Category: Baseball

In baseball, there is the game that’s played on the field, and then there are the games within the game. One of those games has to do with handedness. While only about 10% of the general public is left-handed, about 25% of big league innings are tossed by lefties. 

This presents an interesting reality: batters perform better against the opposite-handed pitcher–and vice-versa–the vast majority of the time. When you see a player’s batting or pitching line, then, you can think of it as being split between right- and left-handed opponents. Differences in performance versus same and opposite-handed opponents are so common and often so stark that it really should be at the top of our minds more often than it is.

So what is the reason why this is the case? There are a slew of them. But surely big leaguers would agree why they perform worse against opposite-handed players, right?

“I think it’s mostly angle,” Michael Massey told me about why righties are easier to hit for him.

“I don’t know if I have an explanation,” Lane Thomas replied when asked why he hits lefties better.

“It’s just reps and it’s also kind of mental for me,” Carter Jensen said about doing better against righties.

Hm. Well. Maybe it’s a little more complicated.

Different release points, different angles

The most obvious difference between right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers is where the baseball leaves their hand. Since our arms are on the side of the body and human throwing motion is not perfectly overhand, the average release point between different-handed pitchers can be pretty stark. 

Thanks to Statcast, we can see this relatively easily. Pitcher release angles vary widely, but generally speaking there’s about a four-foot distance between the release point of the average right-hander and the average left hander. That’s a pretty big difference.

Isaac Collins is one of the few remaining switch hitters in the league, and he’s the only switch hitter on the active Royals roster. He says the angles of pitches coming to the plate are the primary reason he’s a switch hitter.

“Since I was about 13, 14, I’ve only hit right-handed off lefties and I’ve only hit left-handed off righties,” Collins said. “It’s really just the angle of balls coming in. You see the ball better…It’s just kind of like a visual thing.” 

Do lefties and righties have different arm angles compared to each other? While the sidearming lefty reliever may come to mind, the reality is that fewer left-handers throw at extremely low arm angles than righties. Across both lefties and righties, the median arm angle is 39.1 degrees. But while 45.5% of lefties throw at an arm angle below 39.1 degrees, 51.2% of righties do. 

There is another factor here, Carter Jensen mentioned: release-point distance. The difference is small, but you have a little more time against opposite-handed pitchers. “[With] left on left heaters, you’re going to have less time against the [lefty] than you would have right on left here just because of the angle and the extension,” Jensen said. “[The] left-handed extension from a guy throwing a heater is a lot closer than a right-handed.”

Pitch movement

Arm angles and release points are important, but when you combine angles with pitch movement, you start to get to some interesting combinations. Identifying pitch types can be tricky for even seasoned baseball fans, but one of the key differentiators is horizontal movement. Pitches have either arm-side movement or glove-side movement. These can be called “run” or “cut” or “sweep,” but keeping to arm or glove movement is clean (and it’s what Statcast does). 

While some pitchers throw funky pitches that don’t follow the standard movement, in general you can categorize types of pitches this way:

• Arm-side break pitches: Four-seam fastball, changeup, sinker, splitter
• Glove-side break pitches: Curveball, cutter, slider, sweeper

Of course, “arm-side” and “glove-side” mean opposite things to the batter’s perspective depending on which side of the plate you stand. Against same-handed pitchers, arm-side movement breaks towards you and glove-side movement breaks away from you. But against opposite-handed pitchers, arm-side movement breaks away from you and glove-side pitches break towards you. 

Can arm-side pitches like a changeup or sinker move a lot horizontally? Sure. But it’s the glove-side pitch types that are the ones with a lot of horizontal movement. Lane Thomas identified that as the biggest reason why it’s more comfortable to face opposite-handed pitchers. 

“I just think you don’t have anything breaking away from you [against opposite-handed pitchers],” Thomas said. “Everything starts away and it’s coming into you…a lot of the breaking balls just start right at you to be a good pitch to hit.”

And for Michael Massey, the vertical movement is another factor to consider.

“For me, at least lefties that kind of have the ‘X’ game and make it sink and sweep, make it a little bit tougher because they can really stretch the plate,” Massey said. “The lefties that are more foreseeable are where nothing’s coming in, probably a little bit easier of a matchup for a same-side guy, just because you don’t have to worry about anything coming into you.” 

Practice, practice, practice

There are certainly some very real impacts on platoon hitting, but just about the only consistent thing mentioned was the impact of experience on hitting same-handed pitching. The more you do it, the better you get. 

“Part of playing this game right is physical mechanics and the swing and all that stuff, but the other part is your decision making and your decision making is built through the reps,” Massey said. “Every time you see a right-hander that throws from this angle with this type of spin, it goes into your database. And the next time you see that, you’re a little bit more familiar with it. And so I think obviously when you don’t get as many reps at doing something, you just don’t build that database as much and that database isn’t as advanced, which makes it tougher to be able to lay off certain pitches or see certain pitches because your mind hasn’t seen it enough.”

Jensen agreed. “I think I see the ball perfectly fine with both sides,” he said. “I think that against righties it’s just easier because I have so many more reps against righties.”

“I haven’t really gotten as many at-bats off righties,” Thomas said. “So it’s obviously harder to do something I haven’t done consistently. But that just seems to be the trend in the game or splits wouldn’t even be a thing.” 

There’s something to be said here that players shouldn’t be shoved into a platoon-only role too early as pros, because that just reinforces the issues at play with getting enough reps. However, there are only so many plate appearances you can get against left-handed pitching in particular. Left-handers are over-represented in the pitching world, but when only 10% of the population is left-handed, opportunities to face them regularly are inherently limited.

At the end of the day, there are so many factors in play that the mental side of things is nearly as important. “I think it’s just a tricky subject,” Jensen said. “I feel like it’s different for everybody. Or for me, it’s just reps and also kind of mental.”

“I don’t dislike hitting lefties…at the end of the day hitting righty or lefty, if I stick to my plan, I’m in a good spot.”

If you had told me back in March that during the week where the Atlanta Braves are scheduled to play the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets that the White Sox would be a bigger (and legitimate) threat against the Braves, I would’ve laughed in your face and/or rejoiced in the fact that if the White Sox are better than the Mets then the Mets must be in some serious trouble.

As it turns out, the White Sox are actually one of the surprise stories of this season so far. It’s June and they’re over .500 — this is the first time that they’ve been over .500 in any season past April since 2022! They’ve been fun and now the Playoff Odds over at FanGraphs are actually giving them a little bit more respect! Back on Opening Day, Chicago only had a 1.1 percent chance of making the Postseason in any form. Now, those odds have skyrocketed to 17 percent — that might not look like a lot and they’re still very much favored to fall off eventually but it’s still impressive that the Pale Hose have gotten this deep into the season without face planting. Those fans deserve something to cheer for after enduring the past couple of seasons and I hope they’re enjoying it.

The White Sox have been an enjoyable story so far and I can also imagine that a lot of y’all have been enjoying what’s going on on the blue-and-orange side of New York as well. The Mets and Phillies both got off to nightmarish starts and New York is still recovering from their disastrous April. New York’s Playoff Odds have taken a freefall since Opening Day, which is when FanGraphs gave them an 80 percent shot of playing in October. Those odds are now down to just over 21 percent — it’s not exactly over for the Mets but they have a lot of work to be done if they’re going to have any hope of really making waves in the NL Wild Card race, let alone the division. So we’ve got one team that has a positive outlook and another team that’s dealing with some more disappointment. Let’s talk about what lies ahead for the Braves this week.

---

June 9-11: Chicago White Sox

Current Record: 34-31 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 77-85

As a neutral fan, I am very, very sad to not be able to watch slugger Munetaka Murakami during this series, as he’s on the IL with a hamstring strain. I’ve followed Murakami since his days of playing with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and his experiences with Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic so I’ve personally been thrilled to see him thrive in Major League Baseball so far. As a Braves fan, I’m still sad about the injury but I’m not going to complain about Atlanta not seeing him during this series since he’s been crushing it and I don’t want to see him crush it against the Braves.

With that being said, it’s not like this White Sox lineup has slowed down without Murakami. Murakami’s last game was on May 29 and ever since May 30 (heading into June 7’s action), the White Sox as a team have hit .270/.335/.500 with a wOBA of .364 (expected wOBA of .332) and a wRC+ of 131. For comparison’s sake, the Braves have hit .233/.310/.443 with a .328 wOBA (xwOBA of .342) and a wRC+ of 109. While the Braves have been better over the course of the season so far (team wRC+ of 111 heading into Sunday), the White Sox aren’t far behind with a team wRC+ of 107.

The South Siders might be missing Murakami but they’ve still got guys like Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery and Tristan Peters getting the job done for them at the plate. Chase Meidroth has been reliable as well, Sam Antonacci has made it happen for them when called upon and they’ve even gotten solid production out of Randal Grichuk when he’s gotten the nod. This is an exciting lineup at the moment and it’s a far cry from what this club was up to for the past couple of years when the futility was overwhelming.

With all of that being said, if this team has a soft underbelly then it might be their pitching staff. The proof of this is that the White Sox are starting Erick Fedde on Tuesday. With all due respect to our old friend Fedde (who actually pitched five shutout innings against the Twins in his last outing) having him in the rotation isn’t exactly a good sign for the quality of the rotation.

Sure, Davis Martin has been great so far and guys like Grant Taylor and Sean Burke are young and exciting but outside of those two, there’s not a lot to get excited about in either the rotation or the bullpen. It is nice to see old friend Sean Newcomb having a successful season but again, if you’re having to rely on guys like that then that’s not exactly conducive to overall team success. With the way Atlanta’s lineup has performed so far, they should be able to do some damage and we might see a slugfest or two break out at the place they used to call New Comiskey.

Tuesday, June 9 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Wednesday, June 10 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Thursday, June 11 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

June 12-14: New York Mets

Current Record: 29-36 Projected Record (as of June 8): 80-82

Oh great, it’s these guys. You know ‘em and you (probably) hate ‘em but there’s a less familiar feeling to this particular ball club in 2026. Old “favorites” like Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte have all moved on to greener pastures. Francisco Lindor is still around and it’s no fun to hate him since he’s pretty cool (and also unfortunately on the IL). Instead, the Mets are going through a bit of a retooling period that has yet to bear any real fruit at the moment. They’re sitting in dead last in the NL East and are far, far in Atlanta’s rearview mirror at the moment.

They have bounced back a bit after their moribund start to the season where they lost 12 straight games at their absolute nadir but it’s been nowhere to the level of what’s gone on in Philadelphia where the Phillies are actually back over .500 and have clearly gotten their season back on track. The Mets are still stuck in the mud and a lot of that has to do with the fact that their offense has been pretty terrible so far this season. They currently have one of the worst team wRC+ marks in all of baseball (they went into action on June 7 with a team wRC+ of 87 with only the Rockies and Padres being worse).

Juan Soto is still Juan Soto so he absolutely has to be taken seriously whenever he’s at the plate but outside of that, he’s the only guy on this team that has been a real threat to do damage on a nightly basis. The only other regulars who have been anywhere close to consistent at the plate are MJ Melendez and Francisco Alvarez since they’re the only other Mets regulars with a wRC+ over 100 — and they both are only just barely clearing that mark. New York’s new keystone combination of Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien has been very disappointing for the Mets so far and their underperformance has gone a long way towards setting a tone of mediocrity for this team at the moment. Jared Young has been trying his best to provide a spark but yeah, outside of him and Soto, there is not a lot going on with this team at the plate.

As far as the pitching goes, they’ve been a lot more consistent with their production on the mound but as evidenced by this team’s record and position in the standings, it still hasn’t been enough to lift them up and carry this team. Clay Holmes is on the 60-day IL and until this weekend, he was still the sole leader in fWAR (1.2) for the Mets’ pitching staff. The trio of Freddy Peralta, Norm McLean and David Peterson has been pretty solid so far but outside of that, the rotation hasn’t really been imposing at all. New York’s bullpen has been pretty effective, though — Huascar Brazoban is on track for his best season yet (and has served as a good opener on a few occasions), Luke Weaver has been turning back the clock with his efforts, then Brooks Raley and Devin Williams have both done fine so far.

Again, it still hasn’t been enough to lift the Mets out of the mess that they’re currently in but the Mets can at least take some solace in knowing that they won’t be absolutely terrible. On paper, the Braves should head into this series expecting at least a series win but we all know that no matter what the record is for either team, these games will likely be hard-fought. This is the first time the Braves have seen the Mets all season and hopefully Atlanta will take this opportunity to kick them while they’re down. The entire season series between these two will be played between this week and mid-August, so this is a chance for the Braves to set the tone with these dudes here in this portion of the season. We’ll see what happens.

Friday, June 12 at 7:10 p.m. ET (Apple TV)
Saturday, June 13 at 4:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Sunday, June 14 at 1:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)

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With Josh off, I'm pinch-hitting with a trio of MLB home run predictions on Monday, June 8.

It's a lighter slate, with only eight games on the schedule, but sometimes it's better not to have an overabundance of options for our MLB player props.

My MLB home run predictions wrap things up by adding William Contreras to sluggers Adley Rutschman and Rafael Devers, as the Brewers touch down in Sin City for a duel with the A's.

Best MLB home run props today

Home run pick: Adley Rutschman (+598)

I like fading Seattle Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock today and in perpetuity with my MLB picks. The hurler has seemingly made strides, but his increased strikeout rate and suppressed ERA are teetering on the edge of collapse. 

His 4.17 expected ERA gives us the first sign of trouble. Meanwhile, contact metrics all favor his opponents, as his chase, barrel, and hard-hit rates all rank in the 20th percentile or worse. He lives in the zone and has gotten by with his mediocre stuff getting hit right at defenders and a 25.8% strikeout rate that defies his actual swing-and-miss numbers.

The question becomes which Baltimore Orioles bat to target. Pete Alonso is the most logical, but he also has the shortest number. BallparkPal has winds blowing to left field, so his +391 price tag may well be worth it anyway. Instead, I'll grab resurgent catcher Adley Rutschman as he continues to prove that he's more than Matt Wieters 2.0.

Rutschman has made incredible gains under the hoodyear over year, ranking among the elite in many Statcast metrics. And while he'll step in as a lefty against Hancock, the wind to left field doesn't scare me, as he's sprayed his power over the field. 

The 28-year-old also ranks second on the O's in BlastContact% at 17.7% (min. 200 PAs), trailing only — you guessed it — Alonso.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Mariners.TV, MASN

Home run pick: Rafael Devers (+416)

Oracle Park is not the most homer-happy ballpark, but Washington Nationals starter Miles Mikolas has allowed 14 long balls in 56 1/3 innings, and the bullpen boasts the fifth-worst HR/9 among all MLB relief units.

For as good as the offense has been, the pitching staff has been equally terrible.

Rafael Devers paces the San Francisco Giants in BlastContact% (17.4%), and ranks in the 88th percentile in both average exit velocity and hard-hit rate.

His fly ball metrics are generally in line with his career numbers, if not a touch better than his time in Boston. At +416, he's worth a sprinkle in a super favorable matchup, and I'd play it down to +375.

• Time: 9:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Nationals.TV, NBC Sports Bay Area

Home run pick: William Contreras (+396)

The A's are moving to Las Vegas! Temporarily!

Tonight marks the A's first of six straight home games at Las Vegas Ballpark, with the Milwaukee Brewers coming to town. It's projected to feature the friendliest hitter environment on the schedule by a country mile, per BallparkPal.

While I'm tempted to target home-team sluggers like Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker, their price tags have them below +300 to go deep, and Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison has generally done a fantastic job at limiting the long ball. It doesn't mean he can't be gotten to, but I'd rather get a longer number if I'm going to fade him.

Instead, Jeffrey Springs is the lefty hurler to target. He has surrendered 14 home runs in 70  innings and boasts the 12th-highest fly-ball rate in MLB and the eighth-worst HR/FB rate among qualified starters.

William Contreras hasn't exhibited the best power of his career this season. Still, he is one of the hardest hitters in baseball to strike out (91st percentile K%) and is squaring the ball up well, but it just hasn't resulted in over-the-fence production. Yet.

Given the nature of Las Vegas Ballpark, which projects to be a hitter's haven not unlike Sacramento's Sutter Health Park, I like Contreras at a better value than teammate Jackson Chourio (+278).

• Time: 10:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Brewers.TV, NBC Sports California

See our full Brewers vs. A's predictions for today.

Today’s HR parlay

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Like many people born in the 1870s, there are not a lot of records of John “Tacks” Neuer. However, due to a successful but incredibly brief run in the nation’s national pastime, Neuer finds himself remembered some 149 years after he was welcomed into this world.

Before getting into his life and brief career, the Tacks nickname deserves to be addressed. Neuer was also called “Bugs” by his teammates. Both nicknames stemmed from Neuer’s behavior both on and off the field. With all due respect, the best I could gather is that Neuer was something of an early baseball version of Wild Thing Rick Vaughn. Both in terms of being a unique character and one who lacked control of the baseball when hurling it off the mound.

John Stein Neuer
Born: Born: June 8, 1877 (Fremont, Ohio)

Died: January 14, 1966 (Northumberland, Pennsylvania)

Yankees (Highlanders) Tenure: 1907

Neuer was the first born of a large family. When he was young the family relocated to central Pennsylvania. It was in the heart of Appalachia’s Pennsylvania coal country that Neuer grew up and spent most of his life.

Lucky enough to avoid World War I, Neuer still saw service in the US Military. That service came in the Spanish-American War. For those less historically inclined, and apologies to those who are more knowledgeable, the war between the Spanish Empire and the United States lasted about two months in 1898. Neuer enlisted and served as a private in the military for the year.

Upon being discharged from the military, Neuer returned home and began working for the railroad. While working on the railroad Neuer played baseball in his free time and grew into a local legend due to his lefty presence on the mound and impressive talent both hitting and on the basepaths. Neuer was a talented pitcher but often found his control would simply disappear.

After bouncing around playing where he could Neuer found himself almost 30-years-old and as far from the big leagues as ever. However, fate had other plans as Neuer found his way to Savannah Georgia in 1907. In Savannah, not for the Bananas, Neuer put together one of the best runs of his career and it just happened at the right time.

On August 23, 1907, the New York Highlanders purchased Neuer. The Highlanders had struggled to that point in the year and needed some pitching to make it through the season, and were hopeful of finding a few diamonds in the rough for the next season. Neuer and his impressive three-month stretch fit the bill.

A few days after joining the club, Neuer made his debut against the Boston Americans in the second game of a doubleheader. Neuer earned the win throwing a complete game shutout holding the Americans to only three hits and striking out six. Over the course of six more starts Neuer threw two more shutouts including a two hitter against the Washington Senators and a three hitter against the Chicago White Sox. Neuer’s final line for the season was a 4-2 record with a 2.17 ERA across 54.0 innings.

This performance dazzled and had many fans dreaming about what Neuer could be next year in a full season. Once again, fate had other plans. Neuer lost control of the baseball and tried to start throwing the junk pitches of the day like knuckleballs and the likes. This caused Neuer’s star to burn out as quickly as it streaked through the 1907 season and ended his major league career after only a few months.

The ending coming so quickly allows for some unique history. Neuer is still one of only a few pitchers in major league history to throw a complete game shutout in their first and final major league starts. Additionally, Neuer still owns the highest percentage of shutouts per start, excluding players who only made one start. In a way, Neuer almost feels like an early version of a Yankees cult hero, Aaron Small.

Neuer bounced around playing for several different minor league teams for several years, not officially retiring from playing until the 1913 season. After retiring, Neuer continued to be a part of the game. Neuer crossed over to the dark side and became an umpire. In this second cameo, Neuer made a name for himself as one of the original character umpires, known for a loud and one-of-a-kind strike call, laying the foundation for the likes of Ron Luciano, Dutch Rennert, and Tom Hallion amongst over umpires who have went untraditional in their approaches.

While his playing career at the highest level proved brief, Neuer remained connected to baseball for decades and left behind one of the most interesting statistical resumes in the sport’s history. A player, umpire, and Yankee.

Happy birthday Tacks!

Morning all!

The A’s are slumping right now but got back into the win column yesterday in the series finale and they’ve fallen to third place in the AL West. Their still only 2 1/2 games back in the division though and with the recent issues with the starting rotation the club has begun exploring upgrades to bolster the staff.

One name that we’ve now heard the club is interested in is Kansas City starter Kris Bubic. A pending free agent after the season the left-hander would help a beleaguered rotation that has lost Luis Severino and Aaron Civale to the IL in recent days. Even before those arms got injured the starting group could have used an upgrade.

It’s not quite trading season but indications are the A’s plan on being buyers. Bubic won’t be the last name connected to the A’s but he’s certainly an interesting name to monitor.

Have a great Monday A’s fans.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s interested in Kris Bubic
• A’s Falter Late, Drop Finale To Cubs 7-6
• Wednesday Potpourri: What’s Up With Butler, Closer, June Plan?
• Bullpen, Late Rally Lift A’s to 10-Inning Win Over the Cubs
• Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In June
• Las Vegas is the home the A’s have been waiting for
• The A’s Inability To Play Well At Home Is Embarrassing
• A’s Unravel in Series and Homestand Finale
• A’s call up pitching prospect Kade Morris
• Road, sweet road? A’s ready for reset after rough homestand
• Arnold and Jump are both slinging … anyone else reminded of another A’s duo?
• Braves Acquire Austin Wynns, Adding Another Layer to A’s Catcher Connection
• Ginn’s glow-up: A’s hurler coming into his own at right time
• Three Dark Horse Trade Candidates for Athletics This Summer
• June update: 2026 top 10 prospect rankings for all 30 MLB teams
• Athletics Early MLB Draft Preview
• The A’s may have finally found their new leadoff hitter
• Wilson takes swings in next step toward return from IL

MLB News and Interest:

• Would the Braves take Skubal? Of course, but that’s not the whole question
• Witt exits with sore knee, but Royals optimistic it isn’t serious
• Alex Bregman takes blame for Cubs’ offensive woes after loss
• Max Kepler, suspended for PEDs in January, joins D-backs
• Jameson Taillon Leaves Game Due To Hamstring Strain
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

ICYMI:

MOVES:
SS Jacob Wilson to LV on rehab
RHP Joel Kuhnel to MIL for $
LHP Will Johnston off MID IL
RHP Elvis Alvarado to A’s
LHP Wei-En Lin to LV
RHP Mason Barnett/RHP Kade Morris to A’s
LHP Jacob Lopez/RHP Michael Kelly to LV
RHP Brooks Kriske to 60-day ILhttps://t.co/joKXkyUAPy

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) June 8, 2026

Is Rooker finally turning things around?

Man Rooker is BACK! 🔥

Will he keep the HOT streak going for the remainder of the season⁉️ pic.twitter.com/IwgzNeH8vL

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) June 7, 2026

CANCELED: Toledo Mud Hens vs. Iowa Cubs

Inclement weather canceled the series finale between Toledo and Iowa. The Mud Hens take the series 4-1.

Coming Up Next: The Hens are at home next week against the St. Paul Saints, starting Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Erie SeaWolves 6, Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 (box)

A four-run ninth carried Erie to victory on Sunday, as the SeaWolves tied the series with the Richmond Flying Squirrels at three games apiece.

The most impactful swing of the night came from Izaac Pacheco with two outs in the top of the ninth. Mitch White had just taken over for Seth Lonsway, and Pacheco took the first pitch he saw — a 96-mph fastball low in the zone — and crushed it for a two-run homer, giving Erie a 4-3 lead. Justice Bigbie was on base from a single before the pitching change.

Erie was down to their final out, but Izaac Pacheco turned on a 96 MPH fastball and hit an absolute rocket to right for a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 9th. It’s his 9th home run of the season.🚀 pic.twitter.com/KgZKW20tt9

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Things didn’t get better for White. Andrew Jenkins singled, E.J. Exposito walked and Seth Stephenson drove both runners in with a double to the wall in left-center. 6-3, Seawolves.

Seth Stephenson hits a sharp 2-run double to the gap in left center to put the SeaWolves up 6-3. pic.twitter.com/SHzi1gIZrn

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Moises Rodriguez earned the win with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth. However, Rodriguez was also the reason Richmond took a late lead. He sailed a throw to first and watched it ricochet off the tarp and down the right field line. The runner ended up on third and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The rest of Erie’s pitching was sound. Max Alba gave 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out four. A solo home run in the first and a soft RBI single into left in the fourth were the only costly mistakes of the day for him. Tanner Kohlhepp took over for Alba in the fifth to get the final out and pitch through the sixth. Eric Silva went 1-2-3 in the seventh.

The SeaWolves didn’t have a ton of offense in the first eight frames. Exposito homered in the third to tie the game at 1-1, and Brett Callahan briefly tied the game again at two runs apiece in the eighth with an RBI. Bigbie and Stephenson both had two hits.

E.J. Exposito mashes a game-tying solo homer to center in the 3rd. It’s his 8th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/G3FYcXYRGV

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Liranzo: 0-4, 2 K

Exposito: 1-3, HR (8), 2 R, RBI, BB, K

Pacheco: 1-4, HR (9), R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Alba: 4.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves are at home next week against the Akron RubberDucks, starting Tuesday at 6:05 p.m ET.

West Michigan Whitecaps 11, Dayton Dragons 3 (box)

Tarik Skubal day in West Michigan went about as well as it could have, with the Whitecaps winning 8-0 over the Dayton Dragons and the Tigers’ ace looking near-perfect.

Skubal gave up two hits over five scoreless innings and struck out six. He reportedly touched 99 mph and looked like the guy Tigers fans have come to adore over the past few years. For a more in-depth breakdown of Skubal’s start, check out this piece.

Jackson Strong stayed hot at the plate, giving West Michigan an early lead with a two-run homer in the first, and the Whitecaps never looked back.

Jackson Strong launches a 2-run homer to right to put the Whitecaps and Tarik Skubal up early. It’s Strong’s 5th home run of the year, and he has homered in three consecutive games. @ThatDanHasty on the call. pic.twitter.com/uJHFoiADTa

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Garrett Pennington singled in two more runners in the third, Ricardo Hurtado doubled in a pair in the fifth, and Woody Hadeen made it 7-0 in the sixth with an RBI double. A balk with Bryce Rainer at the plate gave the Whitecaps run No. 8 in the seventh.

Ricardo Hurtado smashes a 2-run double to left center to put the Whitecaps up 6-0 pic.twitter.com/1YRkem91Z2

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Hadeen, Pennington and Bennett Lee had multi-hit days. Lee just recently joined the roster after coming down from Erie on Saturday.

Garrett Pennington doubles West Michigan’s lead with a liner right over the second baseman’s head. @ThatDanHasty calls it. pic.twitter.com/ny9kamyuaF

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Ryan Harvey, Luke Stofel and CJ Weins continued the shutout in relief of Skubal. Harvey struck out a pair in as many innings, and the other two worked around a combined three hits over the final two frames. Way to not mess it up, guys.

The Whitecaps win the series, 4-2.

Rainer: 0-3, R, BB

Strong: 1-5, HR (5), R, 2 RBI, 2 K

Pennington:2-5, 2B (15), R, 2 RBI

Skubal: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps are on the road against the Lake County Captains next week, starting Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. ET.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 5, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 3 (box)

Lakeland was outhit by Fort Myers on Sunday, but the Flying Tigers prevailed over the Mighty Mussels, 5-3, to close the series out with a second win.

Six free passes on the day helped Lakeland score more often, and six scattered hits around the lineup did the trick. Javier Osorio gave the Flying Tigers an early 2-0 lead with a two-run single into left field in the second.

Javier Osorio scorches a 2-run single to left to give Lakeland an early lead. @AaronArnstein on the call. pic.twitter.com/RptGxnLTN5

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Beau Ankeney got a run back in the sixth with a solo home run after Fort Myers scored in the top of the inning.

Beau Ankeney smashes a solo homer to left to put Lakeland up 3-1. It’s his 5th home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/LjFD0Vl1br

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Jesus Pinto and Edian Espinal answered a two-run eighth by the Mighty Mussels with as many runs in the bottom half; the former singling into center field for a run, and the latter driving in another with a sacrifice fly.

Jesus Pinto puts Lakeland back ahead with a hard chopper through the infield. pic.twitter.com/y5xVwhCRRV

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 7, 2026

Charlie Christensen gave Lakeland four innings of one-hit ball while striking out eight, lowering his ERA to 1.38 on the year. The right-hander’s secondary stuff was sharp once again, racking up whiffs with cutters, sliders, and changeups. Joe Ruzicka gave up the first run on two hits and a walk, but he lasted two innings. Jan Carabello struck out four over 1 2/3 innings, but he also gave up a pair of runs on four hits. Jatnk Diaz got the final four outs of the game, working around just one hit.

Ankeney: 1-4, HR (5), R, RBI, K

Christensen: 4.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers are on the road next week against the Clearwater Threshers, starting Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. ET.

Wow. Just wow. Just last night I talked about the perils of falling in love with walk-off victories. Not that I think the Cubs were sitting back and waiting and thinking that they could just flip a switch at the last minute. And yet, the game played out that way anyway. Your mileage may vary, but this “shape” of game frustrates me more than say Friday’s loss. Oh, it’s embarrassing to lose 18-3, don’t get me wrong. But when the pitching is bad on this team, I kind of expect that. I’m not interested in exploring that thought just now. But that’s where my baseline is. But on a night like Sunday? A night when the bullpen gives the Cubs eight innings of relief with no runs allowed? That’s frustrating.

I know Javier Assad is a starter and I know he’s stretched out. So when I say “relief” outing, I see a few eyes rolling. But to be fair, Assad might have been told to be ready for a multi-inning outing Sunday. I’m sure that thought was maybe Javy would be called upon to throw two or three innings to bridge the gap between an underachieving starting rotation and an overworked bullpen resulting from those short comings. But he surely wasn’t guaranteed to get those innings tonight. Jacob Webb and Daniel Palencia both threw in this game and surely would have been available if (say) Jameson Taillon had gotten deep in the game. If Jameson gives them six innings and leaves say a 5-2 game, does Assad even pitch? So it’s not like he was sitting there ready to go. No one expected to see him in a competitive second inning.

But there was Assad on no notice, Webb for a couple of batters and Palencia for the ninth inning. All of that before Trent Thornton’s rough 10th inning in a tough spot. But I give Thornton credit. I will always think the reliever did a decent job if he holds the team to a single run in the top half of an extra inning. The whole setup is turbo charged, designed for run scoring. It’s superior if they hold a team scoreless and a disaster if they allow two or more. Again, your mileage may vary. So I don’t hold this against Thornton in any way. I do think differently about the bottom of the inning, particularly after you get a run in the top of the inning. It changes the way the inning plays once you have that lead. The pressure alone helps the road team once they get that run.

So my ire here is where it largely is with this team. These hitters have lost their way. It’s so bizarre. I’ve gotten to the point where I pretty much only want to see Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch and Ian Happ bat. I will give a nod to Moisés Ballesteros for a really great plate appearance tonight and the only run driven in. But that performance like so many of his teammates has been so few and far between for the last month. In this one, that was compounded by a couple of questionable baserunning decisions. A team shouldn’t slump for a whole month. Nico Hoerner. Alex Bregman. Seiya Suzuki. To differing degrees, these guys have track records. I don’t even know what you do with this.

I mean that’s not entirely true. The real answer is that you look yourself in the mirror. I’m not a big fan of ultimatums. I don’t think you go fire and brimstone from the front office. You just do your job. I know combing the back fields is quite the way amateur scouting goes anymore. At least not to the extent that it once did. But whatever amateur scouting looks like, whatever minor league scouting looks like, whatever international scouting looks like, you turn your attention there. It’s not over, but this team is heading towards lost cause. You start doing your homework on how to make this team better in 2027 and beyond. There’s no magic button that is going to fix this. Either these hitters are going to come back to life and find the magic they had earlier, or you are going to drift into oblivion.

The efforts are best served looking to the future. Not that an organization can’t “walk and chew gum at the same time.” But, I’m certain the tenor of phone calls and planting seeds is different when you are looking to add bodies than when you are looking to subtract them. Certainly if you think that another Edward Cabrera-type addition could add for 2026 and into the future, incremental help could help this year. The draft isn’t valuable enough to reward tanking in baseball. So I don’t think you go full youth movement or anything. But I do think you maybe at least start signaling that certain veteran players might become available, say by visibly scouting high level prospects from contending organizations.

It makes me sick that we are here. But it is what it is. I realize the Giants also just took two out of four from the Brewers. But I think of it like a piece I wrote earlier in the week about getting shut down by an A’s pitcher making his second major league start. In both situations, on a one off basis, of course that can happen. But this team hasn’t won a series in a month. Getting to easier competition hasn’t helped. The Cubs won two games this week. One was a fluky ninth inning comeback and one was an individually heroic performance behind the most effective Cubs starter. The offense had three good games on the road last week and got three wins out of it. But it’s just not enough. Two of six at home this past week. Three of seven the week before against two division rivals. No wins the week before.

Not. Good. Enough. Not. Acceptable.

Three Positives:

• Javier Assad threw 6.1 innings of scoreless relief. He allowed a hit, a walk and hit a batter. Even in the era of occasional use of openers, that has to be one of the longest and most effective relief outings in Cub history.
• Moisés Ballesteros had a hit, a walk and an RBI in his three plate appearances. A very nice day at the plate for the rookie. Very encouraging as one of the guys who has struggled a lot over the last month.
• Ian Happ had a triple. The only extra base hit by the Cubs.

Game 66, June 7: Giants 2, Cubs 1 (34-32)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Javier Assad (.456). 6.1 IP, 21 BF, H, BB, 0 ER, 5 K
• Hero: Moisés Ballesteros (.148). 1-2, BB, RBI
• Sidekick: Daniel Palencia (.134). IP, 3 BF, K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Alex Bregman (-.545). 0-5, DP
• Goat: Michael Busch (-.202). 1-5, DP
• Kid: Carson Kelly (-.195). 1-4, R

WPA Play of the Game: Alex Bregman lined into a double play with runners on first and third and no outs in the eighth inning. With all due respect to the rest of the game, this is where the potential Cub win died. You can see that in the chart above. (.301).

Cubs Play of the Game: Michael Busch singles with no outs and a runner on first and the game tied in the eighth inning. After a throwing error, the runner Kevin Alcantara went first to third. (.181)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 65 Winner: Pete Crow-Armstrong received 237 out of 254 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Michael Busch +20
• Ben Brown +11.5
• Pete Crow-Armstrong/Michael Conforto +10
• Carson Kelly/Ian Happ +8.5
• Ryan Rolison/Phil Maton/Jameson Taillon -8
• Caleb Thielbar -9
• Matt Shaw -10
• Dansby Swanson -11
• Seiya Suzuki -26.5

Up Next: An off day on Monday. On Tuesday, the Cubs start a three game series in Colorado. The Rockies aren’t as woeful as they’ve been recently, but they are 24-42 with a -99 run differential. That run differential points to an expected 24-42 win loss record. So, you could say that they are who they are. By OPS, the Rockies are 17th in MLB (Cubs still hanging in there at ninth). By ERA, the Rockies are 30th (Cubs are 19th). One might expect, looking at those numbers, that the teams would have a high scoring series. The Rockies are 12-19 at home (12-23 on the road).

Colin Rea (5-3, 4.59, 64.2 IP) makes his 11th start of the season. He’s allowed seven earned runs over his last three starts, covering 17.2 innings (3.56 ERA). 36-year-old righty Tomoyuki Sugano (5-4, 3.98, 63.1 IP) gets his 13th start of the year. He’s 3-2 with a 4.50 in five home starts this year.

Two or even three wins in Colorado isn’t going to reignite my excitement about this team. But again, tanking doesn’t have a ton of value in baseball, so might as well go win these games.

*Side notes, Javier Assad and Alex Bregman’s Sunday night performances appear to both be among biggest WPA values by Cub players this year (one positive, one negative). Additionally, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s game Saturday and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s game Thursday were all notable WPA games for the season. Look for a comment from me on Monday regarding where those performances stack up with others this year. Or in the case of the PCA Saturday heroics, how it fits in amongst performances in recent years (by WPA).

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Liam Peterson scouting report.

The 2026 is about a month away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at University of Florida righthander Liam Peterson.

Liam Peterson is a 6’5”, 225 lb. righthanded pitcher for the University of Florida who turns 21 later this month. Peterson attended high school at Calvary Christian in Clearwater, Florida, and was a consensus top 100 guy for the 2023 MLB Draft, but was not selected due to signability issues. He has been a starter for the Gators all three years he’s been there.

Peterson is considered, if not having the best stuff in this draft class, to be near the top. Baseball America did an extensive write-up on him in October, profiling him as potentially the top pitcher in the draft class. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, and can reportedly get up to 98-99 mph. He throws both a slider and a curveball, with the slider being his primary out pitch. Peterson also has a changeup that is relatively advanced, and the changeup can be a weapon against lefties.

The knock on Peterson is his command, with Keith Law, for example, noting that he gets hit too hard for the type of stuff he has, and Fangraphs noting that Florida has had a history of not developing their pitchers as well as they should. The October write-up from BA says that he has a quality fastball, but not one that he can just blow batters away with, saying that Peterson “will be reliant on command to avoid damage.”

As a freshman, Peterson had a 6.43 ERA in 63 innings over 16 starts and two relief appearances, striking out 77 of 301 batters while walking 44 and giving up 15 homers. He took a step forward in 2025, lowering his ERA to 4.28 in 69.1 innings over 15 starts and a relief appearances, increasing his K total to 96 (out of 305 batters) while lowering his walks to 32 and reducing his homer count to 9.

In 2026, Peterson put up a 4.59 ERA in 16 starts covering 84.1 IP, with 111 Ks, 36 walks and 11 homers, facing 368 batters. He ended the 2026 season on a down note, giving up nine runs in five innings to Troy in the Gainesville Regional. Florida was eliminated by Troy in the next game.

Baseball America has Peterson at #21 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Peterson at #14 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Peterson at #13 on his top 150 list. Keith Law’s rankings have Peterson at #8 on his board. Fangraphs has Peterson at #13 on their board. Baseball Prospectus does not have Peterson on their top 30 draft board.

In the most recent Baseball America mock draft, Carlos Collazo has Peterson going to the Rangers at #16. Jim Callis’s June 4 mock draft has Peterson going to the Diamondbacks at #15, but also mentions him in connection with several teams ahead of Arizona. Keith Law’s May mock draft has Peterson going to the Cardinals at #13. Kiley McDaniel’s May 29 mock draft has Peterson going to the Rockies at #10.

I decided to start the MLB Draft preview write-ups with Peterson, since he was who BA has going to the Rangers in the mock draft they released today. The current mocks have him generally off the board before the Rangers pick, so at this point it would be mildly surprising if he dropped to them, but a lot can happen between now and draft day, and things are always fluid once you get past the first handful of picks.

The Rangers hit a home run with the selection of Alejandro Rosario in the 5th round in 2023, whose results in college didn’t match his stuff, though Peterson has had much more success than Rosario did. Its the same idea, though, grabbing a guy with great stuff with the belief that you can refine things and get better results from him. In addition, the Rangers used premium picks in back to back years on Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, two guys who were seen as being hit harder in college at times than they should have been, given their stuff. Getting Peterson at #16 would be a major coup if the organization could have the same sort of success with him that the organization did with Rosario.

Alright, that is how the team should be playing at home. Going 5-1 against some good competition was a nice salve for the home issues they have had and before you say the Padres and White Sox aren’t good competition, they were both over .500 coming into this week. The bats woke up a bit while the starting pitching, for the most part, held serve.

Three up

Brandon Marsh – One of the interesting developments with the season is the continued improvement of Brandon Marsh. One of the only consistent hitters in the lineup this season, Marsh has put up numbers worthy of a selection to the All-Star Game, something that could be tough with the need for each team to have a representative. He’s definitely deserving, so finding a spot should be a priority among the coaching staff.

Adolis Garcia – A regular of the trio found in the section below this, let’s give credit to where it’s due for Garcia. He had a good week for the team, getting six hits on the week, two of them leaving the yard as home runs. It’s been good to see some right handed pop in the lineup, so let’s hope he can continue. Interesting note: for a player that has had it drilled into his head to take a few more walks, be a little more patient during his time here, Garcia’s best week in about a month and a half came in the week he didn’t take a single walk.

Jhoan Duran – I mean, what else should we say? Duran is about as lockdown a reliever as the league has this season. Each time he comes in, you simply expect a 1-2-3 innings to happen. Even when a batter makes contact, it’s honestly shocking that it happens.

Three down

Justin Crawford – Listen. The kid is struggling. With Steward Berroa here, possessing the ability to even stand in centerfield, it would maybe be a good idea to give the kid a day off to get himself right. Going back to May 4, he’s hitting .186/.239/.291. He’s slumping, badly. He needs a breather.

Andrew Painter – Speaking of struggling rookies. Painter’s job isn’t in question, that much is for sure. He’s a big part of this team’s present and future. But man, has it been disappointing to watch him this year. You wish the team had an alternative to him, someone who could also give him a skipped start or something along those lines. They just have….nothing. In the end, he’ll be fine as his stuff is just too good to see him continue being as up and down as he is. It’s just tough to watch at times right now.

J.T. Realmuto – We knew the decline would be tough, but Realmuto just doesn’t have it right now at the plate. We could talk about the need for days off with him as we do every year, but we all know it’s not going to happen.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (27-36) lost 11-5 (BOX SCORE)

McPherson started for Sugar Land and had his best outing in Triple-A allowing 2 runs over 4 innings striking out 7 batters. The offense picked up 3 runs in the 5th inning on a Ferreras RBI single and Biggio 2 run double. Bolton relieved McPherson and allowed 3 runs over 2 innings. In the 7th, Ferreras connected on a solo home run to get one run back. The pen continued to struggle allowing 3 more runs in the 7th as El Paso extended their lead. The offense was unable to comeback as Sugar Land lost 11-5.

Note: Ferreras is hitting .529 in Triple-A.

• Cavan Biggio, LF: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI
• Zach Dezenzo, 1B: 1-for-4, R
• CJ Alexander, RF: 1-for-4, 2B
• Zach Cole, CF: 2-for-3, R, RBI, BB
• Carlos Perez, C: 1-for-4, R
• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 2-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

• Brandon McPherson, RHP: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Cody Bolton, RHP: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Miguel Ullola, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

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AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (25-32) lost 11-6 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got the scoring started getting a Sullivan solo home run in the first inning. In the second inning, Spence connected on a solo home run. The offense scored 2 runs in the 4th on a Schiavone solo home run and Austin solo home run. They added 2 more runs in the 5th on an Encarnacion steal of home and Schiavone RBI single. Dombroski started for the Hooks and was solid allowing 2 runs over 5.2 innings. The pen struggled through allowing 9 runs as Arkansas took the lead. The offense was quiet the rest of the way as the Hooks fell 11-6.

Note: Schiavone has a .937 OPS in Double-A.

• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 1-for-3, R, BB, 3 SB
• Joseph Sullivan, CF: 1-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 BB, SB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI
• Lucas Spence, DH: 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI

• Trey Dombroski, LHP: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

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A+: Asheville Tourists (15-41) lost 16-14 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville got on the board in the first inning on a Call solo home run. Howard started for Asheville but really struggled allowing 9 runs, 8 earned, over just 1.2 innings. The offense got 4 runs back in the 3rd inning on a Powell RBI single, Ochoa 2 run double and Walker RBI double. They got 2 more in the 4th on a Thomas RBI double and Powell RBI single. Asheville took the lead scoring 4 runs in the 6th inning on an Ochoa 3 run double and Walker RBI single. The pen struggled late allowing 3 runs in the 7th, 2 runs in the 8th and 2 runs in the 9th. The offense rallied getting a Thomas RBI single in the 7th, Moss sac fly in the 8th and Ochoa RBI single in the 9th but that was it as Asheville fell 16-14.

Note: Thomas has a .965 OPS this season.

• Justin Thomas, DH: 2-for-3, 4 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• Caden Powell, CF: 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB
• Chase Call, LF: 1-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 3-for-6, R, 2 2B, 6 RBI
• Kyle Walker, 2B: 3-for-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Freuddy Batista, C: 1-for-4, 2 R
• Zach Daudet, 3B: 3-for-4, 3 R, BB

• Dylan Howard, RHP: 1.2 IP, 7 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
• Raimy Rodriguez, RHP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Frias, RHP: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Bryce Collins, RHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

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A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (25-32) lost 16-2 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning thanks to a Neyens 2 run home run, his 8th home run of the season. Smith got the start but struggled allowing 8 runs, 7 earned, over 4.1 innings. The rest of the pen struggled too allowing 8 runs. The Woodpeckers’ offense was shut down the rest of the way as they fell 16-2.

Note: Neyens has a .816 OPS this season.

• Anthony Huezo, CF: 1-for-5, R, 2B
• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 1-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Waner Luciano, DH: 2-for-3, 2B. BB
• Hector Salas, RF: 1-for-3, BB
• German Ramirez, SS: 2-for-3, BB

• Aubrey Smith, RHP: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Ryan Mathiesen, RHP: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Adam Shoemaker, LHP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

---

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OFF

AV: OFF

FV: OFF

The Boston Red Sox, ranked fifth in the AL East with a 27-36 record, face the Tampa Bay Rays, who are first in the AL East with a 37-25 record. The game is essentially a pick'em, with Boston at -115 and Tampa Bay at -105. Starting pitchers are Connelly Early for Boston, with a 3.26 ERA, and Ian Seymour for Tampa Bay, with a 5.23 ERA.

How to watch Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays

• Date: Monday, June 8

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET / 3:40 p.m. PT

• Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

• TV Channels: Rays.TV, NESN

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Boston Red Sox: 27-36 (fifth in AL East)

• Tampa Bay Rays: 37-25 (first in AL East)

Odds

• Spread: Boston Red Sox -1.5

• Moneyline: Tampa Bay Rays -105 / Boston Red Sox -115

• Over/Under: 8

Starting pitchers

Boston Red Sox: Connelly Early (5-3, ERA: 3.26, K: 63, WHIP: 1.18)

Tampa Bay Rays: Ian Seymour (3-0, ERA: 5.23, K: 33, WHIP: 1.35)

Series: Game 1 of 3 (series tied)

Weather: 91°F at first pitch

Mike Burrows is the only Astros starter to make every turn in the rotation through the first 67 games of the season, but after another rough outing Sunday against the A’s, and with Hunter Brown due back later this month, Burrows’ spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy.

Burrows allowed five runs, four earned, over five innings in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the Athletics. He has a 5.77 ERA through his first 13 starts with the Astros, who are 3-10 when he takes the mound. It’s hardly what the team envisioned when it acquired the right-hander in December.

The 26-year-old was the victim of the Crawford Boxes, poor defense, and a .378 opponent BABIP through his first five starts, which led to his FIP being almost two runs lower than his 6.75 ERA. Burrows got his ERA down to 5.04 after throwing seven scoreless innings in Cincinnati on May 8, but he has posted a 6.91 ERA in his last five starts, to go with a 7.50 FIP and .289 BABIP against, suggesting his underlying performance has actually been worse than his results during that stretch.

Keeping the ball in the ballpark has been Burrows’ biggest issue this season. He allowed two more home runs on Sunday, bringing his total to 17. Only Jameson Taillon has allowed more this season. Eleven of those homers have come against Burrows’ four-seam fastball, including both he allowed against the A’s on Sunday.

Burrows arrived in Houston with one of baseball’s best changeups, but his other pitches needed refining, most notably his four-seam fastball, which opponents batted .326 against last season with a .529 slugging percentage. That pitch has been worse this season.

After Sunday’s start, opponents are batting .315 against Burrows’ four-seam this season, with a .781 slugging percentage. Baseball Savant has assigned that pitch a -9 run value, the sixth-worst mark among 300 qualified pitchers.

The Astros acquired Burrows with the hope he could build on the 111 ERA+ he posted last season in his first taste of Major League action, and that he could be a “pillar” of their rotation for the next half decade. That possibility can’t be ruled out after just 13 starts, but the Astros are sure to be experiencing some buyer’s remorse at the moment.

Burrows will make his next turn in the Astros rotation this weekend in Kansas City, but things could get complicated after that. If all goes well Wednesday in Sugar Land, Hunter Brown will rejoin the Astros rotation next week. A stretch of 13 games in 13 days will allow the Astros to utilize a six-man rotation, but that won’t be the case when the calendar flips to July.

Brown, Spencer Arrighetti, and Tatsuya Imai are rotation locks, while Peter Lambert and Kai-Wei Teng are performing at a much higher level than Burrows. Teng could slot back to the bullpen where he was excellent at the start of the season, but would that be best for the team if Burrows continues to struggle over the next couple of weeks? Also, Cristian Javier could be back by that point as well.

He has pitched out of the bullpen before, but a trip down to Sugar Land could be more beneficial. It would allow him to work out some of his issues while keeping him on a starter’s routine. The Astros took a similar approach with Arrighetti at the start of the season, and he has since authored an All-Star-caliber first half.

Burrows has flashed the upside that appealed to the Astros over the winter, and there’s no reason to think he’s a lost cause at this point. But the Astros are just 4.5 games back of Seattle for first place in the AL West and three games back of Texas for the American League’s final wild-card spot. The 2026 season is not a lost cause despite a 30-37 record.

Every game matters, and the Astros cannot afford to keep running Burrows out there if better options are available.

Thirteen Years Ago

The Blue Jays and Rangers played 18 innings; best of all, the good guys won. I miss these kinds of games.

It was one of those games that felt like it would never end.

Early on, we scored three runs in the third inning. Edwin Encarnacion singled. Adam Lind walked, moving Edwin to second. Then Colby Rasmus hit a line drive to right-center field. Edwin ran home and scored easily. Lind also tried to score, but the relay throw from Jurickson Profar, the Rangers’ second baseman, was wide of home, so both Lind and Colby scored.

After that initial burst, we put up zeros for the next 14 innings.

Mark Buehrle started strong. Just a month earlier, he allowed a seven-run inning against the Rays, but his season turned around after that. In the five starts between then and this game, Mark posted a 3.38 ERA.

On this day, he pitched 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 earned run (a Jeff Baker home run in the seventh), 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts, with 92 pitches thrown. He deserved a win for that outing.

Though I don’t remember much about Baker, he had a solid season at the plate, hitting .279/.360/.545 with 11 home runs. Despite playing 11 seasons, he only appeared in over 100 games once, with 104 for the Rockies in 2008.

Buehrle should have secured the win, but after Steve Delabar pitched a scoreless eighth, Casey Jansen gave up 2 runs in the ninth for his first blown save of the season. Since he finished with 34 saves and just 2 blown, we can give him a pass.

After that, our bullpen pitched nine scoreless innings. From the recap:

Dustin McGowan entered in extras for his first appearance since 2011, walking the leadoff batter. After getting a double-play ball that Mark DeRosa booted, a hit batter loaded the bases, but Dustin grabbed a strikeout to escape.

Juan Perez replaced him and allowed a medium fly to right, but Jose Bautista’s strong throw cut down the runner at the plate. Perez pitched 2 innings, giving up 1 hit, 1 walk, and recording 1 strikeout.

Neil Wagner followed, getting 2 outs to close the 12th.

Next up, Brett Cecil pitched a clean 12th with one strikeout.

Brad Lincoln then pitched four strong innings: he allowed 1 hit, walked 1, hit 2 batters, and struck out 3. I figured Gibby would stick with him until the game ended or his arm fell off. But instead…

Aaron Loup came in, gave up a hit and hit a batter, but escaped the 18th without allowing a run.

Brad Lincoln was terrific. Despite pitching four excellent innings, he was sent to the minors the next day. It felt unfair.

On the Rangers’ side:

• Yu Darvish threw 7 innings, giving up 2 earned and 1 unearned run. We had 6 hits against him.
• Neal Cotts went 1.1, allowing just a hit.
• Jason Frasor, a former Blue Jays reliever, went 1 inning, allowing a hit.
• Robbie Ross: 1.2, with a hit and a walk.
• Ross Wolf threw 6.2 innings, constantly working himself in and out of trouble. And then, in the 18th:

With one out, Maicer Izturis lined out, then Emilio Bonifacio singled—one of his 47 singles out of 57 hits that year. After Josh Thole popped out (he hit .175/.256/.242 that season, but pinch-hit for DeRosa in the 16th), Wolf threw wide on a pickoff, and Bonifacio took third. Rajai Davis then singled him home for the walk-off win.

From the recap:

Jays of the Day: Lincoln (.570 WPA), Perez (.499), Buehrle (.297), Cecil (.143), Loup (.143 and the win), Wagner (.142), Davis (.223) and Rasmus (.141).

Suckage: Janssen (-.280), Izturis (-.367), DeRosa (-.183, plus the error), Thole (-.132)

Three guys had the number for possible Suckage Awards, but I’m not giving them out: McGowan (-.213), though the error was DeRosa’s fault; Bautista (-.155), but his throw from right redeemed him; and Bonifacio (-.147), but he drew the wild pickoff and scored the winner.

A plane that was scheduled to pick up former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and his family crashed in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, June 7, killing both the pilot and copilot, Molina revealed in an Instagram story.

According to video (Warning: graphic content) posted by baseball reporter and broadcaster Mike Rodriguez, the Gulfstream G200 jet apparently missed the runway at the airport in La Romana, D.R., and skidded onto a grassy area, where it hit a bump and burst into flames.

Molina said on Instagram that the plane was headed to Texas, where he and several family members were preparing to travel to Puerto Rico.

Molina, a 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner during his 19-year career with the Cardinals, has become a standout manager following his retirement as a player following the 2022 season. He led Team Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic and managed the squad in 2023 as well.

Molina is also the manager of Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and is employed by the Cardinals as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yadier Molina reveals jet in fatal crash was on way to pick up family