souvenirs. 💥💥💥@Yankees prospect Luis Puello turned a real game into batting practice for the Single-A @TampaTarpons: pic.twitter.com/gpDU9dl1kv

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 17, 2026

Florida Complex League Yankees:Suspended due to rain in the top of the third leading FCL Phillies 2-0, will resume on June 18th

3B Richard Matic 1-1, HR, RBI — led off game with a bomb
DH Queni Pineda 0-1, K
2B Leni Done 0-1, K
CF Jose Castro 1-1, HR, RBI — had a solo shot of his own in the first, his fifth in 17 games
RF Francisco Vilorio 0-1, K
SS Dexters Peralta 0-1, K
LF Estivenzon Montero 0-1, K
C Justin Capellan 0-1, K
1B Christofer Reyes 0-0

Brian Hendry 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K — pretty dynamite rehab appearance for High-A arm

Oppo 🌮 HRs by Richard Matic and Jose Castro put the Yankees ahead 2-0 in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/ikAVpMkZXQ

— John Brophy (@jbrophybaseball) June 16, 2026

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 25-11 vs. DSL Twins — no typos here; the 11 is a weird football final score so I don’t know if we can truly make a Giants/Vikings joke, but this is a helluva effort

DH Isaias Castillo 1-6, 2B, BB, K
SS Stiven Marinez 3-7, 2 RBI, K, SB — RBI knock in the sixth gave the Yanks their 20th run
CF Yostin Pena 3-6, HR, BB, 6 RBI, K, SB — leader in the clubhouse with six ribbies on the day; his RBI single in the fifth capped an eight-run frame that made it 17-7 and helped Yanks pull away after Twins kept staying within a few runs
2B Juan Torres 2-6, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K, HBP, SB — two-run blast in the first made it 3-0; it got sillier
RF Manuel Aguilar 1-2, 4 BB, RBI, K, HBP, 2 SB, fielding error, outfield assist
C Juan Martinez 1-1, BB, RBI — left at the start of the fourth
C Edgar Jimenez 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, RBI
1B Cesar Lopez SB 3-5, BB, 3 RBI, K — drew the last of three consecutive bases-loaded walks in the fifth
3B Alfred Ciriaco 2-4, 4 RBI, K, HBP, SF
LF Eliezer Adames 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB — DSL Yanks went a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts, and everyone in the starting lineup had a hit (and Adames’ RBI double in the seventh plated the 25th run)

Dalvin Taveras 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 2 K
Angel Salazar 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 4 K
Luis Rodriguez 1.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K
Luis Ilarraza 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 4 WP (win) — the most deserving pitcher to be sure, control be damned

Dominican Summer League Bombers:W, 14-4 at DSL Marlins — 39 combined runs for DSL Yankees affiliates, hell yeah

2B Daniel Santana 2-5, 3B, BB, RBI, SB
SS Mani Cedeno 2-5, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 K, SF, throwing error — cashed in ribbies in three separate PAs
3B Carlos Bello 1-5, BB, 2 RBI, 2 SB
RF David Carrera 2-3, 3 BB
DH Alessandro Rodriguez 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI — two-run double in the first started the scoring
PH-DH Eddison Charles 0-1, K
C Poly Ojeda 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, HBP — three-run tank in the Bombers’ seven-run second to zoom ahead 9-0
1B Stalen Ramirez 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, CS
LF Sebastian Pinto 0-2, BB, RBI, SF, HBP — sac fly made it 11-0 after three and a half innings
CF Alfiery Matos 2-4, BB, K

Junior Tavera 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 9 K, balk (win) — racked up the K’s anyway
Josue Silvestre 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP
Lenin Caceres 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 1 K, 2 WP
Ronald Tejada 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (35-35)

SYRACUSE 6, NORFOLK 3 (BOX)

Syracuse returned to .500 powered by a strong start by Xzavion Curry, who allowed three runs over seven innings, scattering 5 hits, issuing no walks, and striking out 7. The Tides took the lead in the top of the first and held the lead for the majority of the evening. In the eighth inning, Syracuse batted around, plating four runs in the process; there was unfortunately no one big hit, with virtually every hitter contributing in some way to the runs that the team scored.

·  LF Nick Morabito: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, K, SB (19), E (2)

·  RF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-3, R, BB, 2 K, SB (23)

·  3B Andy Ibáñez: 0-3, RBI

·  1B Ryan Clifford: 1-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K, E (8)

·  SS Grae Kessinger: 1-4, R, HR (1), RBI, K

·  DH Ben Rortvedt: 0-3, K

·  CF Cristian Pache: 1-3, R

·  C Hayden Senger: 0-2, BB, K

·  PR Christian Arroyo: 0-0, R

·  C Kevin Parada: 0-0

·  2B Jackson Cluff: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI

·  RHP Xzavion Curry: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

·  RHP Adbert Alzolay: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (1-0)

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets optioned RHP Jonathan Pintaro to Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Dan Hammer assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (24-40)

NEW HAMPSHIRE 4, BINGHAMTON 1 (BOX)

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies found themselves being no-hit for most of the ballgame. In the bottom of the seventh, they finally managed their first hit- a JT Schwartz home run, ending the no-hit bid and the shutout- and in the ninth, they showed a little spunk, loading up the bases, but the Fisher Cats were able to prevent Binghamton from scoring. R.J. Gordon and the bullpen behind him didn’t pitch poorly necessarily, but the offense simply didn’t show up. With the loss, that is 40 games that the Binghamton Mets have lost in 2026, the first minor league affiliate to reach that ignominious distinction.

·  C Chris Suero: 0-3, BB, K, CS (3)

·  3B Jacob Reimer: 0-4, K

·  CF Matt Rudick: 0-4, 3 K

·  1B JT Schwartz: 2-4, R, 2B, HR (7), RBI

·  DH Vincent Perozo: 1-3, K, HBP

·  RF Jaylen Palmer: 0-2, BB, K, HBP

·  SS Wyatt Young: 0-4

·  2B Kevin Villavicencio: 0-3, 2 K, HBP

·  LF Diego Mosquera: 0-2, BB, K

·  RHP R.J. Gordon: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, L (0-4)

·  LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, WP, BLK

·  RHP Douglas Orellana: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Garrett Stratton: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets signed free agent OF Nick Lucky to a minor league contract.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Nick Lucky assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets sent RHP Justin Armbruester on a rehab assignment to Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Matt Rudick assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Garrett Stratton assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released 1B TT Bowens.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-38)

WILMINGTON 6, BROOKLYN 4 (BOX)

The Cyclones had a shutout going, holding on to a comfortable four-run lead, but reliever Parker Carlson had a meltdown on the mound in the bottom of the seventh, allowing the two runners he inherited from Tanner Witt to score and then three more he put on base himself. Hoss Brewer allowed one more in the bottom of the eighth because why not? In the top of the ninth, John Bay and JT Benson both worked walks, putting the tying runs on base, but down to one out left, Nick Roselli foul tipped a ball into the catcher’s mitt to end the game.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 0-3, RBI

·  1B Ronald Hernandez: 0-4, K

·  DH Corey Collins: 0-4, 2 K

·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 3-4, 3 R, 2 2B, HR (3), RBI, K, PB (7)

·  CF Yonatan Henriquez: 0-3, BB, K

·  RF John Bay: 0-3, RBI, BB, K, SB (16), CS (4)

·  3B Colin Houck: 1-3, BB, K, E (8)

·  LF JT Benson: 1-3, R, BB

·  2B Nick Roselli: 1-2, BB

·  RHP Dakota Hawkins: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

·  RHP Tanner Witt: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Parker Carlson: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, BLK, L (0-3), BS (1)

·  RHP Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones activated RHP Josh Blum from the 7-day injured list.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (30-33)

ST. LUCIE 10, DAYTONA 3 (BOX)

The Tortugas scored three runs in the top of the first, smacking Conner Ware around a bit, but the offense had his back and put up a nine-spot in the bottom of the second, sending 13 batters to the plate in the inning. That second inning had a little bit of everything- Yohairo Cuevas got it started by reaching on a throwing error and later in the inning hit a two-run homer, the capstone runs of the inning. The St. Lucie bullpen kept Daytona in check for the rest of the ballgame, allowing just one hit, a pair of walks, and a pair of hit batsmen for the rest of the ballgame.

·  SS Elian Peña: 0-3, R, 2 BB

·  2B Trey Snyder: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K

·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 2-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K, CS (2)

·  RF Yohairo Cuevas: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB

·  1B Julio Zayas: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB

·  CF Branny De Oleo: 1-3, R, BB, 2 K, SB (5)

·  C Chase Meggers: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, 2 K, PB (8)

·  LF Simon Juan: 1-4

·  DH Jeremy Rodriguez: 1-4, R, RBI

·  LHP Conner Ware: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP, HBP

·  RHP Zack Mack: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HBP, W (1-0)

·  RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, BLK

·  RHP Joe Charles: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Caden Wooster: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP

ROSTER ALERT: C Francisco Toledo assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

Rookie: FCL Mets (12-18)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Xzavion Curry

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Parker Carlson

On April 3, 2026, the Brewers signed 21-year-old shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract. The deal includes two club options worth an additional $30 million.

On June 9, 2026, the Brewers signed 21-year-old outfield prospect Luis Lara to a seven-year, $31 million contract. The deal includes three club options worth an additional $33 million.

Both of these deals are relatively unprecedented in franchise history. Up until Pratt and Lara signed their extensions, the only prospect that the Brewers had ever signed prior to making his major league debut was Jackson Chourio. Aaron Ashby and Freddy Peralta both signed team-friendly extensions extremely early in their careers, but both had already made their major league debuts.

Lara and Pratt both rank among the Brewers’ top five prospects, but unlike Chourio or Jesús Made, neither entered 2026 carrying the label of a can’t-miss superstar. Naturally, their extensions raise an obvious question: what does Milwaukee see in these two prospects that made the organization comfortable guaranteeing more than $80 million before either of them even appeared in a major league game? Furthermore, what do these two players’ extensions say about the Brewers’ front office philosophy?

Defense

In recent years, the Brewers have built their roster around players with high-end defensive prowess. Before Brice Turang developed into arguably the best hitter on the Brewers, he brought value with his Platinum Glove defense. Sal Frelick has taken a step back this year, but he ranked in the 79th percentile or better in fielding run value in both of the last two seasons and posted +7 Outs Above Average last year. Joey Ortiz has never been feared at the plate, but has earned a starting spot for years because he’s a great defender. Blake Perkins has carved out a roster spot year after year with his defensive acumen.

I could provide numerous other examples, but you get the point. Over the last decade, Milwaukee’s organizational philosophy has been straightforward: build around run prevention. The Brewers prioritize strong defense and pitching, then rely on a lineup that does just enough offensively to outscore opponents. That formula has helped them remain one of baseball’s most consistent contenders despite operating with a bottom-third payroll.

Both Pratt and Lara fit that profile perfectly. Pratt is a 2024 Minor League Gold Glove winner whose defense earns 60 grades for both fielding and arm strength from MLB Pipeline. Pipeline is even higher on Lara, giving him a 70 grade for his defense and 60 grades for both his arm and speed. Both players project as significantly above-average fielders in the major leagues and have been consistently great defenders in the minor leagues. Furthermore, while no prospect is a sure thing, defensive skills tend to be more stable and predictable than offensive production — something that most likely gives the Brewers a little more confidence in offering Lara and Pratt their extensions.

Offense

Pratt’s .735 OPS with Triple-A Nashville is the highest OPS he has posted above Single-A. He recorded a .700 OPS in High-A (albeit in only 90 at-bats) and a .691 OPS in Double-A last season. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but evaluators remain optimistic because of Pratt’s underlying skills.

Scouts like Pratt’s offensive profile first and foremost because of his bat-to-ball ability. Despite opening 2025 in Double-A, he cut his strikeout rate from 20% in 2024 to 15.2%. As FanGraphs noted in its coverage of the extension, the combination of strong plate discipline, high contact rates, and steadily declining strikeout rates is an especially encouraging indicator of future offensive success. Pratt is also 6’4″ and has consistently recorded strong exit velocities for his age, leading many evaluators to believe more power is to come.

Turang provides an interesting comparison point. When Turang was Pratt’s age, he posted a .715 OPS in Double-A Biloxi and a .695 OPS in 176 plate appearances with Triple-A Nashville. Turang’s power ultimately developed more than most scouts projected. The Brewers are likely betting that Pratt’s offensive game still has room to grow in a similar fashion. By the time Pratt turns 23 in August of next year, the same age that Turang was when he made his major league debut, he’ll already have over a season of major league experience under his belt (assuming he sticks in the big leagues).

Lara, meanwhile, has pretty much always been a good hitter in the minors. Lara’s batting average in his professional career is .270, and his OBP is .368. Outside of his 2024 season in High-A, he’s never hit below .257 in any given year. He’s always had excellent bat-to-ball skills and strong plate discipline, but the missing piece with Lara was his power tool. Lara had just 10 home runs in four years coming into this season. He’s already hit seven so far in 2026.

I have a deeper dive on Lara’s breakout coming soon, so I don’t want to give away too much here. The short version is that Lara, like Pratt, is still very young. Last year, he hit 32 doubles and three triples, but just two home runs. As a 19-year-old in High-A, he recorded 19 doubles while again hitting only two homers.

By offering Lara this extension, Milwaukee is likely betting that, like Pratt, he will continue to grow into more power as he matures physically and adds strength. His early-season power surge could be the final piece of his offensive profile, especially because gap (extra-base) power at a young age is often viewed as a precursor to future home run production — whether through added strength, swing adjustments, or simply physical maturation.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

The final thing worth considering is that even if neither player fully develops at the plate, these contracts are pretty unlikely to become burdensome.

Lara will make less than $5.5 million annually through his age-26 season. An above-average defensive outfielder with solid contact skills and modest power — a fairly conservative projection for Lara — is worth that kind of money, particularly to an organization like Milwaukee that places a premium on defense.

The same logic applies to Pratt. He’ll make under $5.5 million through his age-27 season, roughly in line with what players such as Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Mauricio Dubón, and Miguel Rojas earn today. All three have carved out solid careers as defense-first players who make consistent contact but provide limited power. None has ever hit more than 11 home runs in a season, yet each has generated enough value to justify his salary. If Pratt becomes that caliber of player, the Brewers will be perfectly happy with the deal. If the bat develops further, the contract could become a bargain.

The Brewers are also making these bets in a changing economic environment that could make both contracts look even more favorable over time. The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and the MLBPA is set to expire after the season, and a salary floor is widely expected to be a topic of discussion during the next round of negotiations. In its initial proposal during the last CBA talks, the MLBPA introduced a Competitive Integrity Tax that would have effectively penalized teams for maintaining payrolls below $150 million. As of 2026, 13 teams — including the Brewers — would fall below that threshold.

Milwaukee’s current adjusted payroll sits a little above $121 million, meaning the club could eventually be forced to spend more than it traditionally has. More broadly, if a significant portion of the league is required to increase payroll, player salaries would likely rise as a result. If that happens, Pratt’s and Lara’s contracts could look even more team-friendly than they do today.

——————————————————————————————————————————————-

So, what does all this say about the Brewers’ organizational philosophy?

If Lara and Pratt become above-average defenders and below-average hitters, their contracts won’t look terrible. President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold and the rest of the Brewers’ front office no doubt see the value in locking up two young players who already fit the Brewers’ run prevention-first ethos, but have significant room for growth.

On the other hand, if Lara and Pratt turn into above-average hitters while maintaining their defensive value, their contracts will be looked at as steals. The Brewers are a small-market team, and small-market teams have to take risks to remain competitive.

Prospects are never a sure thing. Maybe Lara and Pratt aren’t as good defensively as they project to be, or maybe they prove unable to provide even replacement-value offense. That’s possible, but it isn’t likely.

For Milwaukee, the risk is relatively modest. The reward, meanwhile, is the possibility of controlling two above-average everyday players through the prime years of their careers at well below market value.

Good morning Birdland,

It looked like the Orioles were still operating on east coast time and up past their curfew in the 3-1 loss to the Mariners on Tuesday night.

The first inning was somewhat encouraging. Taylor Ward opened with a double and later scored on a Samuel Basallo single. But the entire lineup collected just one hit for the final eight innings. Brutal. It was an almost identical experience to the last time they faced Logan Gilbert, which was just a few days ago in Baltimore.

At least Brandon Young was good again, though not as dominant as he has sometimes been. Still, it was another quality start (six innings, three runs, four hits, four walks, two strikeouts) for the sophomore, who still sports an impressive 3.18 ERA on the year.

Because the Orioles offense was so bad, the game also wrapped up rather quickly. It took just two hours and 18 minutes from first pitch to final out. So if you did make the poor decision to stay up and watch this game, at least you still made it to bed at a somewhat reasonable time.

This west coast swing is just getting started, unfortunately. There are eight games left on this road trip, including two more in Seattle. Kyle Bradish will be on the bump tonight, and the Orioles could use a return to form for the righty. He has allowed 10 runs over his last two starts (eight total innings). They need more from him, though he is far from the only one that has hid the skids recently.

These next few days, much like the lengthy home stand a couple of weeks ago, feels make or break. If they can go .500 or so on this road trip, they will be in a good spot. If they fall apart, it could make sense to start looking towards July with a sellers’ eye.

Links

O’s get their closer back as Helsley returns from IL stint | Orioles.com
In case you missed it, Ryan Helsley is back with the Birds. Anthony Nunez was sent down to Triple-A Norfolk to make room. The O’s closer says he is without pain and felt good during his two rehab outings. It’s tough luck for Nunez, who has had a rocky (but often impressive) first taste of the majors this year. He also has all of his options remaining, so he is the easiest member of the group to send down to Norfolk for now.

Digging into the mailbag | Roch Kubatko
Nothing major in here, but it does include injury and rehab updates for several notable Orioles. The Orioles could use the help, though most of their success will be determined by the players already on the roster. They need their stars to perform more than they need their complementary players to get healthy.

Jon Meoli: How Blaze Alexander and Coby Mayo fixed both their seasons and the Orioles’ third base problem | The Baltimore Banner
Alexander and Mayo have shown themselves to be major league caliber players. But are they third base starters on a competitive team? Eh, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Even still, the outputs have been better recently, and that is worth appreciation.

Manny Machado: ‘I’ll always be an Oriole at heart’ | Baltimore Baseball
Manny wasn’t here long enough to get his number retired, and he won’t go into the Hall of Fame as an Oriole. But his contributions to the organization are still sizable. He will likely get a spot in the Orioles’ Hall of Fame someday, and when people look back at his career it is undeniable that many of his biggest moments came in orange and black.

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Orioles birthdays

• Shane Baz turns 27 today. The Orioles traded for him this past offseason, and then handed him a big extensions. So far, his performances have been mixed, though the potential remains evident.
• The late Dave Pope (b. 1921, d. 1999) was born on this day. He spent parts of two seasons with the Orioles from 1955-56, playing in 98 total games in that time.

This day in O’s history

2005 – Orioles star Miguel Tejada plays in his 822nd consecutive game, tied for the ninth-longest streak in MLB history.

2008 – Top prospect Matt Wieters hits his first career home run as the Orioles beat the Mets 6-4.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Andrew Chafin, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1915 – Zip Zabel comes out of the Chicago Cubs bullpen with two outs in the 1st inning to face the Brooklyn Robins. Zabel wins the game in the 19th inning, 4-3, in the longest relief effort in major league history, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1880 – John Montgomery Ward of the Providence Grays pitches a perfect game against the Buffalo Bisons, winning 5-0. The next perfect game by a National League pitcher will not happen for 84 years, when Jim Bunning turns the trick on Father’s Day in 1964.
• 1943 – Boston Red Sox player-manager Joe Cronin inserts himself as a pinch-hitter in both games of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics – and hits three-run home runs in each at-bat, becoming the first major leaguer to pinch-hit home runs in both ends of a doubleheader.
• 1960 – Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hits his 500th career home run against the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland Stadium. Williams’ two-run shot off Wynn Hawkins helps the Red Sox beat Cleveland, 3-1.
• 1970 – At Candlestick Park, Giants legend Willie Mays (615) and Ernie Banks of the Cubs (504) both hit home runs making it the first time two big leaguers with 500 home runs do it in the same game.
• 1971 – Don Kessinger of the Chicago Cubs goes 6 for 6, with five singles and a double, in a 7-6, 10-inning decision over the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field.
• 2009 – Ivan Rodriguez catches the 2,227th game of his career, breaking Carlton Fisk‘s record, in Houston’s 5-4, 10-inning loss to his former team, the Texas Rangers. For Texas, Omar Vizquel, the all-time leader for games played at shortstop, picks up his 2,677th hit, tying Luis Aparicio for most hits by a Venezuelan player.

Cubs Birthdays:Andrew Chafin*, Pete Elko, Zeb Terry, Phil Douglas.

Today in history:

• 1579 – English navigator Francis Drake lands on the coast of California at what becomes known as Drakes Bay, for ship repairs; claims area on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, and names it “Nova Albion.”
• 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal.
• 1775 – Battle of Bunker Hill (actually it was Breed’s Hill).
• 1837 – Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent.
• 1885 – Statue of Liberty arrives in NYC aboard French ship “Isere.”
• 1954 – Rocky Marciano beats Ezzard Charles by unanimous points decision in his 3rd world heavyweight boxing title defense at Yankee Stadium, NYC.
• 1962 – US Open Men’s Golf, Oakmont CC: Jack Nicklaus wins his first major title by three strokes in an 18-hole playoff with Arnold Palmer.
• 1991 – The body of the 12th US President, Zachary Taylor, is exhumed to test how he died; rumors had persisted since his death in 1850 of arsenic poisoning – no evidence of this was found.
• 1994 – O.J. Simpson does not turn himself in on murder charges, forcing LA police to chase his Ford Bronco for hours before he eventually gives up (seen live on national TV).
• 2003 – “Moneyball”, a book about the 2003 Oakland Athletics baseball team and GM Billy Beane’s sabermetric approach, inspired by Bill James, is published.
• 2021 – US President Joe Biden signs into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act making June 19th a federal holiday commemorating emancipation.

Today in music history:

• 1957 – “So Rare” by Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra peaks at #2.
• 1965 – British rock band The Kinks arrive in NYC beginning their 1st US tour.
• 1966 – Peter Green, British blues-rock guitartist joins John Mayall’s Bluebreakers.
• 1967 – “Somebody To Love” by Jefferson Airplane peaks at #5.
• 1970 – British rock band Led Zeppelin begin their last European tour.
• 1971 – Carole King‘s album “Tapestry” goes to #1 on US album charts and stays there for 15 weeks.
• 1976 – New Wave band Blondie release their debut single “X Offender,” written by Debbie Harry and Gary Valentine.
• 1980 – Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen‘s fifth studio album “The River”; the 2-record set becomes a global smash, going top five in 8 countries.
• 1997 – Wynton Marsalis releases his “Blood on the Fields” album (first jazz work to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music – 1997).
• 2022 – “Running Up That Hill” single by Kate Bush goes to #1 on the UK chart; originally released in 1985, the song was featured in sci-fi television show “Stranger Things”, its record 44 year climb to the top also makes Bush (63) the oldest female artist to score a No.1.

*pictured.

Listen, I’m glad that the Phillies won and everything, but the thing I’m most glad about is that Kyle Schwarber was not subjected to anything crazy at first base. I know the team was trying to get Bryce Harper off his feet and that with Alec Bohm at third thanks to Trea Turner needing a day off, Schwarber needed to play first.

I’m just glad nothing crazy happened over there.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• The Phillies’ outfield is crying out to get a bat to join them. It’s not just us around here that see it either!
• The Phillies and one-year deals under Dave Dombrowski have seen very little success being found ($). It’s worse than you think.
• Brad Keller went on the injured list with forearm tendinitis. Ominous?

MLB news:

• Justin Verlander is coming back to the rotation this week, which means Keider Montero will be moving to the bullpen.
• Which front office executives are on the hot seat with this trade deadline approaching in August?
• The Giants are willing to listen and move Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers in the right trade.

The Detroit Tigers dropped the second game of their three-game series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Tuesday night, 4-2, in a game that saw them struggle against Hunter Brown in his return from the injured list. It certainly did not help that Colt Keith and Gleyber Torres were both absent from the lineup, while the defense also left something to be desired.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Motor City Kitties look to take the series rubber match with right-hander Casey Mize finally returning from his second stint on the IL this season with inflammation of his right groin. The 29-year-old had looked great in his return from his first trip to the IL, posting a 1.08 ERA and 1.61 FIP stretching over 16 1/3 innings and three starts, allowing eight hits and a walk while striking out 14 over that stretch.

For the Astros, fellow righty Peter Lambert will climb the hill to make his 11th start of the 2026 campaign. The 29-year-old has been solid so far in June, posting a tidy 2.31 ERA but an inflated 5.76 FIP over two starts stretching across 11 2/3 inning, allowing 10 hits — three of them home runs, all solo shots — and four walks while striking out 10, earning a win in the process.

Here is a look at their respective pitching summaries.

Detroit Tigers (30-43) vs. Houston Astros (34-41)

Time (ET): 2:10 p.m.
Place: Daikin Park, Houston, Texas
SB Nation Site:The Crawfish Boxes
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 75: RHP Casey Mize (2-3, 2.27 ERA) vs. RHP Peter Lambert (5-4, 3.47 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Mize	9	47.2	26.5	6.5	35.2	2.42	1.8
Lambert	10	57.0	22.3	10.5	42.6	3.91	0.9

MIZE

LAMBERT

The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially f beloellw .500 for the first time since March 1, and althought they won last night to get back to even, they are in the middle of a bad slump of games. A lot of chatter has been about how pitcher Paul Skenes isn’t playing as well and may already be slipping as a pro. While the season has been far from perfect for Skenes, there are way bigger problems for the Pirates and their fans to worry about.

First let’s get the obvious out of the way first; Skenes is having a rougher start to this season than in year’s past. At one point in Skenes’ career, it would be weird to even associate the number “2” with the pitcher and his ERA, as he posted below 2.00 in each of his first two seasons. The 24-year-old righty currently has a 2.85 ERA with a 6-6 record. He’s also already given up eight home runs this season, and at times has racked up his pitch count, spending long times on the mound fighting in an at-bat. The sheer dominance that Skenes has had over opponents previously has seemed to waver this year, and for the first time in the majors he has looked human more often than not.

Even given his “shortcomings” Skenes is far from being “washed” or a liability in the Pirates’ rotation. The fact of the matter is that most big league pitchers would be thrilled to be having the season that Skenes is having. Despite the shaky start to 2026, Skenes still has the fifth lowest WHIP in baseball while also holding claim to the sixth lowest H/AB in baseball and the fourth most strikeouts with 99.

Paul Skenes has given up two home runs today which ties his season high pic.twitter.com/ABxxu79Zvt

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 14, 2026

The Pirates as a whole are flawed, with a lot of the microscope being focused on Skenes because of his All-Star status. Pittsburgh has lost six straight Skenes’ starts. In this span, Skenes has a 2.50 ERA per game, which is certainly high for the reigning National League Cy Young Award recipient. However, the Pirates lineup also has a minus-27 run differential in that time frame, with run support being hard to come by when Skenes is on the mound.

In his most recent start against the Miami Marlins, Skenes struck out 10 batters, retiring nine a row and set a career high in whiffs with 23. In that contest, he gave up two runs, both of which were homers, and the Pirates’ bats couldn’t generate more than two runs in support.

Manager Don Kelly spoke postgame on the struggles the team has had during this stretch of Skenes’ starts.

“I think when you’re looking at it, we just haven’t been able to put a complete game together,” Kelly said. “Last year was maybe the run support. We’ve had starts throughout those six where we’ve scored runs, we’ve had starts that offense has been there and other things have happened. I don’t think we can point to one thing, and that’s consistent throughout all the starts.”

The ever stoic Skenes was not bothered by the lack of success or run support postgame.

“It’s baseball,” Skenes said. “I’ve dealt with it before. It’s a team sport. It’s just the nature of the game.”

The fact of the matter is everyone has gotten used to one version of Skenes, which at any given time is the best pitcher in baseball. It’s hard to remember in the moment, but ever since he came into the league, Skenes has been rewriting record books and setting new incredibly high standards for an ace in the Major Leagues. Just because he’s not performing like Superman every week does not mean he’s fallen off. The image and the standard that Skenes created for himself in his first two seasons is INCREDIBLY HARD to live up to all the time. Even at his absolute worst, you’d still want him to be your number one pitcher in the rotation. Has he fallen short of expectations? Sure, but it’s undeniable that he’s still performing in the top echelon of the best big league starters.

Paul Skenes strikes out the side in the 6th.

10 strikeouts today.

87.7 MPH slider
88.2 MPH slider
98.3 MPH 4-seam pic.twitter.com/ZJec40yh8K

— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) June 14, 2026

Skenes and the Pirates are in a rough patch, there’s no doubt about that. However, Skenes is still a generational type of player for Pittsburgh, and there are way bigger problems on the team than his still very respectable 2.85 ERA. Skenes will bounce back much faster than the Pirates as a team will because that’s what the best pitchers in baseball do. The blinders are on, he’s the man in the arena and we all need to pump the brakes on talks of slipping and falling short.

PHOENIX — This is the pitcher the Los Angeles Angels envisioned when they drafted him in the first round in 2020 as the nation’s finest left-handed collegiate starter.

This is the pitcher the baseball world envisioned when he pitched a no-hitter as a 22-year-old rookie.

And now, after his latest magnificent performance on Tuesday, June 16, this is the pitcher that everyone badly covets at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Say hello to Reid Detmers, who is now officially on baseball’s Most Wanted List.

Detmers, 26, is on an absolute pitching heater these days, shutting down the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-0, in his latest dominant start, allowing just three harmless singles and no walks in seven innings. He generated only four swings-and-misses, but he kept the D-backs completely off-balance with his array of 94-mph fastballs, 85-mph sliders and 72-mph curveballs. They hit the ball hard only six times the entire game, with Detmers throwing 19 of his 24 first-pitches for strikes.

“It looks that he can throw any pitch at any time,’’ Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “He’s just consistently pitching ahead in the count. Earlier in the year, there were a lot of foul balls late in the count. Now, he’s starting to execute put-away pitches, put in a good spot where there’s a swing-and miss or put in play for an out weakly.’’

The result has been utter dominance. In Detmers' last six starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.36 ERA, yielding just 12 hits in 33 innings with 39 strikeouts and five walks. He has given up just one run in his last three starts, allowing just six hits in 20 innings for a 0.45 ERA.

"Pretty impressive," said Angels slugger Mike Trout, who homered, doubled and drove in three runs.

The best Detmers has ever been in an Angels’ uniform?

"He had a good run there in '22 for a stretch in the second half," Suzuki said, "so this is pretty damn close to it."

Well, considering he was 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA in eight starts for a two-month stretch in July and August 2022, with 45 strikeouts and 18 walks in 45.2 innings, this stretch might even be better.

It has elevated Detmers to being perhaps the finest starting pitcher on the trade market not named Tarik Skubal.

"I'm not paying any attention to that," Detmers tells USA TODAY Sports. "I don't see any of it, to be honest with you. I’m not on social media. It is what it is. It’s out of my control."

If Detmers keeps pitching like this, he might want to shut off his phone, too. He not only has become one of the most dominant left-handers in the game, but could be one of the best bargains for your buck at the trade deadline.

While Skubal is eligible for free agency this year and is seeking a record-setting contract exceeding $400 million for a pitcher, Detmers is earning just $2.7 million this year, and isn’t even eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season.

Little wonder why clubs already are checking in with Angels GM Perry Minasian.

Well, Minasian hates to be the bearer of bad news, but it's quite possible that Detmers isn't going anywhere at the deadline except making his next start in an Angels uniform.

If the Angels are ever going to win again, Detmers would be an integral part of their future, so why trade him?

Besides, if the Angels aren’t going to trade a megastar like Shohei Ohtani in his walk year, rejecting several lucrative offers that included potential stars like Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, and plan to keep Mike Trout through the rest of his playing days, why would they trade away a young star under club control?

The only time they have been a real seller at the trade deadline since their last playoff appearance was in 2022 when Angels owner Arte Moreno wanted to slash payroll. They dumped reliever Rasiel Iglesias, starter Noah Syndergaard, outfielder Brandon Marsh and utilityman Tyler Wade at the deadline, with catcher Logan O’Hoppe being the only quality piece in return.

So, while the Angels aren’t going anywhere this year, and will miss the playoffs for the 12^th consecutive year, the best thing for their future is keeping a young potential star like Detmers.

It may have taken longer than the Angels thought, or Detmers desired, but this is the pitcher everyone envisioned when he became the only the 10^th pitcher in history to throw a no-hitter in his first 11 career starts in baseball history in 2022. Yet, instead of blossoming, he took a step back, going 8-19 with a 5.30 ERA the next two seasons, walking 98 batters in 236 innings. He was relegated to the bullpen all last season.

This year, with renowned pitching coach Mike Maddux joining Suzuki’s staff, Detmers’ potential finally has emerged for the baseball world, and, yes, trade suitors, to see.

"I'm just trying to be the best pitcher I can," Detmers, 3-5, 3.68 ERA, said, "mostly just trying to get ahead, staying ahead, and then put them out of make them have weak contact. I wouldn't say I'm trying to do anything different than I have been in the last couple of years. But I've had pretty good command of the fastball lately, and that's helped a lot."

His fastball has been Greg Maddux-esque of late, giving up just one hit in two of the six starts during this stretch, striking out 14 in one game and not issuing a walk in three others.

"It's fun to watch, it's fun to play behind him every single day," Angels shortstop Zach Neto said, "and even when he's not pitching, he's one of the greatest teammates that we have in this locker room, just pushing every single one of us every single day to be better."

So, would the Angels really trade a guy like this?

Sounds like a guy they plan to build around.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reid Detmers could be coveted ahead of the MLB trade deadline