Category: Baseball

Good morning, baseball fans!

Another week of San Francisco Giants baseball is coming to an end this weekend, so it’s time to make our picks for Player of the Week!

I am really enjoying this thing that the Giants are doing lately where it’s actually difficult to make my picks for these because there are too many great options. It’s a nice change!

But there’s absolutely no universe in which my pick for this week isn’t Bryce Eldridge! Obviously he wasn’t the only one coming up big in Wednesday’s epic comeback win over the Washington Nationals. But Eldridge was the one that got THE big swing of the bat that sent everyone home happy with his walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning.

I also want to take a moment to wish both my brother and Matt Cain’s perfect game a Happy Birthday! Pretty great day, if you ask me.

Who is your pick for Player of the Week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants continue this weekend series against the Chicago Cubs tonight at 7:05 p.m. PT.

Today’s Reflections

Not that I was snoozing ….. but, boy, Seiya Suzuki’s slam had to wake everybody up, especially the other bats.

Speaking of Suzuki, Seiya must have read Ken Rosenthal’s article suggesting that the Cubs trade him (see link bel0w). Just like 100 million other people who read the article, those of which who are baseball writers went on a feeding frenzy. “(Enter team’s name) should trade for Suzuki.” I included the only article that actually posted a trade idea — for what it is.

The article by Sahadev Sharma on Edward Cabrera shows amazing detail on how the Pitch Lab went about providing the adjustments that Cabrera needed. I know people roll their eyes at the words “Pitch Lab” (I do at times as well), but if the work Tommy Hottovy put into Cabrera led to his performance in Colorado and he can build from there, there might be something to the Lab (at least in isolated situations).

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

Mr. Rosenthal has entered the chat — More trade talk:

• Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic {$}): Why it would behoove the Cubs to explore the market for Seiya Suzuki, plus more MLB notes. “The Cubs could use a jolt. They need to extract value from at least one of their potential free agents. And in a sport increasingly lacking in potent right-handed hitters, Suzuki figures to be in demand.”
• Josh Davis (Clutch Points): Braves’ perfect trade offer for Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki after Ronald Acuna Jr. injury. “Why the Atlanta Braves should pursue Seiya Suzuki after Ronald Acuna Jr.’s injury to reinforce their lineup for a World Series run.”
• Elias Schuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): If the Cubs Plan to Be Buyers, They’re Now on the Clock After Taillon Injury News. “The Chicago Cubs have lost another starter for an extended stretch, which could mean the next few weeks will make or break their season.”

Analysis of Thursday’s win:

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Seiya Suzuki and Alex Bregman finally deliver big home runs for Chicago Cubs in 9-3 win to avert sweep. “The Cubs hadn’t slugged three home runs in a game since April 25, part of a four-week stretch to start the season of recording five games with three homers.”
• Joey Mistretta (Clutch Points): Cubs’ Craig Counsell sends brutally honest message to team after defeating Rockies. “The Cubs’ injury concerns have been impossible to ignore. They have certainly played a role in the team’s underwhelming overall season. However, many players have underperformed as well. The Cubs know they need to be better.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): How the Cubs used Edward Cabrera’s 15-day IL stint to get his stuff back. “When Edward Cabrera hit the injured list with a blister issue, Chicago’s coaching staff went to work with him.:
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): How Seiya Suzuki Slid Back into the Right Rhythm to Blast Thursday’s Key Grand Slam. “Nothing went right for Seiya Suzuki in May, when he batted .190 with little power. June has been a different story, and his grand slam Thursday was his biggest hit of the season.”
• Sean Sears (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs Win After Suzuki Grand Slam, Bregman Bomb, Counsell Ejection – 3 Takeaways. “Cubs avoid a sweep in 9-run performance from the offense, fueled by Suzuki’s grand slam.”

Some good news — before the rest:

• Michael Avallone (MLB.com): Cubs prospect Owen Ayers has a sixth sense for hits, RBIs in Double-A doubleheader. “For some, a doubleheader means twice the work. For Owen Ayers, it meant twice the opportunity to wreak havoc.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Ben Brown: All-Star? It’s a big possibility for the Cubs. “Representing the Cubs at the All-Star Game would take his impressive campaign to another level.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs might’ve just hit new low with parallel to historically bad White Sox. “Things have, in fact, been that bad.”

• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Cubs all but confirm Jed Hoyer’s newest offseason mistake with latest injury update. “Another disappointing injury update. Shocker.”
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib): It’s becoming crystal clear who will be the first fall guy for Cubs’ 2026 failures. “Cubs fans are understandably furious with both Jed Hoyer and Craig Counsell, but neither is likely to lose their jobs yet.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Are the Cubs too uptight? A scuffling club is asking the same question. “The rapid drop-off can be attributed to a variety of factors, from pitching injuries to the law of averages to the club’s best hitters failing to deliver with runners in scoring position. Clearly, something is off.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): While Cubs search for fixes in slumbering lineup, homer-plagued pitching staff needs help, too. “The Cubs’ struggling bats might be causing the most fan frustration, but the arms haven’t been much better, allowing more homers than any team in baseball.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Jed Hoyer’s outdated vision for 2026 Cubs is unraveling in painful fashion. “The problem is that Hoyer’s need to find depth last offseason may have ignored the elephant in the room. It was made clear by the end of the 2025 season that the Cubs didn’t have a defined ace. Entering the 2026 season, it’s fair to suggest that was still case.”

Wednesday’s game story:

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs fall back to .500 for 1st time since April 15 with walk-off loss to MLB-worst Colorado Rockies. “Cubs players slowly walked off the field while some stayed on the bench, staring out at the field. Even some coaches and support staff hung around briefly. Perhaps the reality of the Cubs’ situation was sinking in.”

Food For Thought:

Aynsley Lister is of the UK’s hottest contemporary blues guitarists. His unique brand of blues-based rock delivers contemporary song writing fueled with the kind of hear and soul that’s missing from so much modern music. Blessed with the coolest dad in town, regularly spinning Hendrix, Cream, Fleetwood Mac and a whole host of bewitching blues for his spellbound son, Aynsley taught himself to play with relentless dedication and a precociously attuned ear, spending hours copying his favourite records note for note. Peter Green, Albert King, Clapton and Kossoff weren’t just his heroes; they became his teachers.

Their influence, coupled with his dynamite live shows and an intense touring schedule, earned high profile support slots with established artists like John Mayall and Robert Cray, whilst rousing festival appearances, cemented his standing as an artist whose work, although rooted in blues, transcended the genre with a fiery modern sound that was eagerly embraced by fans of rock, pop, soul and acoustic music alike.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

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The dogs are barking this Saturday.

We have 15 MLB games on the card, with several underdogs who shouldn't be, and some massive favorites we must fade on price alone.

Read on for a fun day of MLB predictions and MLB picks for Saturday, June 13. 

MLB moneyline picks for June 13

Matchup	Pick
Cardinals vs Twins	+104
Yankees vs Blue Jays	+117
Mariners vs Nationals	+104
Marlins vs Pirates	+122
Padres vs Orioles	+113
Tigers vs Guardians	+117
Dodgers vs White Sox	+178
Rangers vs Red Sox	-100
Braves vs Mets	+104
Diamondbacks vs Reds	+104
Astros vs Royals	+108
Phillies vs Brewers	+133
Rockies vs Athletics	+170
Cubs vs Giants	-104
Rays vs Angels	-122

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 6-13.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for June 13

Cardinals vs Twins: Cardinals (+104)

Cardinals win probability: 49%

Minnesota hitters strike out 21.5% of the time against lefties. Matthew Liberatore holds a steady 4.68 SIERA and a low 0.93 home run rate. St. Louis relievers have a strong 3.10 SIERA, giving them the upper hand late.

Yankees vs Blue Jays: Blue Jays (+117)

Blue Jays win probability: 46.1%

Kevin Gausman gives Toronto a real pitching edge at home. The Yankees' offense has slowed down recently, posting a 106 wRC+. New York starter Cam Schlittler has a 4.50 FIP, making the home underdog the smart play.

Mariners vs Nationals: Nationals (+104)

Nationals win probability: 49%

Cade Cavalli owns a solid 4.61 SIERA for Washington. He faces a Seattle offense that has a high 20.1% strikeout rate over the last two weeks. Both teams have matching 107 wRC+, making the home team a plus-money price great value.

Marlins vs Pirates: Marlins (+122)

Marlins win probability: 45%

Pittsburgh rookie Bubba Chandler has a high 5.36 SIERA and gives up 1.80 home runs per nine innings. Miami's bullpen is much safer with a 3.81 SIERA compared to Pittsburgh's weak 4.11 bullpen mark. Back the Miami bats to come out on top. 

Padres vs Orioles: Padres (+113)

Padres win probability: 46.9%

Baltimore starter Trey Gibson is overpriced with a poor 6.34 SIERA and a handful of strikeouts. Randy Vasquez has been much more reliable with a slightly better 5.70 SIERA. Take the better pitching numbers with the Padres on the road.

Tigers vs Guardians: Guardians (+117)

Guardians win probability: 46.1%

Tarik Skubal automatically makes the Tigers the favorites on the road. However, Joey Cantillo holds his own with a 4.46 SIERA. The real advantage is Cleveland's excellent bullpen, which has a sharp 3.59 SIERA to stop Detroit late.

Dodgers vs White Sox: White Sox (+178)

White Sox win probability: 41.5%

Rules prevent taking the Dodgers at a short price of -194. Chicago's offense has actually matched the Dodgers lately, with both teams earning a 122 wRC+. At a high +178 price, home field variance makes the White Sox worth backing.

Rangers vs Red Sox: Rangers (-100)

Rangers win probability: 50%

Texas is an excellent choice at an even pick'em price. The Rangers' offense is rolling with a 121 wRC+ over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, Boston has completely gone cold with a weak 82 team wRC+ and is hard to trust. 

Braves vs Mets: Mets (+104)

Mets win probability: 49%

Sean Manaea matches up well against an Atlanta offense that has an ordinary 102 wRC+ across the past two weeks. Atlanta starter Martin Perez has a high 5.09 SIERA. The Mets bullpen carries a strong 3.33 SIERA to protect the lead late, and are a home dog worth backing. 

Diamondbacks vs Reds: Reds (+104)

Reds win probability: 49%

Rhett Lowder gets the start for Cincinnati at home. He faces an Arizona offense that has completely flatlined. The Diamondbacks have a league-worst 65 wRC+ over the last 14 days, making the home underdog the right play.

Astros vs Royals: Astros (+108)

Astros win probability: 48.1%

Mike Burrows gets the nod for Houston. The biggest edge for the Astros is their stellar bullpen. Houston relievers have a 3.14 SIERA, which will shut down Kansas City late in the game. Take the plus-money road team.

Phillies vs Brewers: Phillies (+133)

Phillies win probability: 42.9%

The market is making a mistake by pricing the Phillies as big underdogs. Aaron Nola is a top-tier pitcher compared to Shane Drohan. Philadelphia's bullpen supports him with a strong 3.22 SIERA to keep Milwaukee quiet.

Rockies vs Athletics: Rockies (+170)

Rockies win probability: 37%

The Athletics are too expensive to back here. Colorado starter Kyle Freeland has a 4.93 SIERA, which matches up tightly with Jeffrey Springs' 5.00 SIERA. At this large a price, the Rockies and Freeland are too difficult to ignore.

Cubs vs Giants: Cubs (-104)

Cubs win probability: 51%

Ben Brown gives Chicago a stable advantage over Trevor McDonald's 4.21 SIERA. San Francisco's bullpen is in deep trouble, posting a slate-worst 5.21 SIERA over the last two weeks. Back the Cubs at a great price.

Rays vs Angels: Rays (-122)

Rays win probability: 55%

Tampa Bay has a major pitching advantage. Angels starter Jose Soriano struggles with a high 5.69 SIERA and a poor 7.59 BB/9 walk rate. The Rays will score early and exploit a mediocre Angels bullpen.

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.

Not only did the Atlanta Braves drop the series opener to the New York Mets 7-5, but things remained difficult on the injury front. Spencer Strider got the start and struggled early on. He exited in the fourth inning due to shoulder and elbow soreness and likely undergo an MRI today.

Once again, the Braves are hoping for the best, but after seeing Strider’s significant velocity drop, this is another tough blow for Atlanta.

More Braves News:

Hurston Waldrep was activated from the IL and assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. In his start with the Columbus Clingstones, he threw 3.2 innings and allowed four runs. He will be joining Drake Baldwin, who begins a rehab stint with Gwinnett this weekend. 

MLB News:

The Kansas City Royals placed starter Seth Lugo on the seven-day concussion IL after being struck in the face on Wednesday. Fortunately, he was able to leave the game under his own power. 

The A’s placed DH/OF Brent Rooker on the 10-day injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee. The move is retroactive to June 9.

The Philadelphia Phillies placed right fielder Adolis Garcia on the 60-day injured list with a torn right lat. He suffered the injury on Wednesday in Toronto.

From the Feed:

Based on the recent injuries, what is your level of concern about the Braves right now?

Meet the Mets

The Mets began a three-game series against the NL East-leading Braves last night and were able to overcome a rough second inning from starter Nolan McLean and a late rally from Atlanta to secure a 7-5 victory. The star of the night was Bo Bichette, who hit two home-runs—including a grand slam—and drove in six runs. The Amazins have now won two straight.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, NY Post, North Jersey

The Mets have a new home run celebration featuring one of the most famous Mets fans of all time: your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

As mentioned above, the second inning was particularly rough for McLean, though he managed to escape a bases-loaded jam.

Francisco Lindor is continuing to progress in his rehab and the Mets hope to get him back before the end of the month.

Lindor was one of several topics discussed by David Stearns yesterday as he expressed hope that the Mets would turn the corner on their season soon.

The next few weeks will tell us whether the Mets are capable of turning their season around.

Around the National League East

The most noteworthy thing that occurred for the Braves in yesterday’s loss was Strider being forced to leave the game early due to right arm soreness.

The Phillies were completely and utterly dominated by Jacob Misiorowski last night, as the young Brewers ace threw a complete game one-hit shutout with fifteen strikeouts to give Philadelphia a 6-0 loss.

Prior to last night’s game, the Phillies made a number of roster moves—including placing Adolis García on the 60-day IL with a lat tear and adding the recently acquired Derek Hill to the active roster.

Sandy Alcántara racked up his 1000th career strikeout and the Marlins won their sixth straight with an 8-3 victory over the Pirates that put the Fish back at .500.

The Nationals were delayed for over two hours yesterday due to rain and didn’t exactly come out of the delay sharp, as they were shellacked by the Mariners to the tune of a 10-2 loss.

Around Major League Baseball

The Rockies suffered a brutal blow to their pitching staff, as Chase Dollander is expected to require surgery to repair his UCL.

Trent Grisham injured his right hamstring last night and could miss some time moving forward.

Gunnar Henderson hit career home run number 100 to join rare company in Orioles history.

The knee injury that Shohei Ohtani suffered the other day kept him out of the lineup last night, but the Dodgers do not expect him to hit the injured list.

The Athletics have been playing in Las Vegas for a few days and there has been a lot of offense.

Several potential deadline targets are increasing their value with solid play.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore previewed the first series of the season against the NL East rival Braves.

Joe Sokolowski provided an installment of This Week in Mets Quotes that isn’t really about the Mets and is all the better for it (Note: KNICKS IN FIVE).

This Date in Mets History

R.A. Dickey came very close to throwing a no-hitter—and instead settled for the first of what would end up being back-to-back one-hitters—on this date in 2012.

The Guardians won a big game to end their four-game losing streak and start the season 5-0 against the Tigers. Nick has your recap here.

Tonight is Tarik Skubal vs. Joey Cantillo and if I were the Tigers, losing this one would have me packing it up.

Travis Bazzana is in his first slump in the big leagues. He has a wRC+ of 30 over his last 39 plate appearances. Good for him. He will work his way out of it.

Tanner Bibee has been nails for the Guardians since that disastrous start vs. The Nationals. Props to him and Patrick Bailey for figuring it out. And, if my “Bench Steven Kwan” article can mark the beginning of a run for him, that would be great.

AROUND MLB;

White Sox beat the Dodgers, Twins won, and Royals lost. The Royals are 14 games under .500.

This has not been a good season for Sal Frelick. He has struggled at the plate. Even more alarmingly, he has struggled in the field. People are speculating as to whether he’s injured. And when the Brewers secured the signature of Luis Lara—who has been red hot all season at Triple-A Nashville—earlier this week, they gave themselves an obvious candidate to take some of Frelick’s playing time.

Frelick is an easy target right now. His at-bats don’t look good. He has never hit for power, so he’s not offering value as a low-average, high-homer guy akin to Gary Sánchez. Previously, living with Sal’s struggles at the plate wasn’t hard to do; he was a Gold Glove-winning outfielder in 2024 and still solidly above average out there last season. He has generally been a good baserunner (which, it should be said, continues to be the case this season).

But, contrary to another struggling veteran on the Brewers right now, Frelick shouldn’t be completely given up on. I’m not ready to pull the plug in order to hand his job over to Lara quite yet. In his time with the Brewers, Frelick—who is still only 26 years old—has earned a little patience.

That being said, the concerns are real and should not be ignored. Let’s go through it.

Offense

Take a look at Frelick’s Statcast page for 2026. Then take a look at Frelick’s Statcast page for 2025. What’s different?

The answer: not much. What is true is that Frelick’s Statcast page is ugly. There’s a lot of blue. His exit velocities, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, expected slugging, all of that kind of stuff, are all bad. He’s in the bottom 10 percent in most of them.

But what’s weird is that he was bad at all those things last year, too. This season, Frelick is batting .228/.299/.311. Last year, he hit .288/.351/.405. So what’s different?

Frelick is still one of the best players in the league at not striking out. He’s actually been quite a bit better this season at not chasing. According to Statcast, he is squaring up the ball at an elite clip—he is maximizing theoretical exit velocity on the swings that he is taking—something he did well last season, too.

Unfortunately, a major factor isn’t allowing Frelick to maximize that high square-up percentage: he’s hitting too many ground balls.

A simple indicator is batting average on balls in play. In Frelick’s first three seasons with the Brewers, he had BABIP numbers of .286, .306, and .317. This year, it’s .243. A more specific indicator is the ground balls. In 2024 and 2025, Frelick was just about league average in line drive rate and he was a little below the league average in ground ball percentage. This season, his ground balls have jumped (GB = ground ball, LD = line drive, FB = fly ball):

• 2024: 48.0 GB%, 24.8 LD%, 18.0 FB%
• 2025: 46.7 GB%, 23.2 LD%, 20.2 FB%
• 2026: 53.8 GB%, 17.9 LD%, 17.9 FB%

Digging further into Frelick’s batted ball data, we can understand why the groundballs are happening. Statcast breaks down batted ball quality into six different categories: weak, topped, under, flare/burner, solid, and barrel. Barrels are what you want—that’s the best quality of contact—and while Frelick is slightly below last year’s 3.1%, at 2.2% he’s actually slightly above league average this year (2.1%). He’s making slightly less weak contact (the worst kind) than last season. He’s getting under the ball slightly more often, but not alarmingly so.

The big problem is his percentage of balls that are “topped.” This matches the eye test: Frelick is hitting a ton of balls that go directly into the ground. At 42.4%, Frelick is more than four percent higher than the league average, and more than seven percent higher than he was last season. We see this is in his launch angle data, too: at an average launch angle of 8.3 degrees, Frelick is well below last season’s 12.1 degrees and even further below the league average (12.5 degrees).

Another thing that might be preventing Frelick from maximizing his square-up percentage is that he has a slow bat. But a slow bat and a good square-up percentage can work for players who can elevate the ball: Luis Arraez is has first-percentile bat speed with a 100th-percentile square-up rate. But Arraez’ 14.6 degree launch angle dwarfs Frelick’s 8.3 degrees, and he’s hitting way fewer ground balls (43% versus 29.4% line drives and 24.2% fly balls).

Basically what the Statcast data tells us is that Frelick is the same hitter he was last year except for one crucial problem: he’s hitting over the top of balls way too often. This accounts for his poor launch angles, his high ground ball percentage, and his low BABIP.

The fact that Frelick is so poor in terms of exit velocity, barrel percentage, expected slugging, etc. means that he has very little wiggle room. If he’s not hitting line drives like he was last season, he’s just going to ground into a ton of outs. That’s true of anybody, but even more so with Frelick, as his low-exit-velocity grounders are less likely to sneak through the infield.

Whether you think this is good news or bad news depends on how you saw the Frelick of 2025, the one who finished seventh in the league in batting average and had a 111 OPS+. If you think that that version of Frelick was good and had a repeatable approach, then you should be optimistic that some adjustments to his bat path should help him stop topping the ball and he can return to being that player. But if you saw Frelick’s 2025 performance as mostly luck-based, and that all the blue on his Statcast page was a major red flag, then you will think that this year’s version of Frelick is simply what last year’s version should have been.

Defense

The defensive question is far more alarming. Simply stated, if Frelick isn’t offering anything in the field, his bat isn’t good enough to be a starting corner outfielder for a good team, and that was probably true even last season when things were going well.

For the purposes of this discussion, let’s use Statcast’s defensive metric, Outs Above Average. Frelick has been a good outfielder the past two seasons by OAA. But it sees him as poor in 2026 (as does Baseball Reference’s preferred metric Defensive Runs Saved, for what it’s worth). Statcast has Frelick in just the 28^th percentile in fielding run value. That’s an alarming drop; Frelick was in the 85^th percentile in 2025 and 79^th in 2024 via the same metric.

The issues are all over. Frelick was in the 90^th and 93^rd percentile in range in 2024 and 2025, respectively. This year he’s in the 48^th percentile. His arm has suffered, too: Statcast has two numbers to grade a player’s arm, “arm value” and “arm strength.” In 2026, Frelick is in the 9^th percentile in arm value and in the 44^th in arm strength; that’s down from 71^st and 66^th in 2025 and 66^th and 68^th in 2024.

Why has this happened? There has been a lot of speculation that Frelick, a player who plays with no real regard for his own body, is playing hurt. He does seem to react with pain at certain times during games. But if this is the case, it’s not really hurting his sprint speed, which you would expect to be an accompanying issue. Frelick’s speed as measured by Statcast is down slightly, but not much—he’s still in the 86^th percentile in sprint speed (he was 87^th last season).

If Frelick’s speed is intact, I’m not sure how to explain his diminished defensive value in right field. There could be an injury that’s affecting his upper body, but not his legs—that would be supported by the fact that some of the speculation about Frelick’s potential injury being related to his oblique. That could explain the dip in the value of his throwing, but it doesn’t really explain why he is or isn’t getting to balls that he used to be catching.

He has earned some patience

Whether there’s some positive regression in Frelick’s future or not, we do not know. Fans are getting frustrated and Lara is making waves in Nashville. But Frelick didn’t turn 26 until April. He’s got two years of solid major-league baseball behind him. He was a 3.6 fWAR player last season. By all accounts he is a great teammate, he works hard, and he is clearly one of Pat Murphy’s favorites.

There are signs that Frelick is improving, too. It’s only 10 games, but in June Frelick is hitting .303/.378/.394. The pessimists will point out that his xwOBA (.293) in that span is only 14 points higher than his season total (.279), and he is outperforming it by 55 points (.345 wOBA).

If Frelick is injured, then he should stop trying to play through it, go on the injured list, and let Lara have a chance. But it’s worth remembering that Lara is no sure thing, either; he’d be a defensive improvement over this version of Frelick, surely, but there’s no guarantee that he would outperform even Frelick’s 71 OPS+ this season.

In the case of the Brewers’ infield, I advocated for moving on from Luis Rengifo and giving Cooper Pratt the shortstop job. Sal Frelick isn’t Rengifo. Rengifo is on a one-year contract and everyone has known since the day that he signed that there were big prospects behind him. Frelick is a bigger part of Milwaukee’s past and he can still be a part of their future if he turns things around, and the Brewers should give him the chance to do so. He’s earned it.

Imagine being Gabriel Rincones, Jr.

You’re told that you’re headed to Milwaukee as a injury replacement for Adolis Garcia, that you’ll make your major league debut in the first game you are with the team.

Then you see the starting pitcher that will be on the mound for the Brewers.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Among these five questions about the Phillies, one was interesting. It’s simple: are the Phillies too old?
• Adolis Garcia is going to be out for a while, maybe longer than they think. Here are some candidates for the team to look at acquiring.

MLB news:

• Who are the teams that can (realistically) trade for Tarik Skubal ($)? The second one will surprise you!
• MLB wants to talk to one of the Dodgers’ trainers about alleged PED usage related to Connor McGregor. This feels like it is going to get big.
• The College World Series begins today in Omaha. Here is a primer about the top prospects for MLB playing in the tournament.
• The Guardians are calling up one of their top pitching prospects in Daniel Espino. It’s been a long road for him to get here ($).

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (34 – 33)

BUFFALO 4, SYRACUSE 1 (BOX)

Nick Morabito drove in the only run for Syracuse, but also collected a golden sombrero in a pretty poor offensive team showing. Nate Lavender, who got a lot of talk as a potential major league bullpen arm this year gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk in one inning of work.

• LF Nick Morabito: 1-4, RBI, 3 K
• RF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-4, 2 K
• 3B Andy Ibáñez: 0-4, K
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 0-3
• 2B Yonny Hernández: 1-3, 2B
• C Hayden Senger: 0-3, 3 K
• CF Cristian Pache: 0-3, 2 K
• DH Kevin Parada: 1-3
• SS Jackson Cluff: 0-3, R, K, SB
• P Jack Weisenburger: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• P Jefry Yan: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Nate Lavender: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• P Adbert Alzolay: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (24 – 37)

BINGHAMTON 7, SOMERSET 5 (BOX)

Chris Suero and Nick Lorusso both went yard for the Rumble Ponies, with Lorusso driving in five overall. The bullpen gave up just one run over five innings.

• C Chris Suero: 1-5, R, HR, RBI, 2 K
• RF Eli Serrano III: 2-3, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB
• CF Jose Ramos: 1-4, 2 R, 2B, BB
• 3B Nick Lorusso: 3-5, R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, K, E
• 1B JT Schwartz: 0-4, BB, K
• LF Vincent Perozo: 0-3, BB
• 2B Jaylen Palmer: 1-4, K
• DH TT Bowens: 0-4, 2 K
• SS Kevin Villavicencio: 0-4, 2 K
• P Jonathan Santucci: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
• P Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• P Carlos Guzman: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• P Dan Hammer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• P Brian Metoyer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (24 – 36)

BROOKLYN 13, FREDERICK 4 (BOX)

The Cyclones uncorked 13 runs, with all but one starter getting a hit and seven starters driving in runs. Colin Houck, Corey Collins, and John Bay all went deep for Brooklyn.

• SS Mitch Voit: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, K, SB
• CF Yonatan Henriquez: 1-4, 2B, RBI, BB
• DH Corey Collins: 1-4, R, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 2-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• RF John Bay: 1-3, 3 R, HR, RBI, 2 BB
• LF JT Benson: 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
• 3B Colin Houck: 2-5, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, K, 2 SB
• 1B Trace Willhoite: 1-3, 2 R, 2B, BB, K
• 2B Diego Mosquera: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI
• P Daviel Hurtado: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Tanner Witt: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Ryan Dollar: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Low-A: St. Lucie Mets (28 – 33)

ST. LUCIE 2, PALM BEACH 1 (BOX)

Four pitchers all went at least two innings, with a collective eleven strikeouts. DH Jackson Hauge accounted for all the offense, driving in both runs on a double in the eighth inning.

• 2B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-4, K
• CF Trey Snyder: 1-4, 2B, E
• SS Antonio Jimenez: 0-4
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 1-4
• 1B Julio Zayas: 0-4, K
• C Chase Meggers: 1-3, R
• 3B Branny De Oleo: 1-3, R, K
• LF Simon Juan: 0-3, K, E
• DH Jackson Hauge: 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• P Joel Lara: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• P Tyler McLoughlin: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• P Luis Alvarez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Zack Mack: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (11 – 16)

FCL MARLINS 4, FCL METS 3

• DH Wyatt Vincent: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• CF Bohan Adderley: 1-4, RBI
• 3B Roybert Herrera: 2-4, E
• C Yovanny Rodriguez: 0-3, BB
• SS Anthony Frobose: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, SB, E
• LF Vladi Gomez: 0-3, 2 K
• RF Heriberto Rincon: 0-2, R, SB
• 1B Yeider Mindiola: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI, K
• 2B Yorber Semprun: 0-3
• P Camden Lohman: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• P Eris Albino: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
• P John Valle: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

DSL Mets Orange (5 – 4)

DSL METS ORANGE 9, DSL ARIZONA RED 3

• CF Cleiner Ramirez: 0-3, R, BB, K
• DH Cesar Acosta: 3-4, R, 3B, 3 RBI, SB
• SS Sebastian Toro: 1-4, K
• RF Jhonael Cuello: 3-4, 2 R, 3B, RBI, 4 SB
• LF Anthony Delgado: 1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
• C Yadier Fuentes: 1-4, R, 2B, K, SB
• 3B Jose Padilla: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, K
• 1B Jose Serracin: 2-4, R, RBI, 2 K, SB
• 2B Roni Garcia: 0-2, R, BB
• P Randy Guzman: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• P Olmedo Barria: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• P Alsy Torres: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

DSL Mets Blue (5 – 4)

DSL MIAMI 6, DSL METS BLUE 3 (BOX)

• DH Johnderis Sanchez: 0-3, BB, 3 K
• SS Michalle Mercedes: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• CF Royner Bravo: 0-2, R, BB
• RF Jonnhan Sanchez: 1-2, R, BB, K
• LF Emerson Estevez: 1-3, R, K
• 1B Adrian La Rosa: 1-3, 2 K
• C Adrian Silva: 0-2, 2 RBI
• 2B Angel Ozuna: 0-0
• 2B Cristopher Jaquez: 0-2, 2 K
• 3B Jesus Minaya: 0-1, 2 BB
• P Maxgregori Harvey: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Enmanuel Feliz: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• P Yunior Canario: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• P Cristopher Hernandez: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• P Maykol Vasquez: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Nick Lorusso

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Hayden Senger

The Detroit Tigers dropped the opening game of their weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians, 3-2, on Friday night in a game that saw the good guys manage just two hits — both solo home runs — plus a good deal of bullpen action after Jack Flaherty left the game early with an injury.

Speaking of injuries, the Motor City Kitties get their star starter, left-hander Tarik Skubal, back from the injured list on Saturday looking to even things up against their American League Central rivals. Last time the 29-year-old took the mound was way back on April 29, when he lasted seven innings, giving up a pair of runs on five hits (one home run) and no walks while striking out seven Atlanta Braves on the road for a no-decision in a 4-3 loss.

Skubal last faced Cleveland in the AL Wildcard Game last year, in which he threw 7 2/3 frames of one-run ball on three hits and three walks while striking out a whopping 14 en route to a no-decision in the Tigers’ 2-1 victory.

Up against him for the Guardians is fellow southpaw Joey Cantillo, who has been absolutely shelled over his last three starts. Stretching across 11 innings, the 26-year-old posted a 12.27 ERA and 9.28 FIP over that trio of appearances, allowing 18 hits (five home runs) and nine walks while striking out 12, earning a pair of losses in the process.

Cantillo previously faced Detroit on May 21 at Comerica Park, where he shut the Tigers out over 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three hits and three walks while striking out six for his fourth win of the year. That was also his last good start before that horrid stretch, so…

Take a look below at how the two match up on Saturday afternoon.

Detroit Tigers (29-41) vs. Cleveland Guardians (38-33)

Time (ET): 4:10
Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 71: LHP Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.70 ERA) vs. LHP Joey Cantillo (4-3, 4.57 ERA)

SKUBAL

CANTILLO

WARNING: This is going to be nerdy.

Baseball Savant published new public bat tracking statistics this week that cover the last three seasons. I have no idea where this rabbit hole is going to lead me, but I have a notebook full of initial ideas to explore, so that’s what we’re going to do here today.

Mike Petriello put out a primer on the new metrics here. You should read it. If you don’t want to do that, the gist is that the new metrics track the bat during a swing in relation to the ball. They measure how often hitters swing early or late, above or below the ball, and inside or outside the ball. Basically, are you swinging where you’re supposed to in order to make solid contact? We have this by count, pitch type, handedness, month, season (2023-present), venue, team, astrological sign, Hogwarts house, and more. Again, I don’t know what I’m going to find, but let’s dive in.

Four-seam fastballs are designed to get hitters to swing late and swing under the ball primarily. I’ve harped on how good Payton Tolle’s fastball is time and time again. Unsurprisingly, 62% of swings against his fastball have been underneath the ball, the 10th highest mark out of 289 qualifiers. That number is up from 45% last season. Why? Probably because of the addition of his sinker. That’s important because, despite his elite velocity, hitters are geared up for fastballs. They’re on time 72% of the time, 183rd of 289 qualifiers. Last season, without a second fastball, hitters knew both where and when to swing, which is a recipe for disaster. This season, there’s more pause about where to swing, and the contact quality has weakened.

Elsewhere, Brayan Bello has had a trainwreck of a season. Last year, he was incredibly effective at using his sinker to get out of jams. Hitters were “tied up” by 36% of the sinkers he threw last year. This season, that number is only 22%. What changed? Where he was throwing them.

In 2025, 55% of the sinkers he threw to righties were on the inner third of the plate and in. This season, only 46% of them were in that area. The hard hit rate against the pitch rose from 35% to 53% over that span. That hasn’t been Bello’s only issue this season, but it’s certainly been one of them.

What about great pitches? Garrett Whitlock’s slider returns “flawed swings” on 30% of swings. That means the hitter is not on time, lined up, or centered with his bat. If you think about the swing in three dimensions, timing, height, and width, it’s a swing that was 0-for-3. On whiffs, hitters miss by an average of 7.3 inches. That’s the 13th-largest average miss in baseball. Pretty good!

Let’s talk about cutters. The Red Sox love them, and they function in different ways. You can throw them back door to an opposite-handed hitter, trying to land for a called strike. They can also be used up and in to opposite-handed hitters, trying to jam them for weak contact. The former requires hitters not to swing, so these new stats don’t give us much information there. The latter requires one of two things to happen. Either the pitch moves more towards the glove side than the hitter expects, or they swing late and can’t get the barrel to the ball.

Brayan Bello’s cutter is a weird one. Against left-handed hitters, it has a huge swinging strike rate of 22.1%. The swing tracking numbers show us that lefties are regularly early (53% of swings, the second-highest rate among RHP to LHH), and never tied up (0%). Because they’re early so often, Bello needs the ball to really be in on their hands where they’ll have a hard time keeping it fair. Most of the swings, however, have been on pitches over the plate, allowing lefties to lift and pull the ball, leading to huge damage.

Payton Tolle’s cutter has been great — 31% of right-handed swings registered as “tied up”. Righties haven’t barreled the ball up at all, and the only extra-base hit against it was this double.

Note:I’m writing this during Tolle’s start against the Rays. Another hitter just bounced a cutter off the plate for a double. Baseball is so strange.

Ranger Suarez’s cutter also has a 21% tie up rate against righties, though the whiff rate is much lower. Hitters are late on 25% of their swings, allowing the ball to get in on their hands. For Tolle, they’re early 20% of the time as they look for something harder, leading to whiffs. There are at least two ways to skin a cat.

Speaking of Suarez, his sinker has been excellent at jamming lefties, with a tied-up rate of 24%. That’s lagging behind Garrett Crochet, whose 40% mark against lefties is among the best in baseball. Connelly Early isn’t far behind him at 36%, which contributes to his sinker’s 56.5% ground ball rate versus lefties.

In the bullpen, Tayron Guerrero is throwing his sinker by everyone — 38% of swings are late. Believe it or not, that isn’t how Aroldis Chapman is getting his whiffs. Hitters are on time 84% of the time against Chapman’s sinker and 79% of the time against his four-seam. It’s the movement that’s getting them — 52% of swings are underneath his sinker, 41% are under his four-seam.

Who haven’t I talked about yet? Sonny Gray? His four-seam is hit at times, but it also does a good job tying up lefties. It’s not a traditional high-vertical four-seam; it has some cut action to it, allowing it to get in on lefties. His cutter also gets in on lefties, because it has even more cut than the four-seam. His sweeper and curveball both induce incredibly ugly swings, like this one that Salvador Perez missed by literally over two feet.

On the hitting side, Masataka Yoshida leads the team in “Perfect Contact” with a 38% rate. Caleb Durbin is second at 33%. Neither guy is striking out; they clearly each have great control of the barrel. Neither guy has high-end bat speed, though, so despite being on time and lined up, they’re not doing a ton of damage. Wilyer Abreu has been late against fastballs, and the results reflect that. He has a 25% whiff rate and .219 batting average against them.

Alright, I think that’s enough meandering from me. This stuff isn’t the end-all be-all of analysis, but it helps to be able to confirm what you think you know, or give context to why someone might be slumping. Go check out the leaderboard yourself and let me know what you find in the comments. Maybe you’ll be able to fix the offense, or salvage a pitcher. I don’t have any pull in the organization, but once I wrote that Payton Tolle should add a sinker, and he did, so maybe someone is paying attention. Or maybe they aren’t, and they came to that conclusion on their own. I also wrote that Brayan Bello would be okay as a starter, and he gave up 75 runs in the first inning the very next day, so what do I know? Okay, I’m done meandering for real now. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

St. Paul Saints 10, Toledo Mud Hens 9 (box)

Dylan File was mauled in this one, and while the Hens fought back, it wasn’t quite enough on Friday.

File gave up six runs over the first four innings of work to put the Hens behind from the start.

Max Clark absolutely hammered a solo shot to right center field in the bottom of the first, and a leadoff single from Trei Cruz in the second led to a run on a Tyler Gentry double. In the third, Gage Workman doubled, Ben Malgeri walked, and Hao-Yu Lee smoked an RBI double to plate Workman. A passed ball brought Malgeri home, and it was a 4-4 game after three.

File then allowed two more runs in the fourth, and a three-run inning against Matt Seelinger followed. It was a 9-4 game headed into the bottom of the fifth.

Malgeri and Lee led off the bottom of the fifth with walks, and Eduardo Valencia singled in one run. Gentry singled in Lee and Valencia after a wild pitch allowed them to advance 90 feet. That made it 9-7 Saints, and Max Anderson cracked his fifth home run to the opposite field in the sixth to pull the Hens within a run.

Unfortunately, Nick Sandlin leaked a run in the seventh with some help from a Valencia passed ball. That would prove the diffference in this one. Valencia singled in Malgeri in the bottom of the eighth, but with two on base, the rally died via a Jace Jung strikeout, and the Hens couldn’t mount another push in the ninth.

Clark: 2-5, R, RBI, HR, BB

Anderson: 3-6, R, RBI, 2B, HR

Lee: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB, K

File: 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The Saints lead the series 3-1, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch set for Saturday night.

Erie SeaWolves 13, Akron RubberDucks 8 (box)

The SeaWolves, err the Flagship City Kitties, pounded out 15 hits to survive a rough game from the bullpen and take down Akron again on Friday.

Akron jumped on Tanner Kohlhepp for two in the first, beat up on Eric Silva for four runs in the third and fourth innings, and then got to Ryan Harvey for two runs. However, the offense kept up, and Yosber Sanchez and Luke Taggart eventually locked down the RubberDucks over the final four innings as the offense poured it on.

The SeaWolves got going in the third as Izaac Pacheco reached on an error to lead off the inning, and Peyton Graham singled. Aaron Antonini stepped in and crushed a three-run shot. Seth Stephenson’s speed forced an error, and he went first to third on a Brett Callahan ground out. John Peck doubled him in to tie the game 4-4.

In the bottom of the fourth, they had to kickstart another comeback. Graham drilled a two-out double to center and scored on an Antonini single. A wild pitch moved Antonini to second, and Stephenson singled him to third. Callahan kept the line moving with a single to center off the trademark, scoring Antonini.

It was 8-6 Akron in the bottom of the sixth, when Stephenson again reached on an infield error. Callahan walked, and Peck singled in Stephenson. Thayron Liranzo ripped a double into the right field corner to plate Callahan and Peck, and finally they had the lead at 9-8. They wouldn’t look back.

After the Ducks went back to the pen, Andrew Jenkins greeted new reliever Reid Johnston with an RBI single to make it 10-8. A Stephenson leadoff double in the eighth sparked another three-run rally as the SeaWolves pulled away for good.

Stephenson: 3-5, 3 R, 2B, K

Callahan: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB

Peck: 3-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B

Liranzo: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, K

Graham: 2-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves will look for their six straight victory on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. ET.

West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Lake County Captains 6 (box)

Carlos Marcano was rocked in his start, but the bats heated up and Bryce Rainer came through with a two-run homer in the ninth to win on Friday.

Marcano gave up two-run homers in both the first and the second innings. That was the end of his night, with the Whitecaps down 4-0 early. Luke Stofel and Carlos Lequerica allowed single runs in the fourth and fifth.

At that point it was 6-2 Captains after the ‘Caps scored two in the top of the third. Samuel Gil led off the inning with a single and Junior Tilien and Juan Hernandez both reached on errors. An Andrew Sojka sacrifice fly scored Gil, and a wild pitch plated Tilien.

Into the seventh it was still 6-2, but in the top of the inning, Tilien singled, and Hernandez and Jackson Strong each walked. A Sojka ground out scored Tilien. Garrett Pennington then singled in Hernandez and Strong. That prompted a call to the bullpen for the Captains, but Bryce Rainer greeted the new reliever with a laser beam the opposite way for a double, and a pair of walks forced in the tying run.

C.J. Weins and Thomas Bruss did a nice job locking down the Captains over the final three innings, and in the top of the ninth, Pennington reached on yet another Captains’ error, and Rainer smoked a two-run shot over the wall in left center field to take an 8-6 lead. Bruss collected his first Double-A save with a quick bottom of the ninth.

Rainer: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR

Pennington: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB

Marcano: 2.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The series is tied headed into Saturday’s 7:00 p.m. ET matchup.

Clearwater Threshers 4, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (box)

A three-run shot allowed by Ali Tanner was the difference in this one as neither team swung the bats too well.

The Flying Tigers struck first, as Jordan Yost walked, stole second, and scored on a two-out Carson Rucker single. A Zach MacDonald single followed, and Anibal Salas walked to load the bases. Javier Osorio was hit by a pitch, scoring Rucker, but that was all they’d get. 2-0 Flying Tigers.

Meanwhile, Alistair Tanner was cruising for three innings, allowing just a hit batsman. That crumbled in the fourth, as a pair of walks was followed by a three-run homer from Jonathan Hogart. 3-2 Threshers.

Jatnk Diaz hit a batter and then allowed a double to make it 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth. The Flying Tigers didn’t generate many scoring opportunities, and both bullpens pitched well overall to wrap this one up.

Yost: 1-3, R, 2B, BB, SB

Rucker: 2-4, R, RBI, 2 K

Tanner (L, 3-4): 4.0 IP, 3 ER, H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The series is tied up heading into a 6:30 p.m. ET matchup on Saturday.

FCL Tigers 8, FCL Phillies 4 (box)

Paul Wilson made his second appearance of the season, and while he didn’t have much control, it’s just good to see him back on the mound. He walked three and allowed a pair of runs to the Phillies in a short 1.1 IP outing. RHP Cale Wetwiska, who was fairly impressive early on this season, made a scoreless, two inning rehab appearance in this one as well. RHP Alemain Cruz took over and was great, spinning four innings of one-hit ball without a walk, while punching out seven.

Cris Rodriguez had a pair of RBI knocks in this one, while Steven Madero and especially Angel de los Santos had good days at the plate.

De los Santos: 3-4, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB

Rodriguez: 2-5, 3 RBI, K, SB

Wilson: 1.1 IP, 2 ER, H, 3 BB, 2 K

Cruz (W, 1-1): 4.0 IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 7 K

The Yankees’ house of horrors over the past year has been Rogers Centre — they dropped out of first place in the division last year after getting swept there and never got it back, and then got pummeled in the postseason when they advanced to the ALDS and had to face them again. Now, heading north of the border for the first time this season, they got down in a hurry as Ryan Weathers coughed up multiple homers and the offense couldn’t catch up. Putting insult to injury, Trent Grisham left the game with a hamstring strain that could sideline him for a bit and challenge the team’s suddenly-thin depth in the outfield.

We’ve got a frontloaded day with a mid-afternoon tilt on the schedule, so let’s set the stage. Matt opens and ends our day, first covering the results from our latest Reacts polling before coming back to riff on the concept of the 82-0 and 162-0 games that gained mass popularity recently. I’ll be back to go over the latest Rivalry Roundup results with the Rays threatening to retake sole possession of first with New York’s loss, Jeff recounts the tale of the phantom Yankee David Parrish on his birthday, Michael examines Camilo Doval’s perplexing results, and Andrés goes over what could and likely isn’t sustainable from Ryan McMahon’s recent stretch of play.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays

Time: 3:07 p.m. EST

TV: YES, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Questions/Prompts:

1. What do the Yankees do in the outfield if Trent Grisham is sidelined for a decent length of time?

2. Is tonight the night, will the Knicks become NBA champions for the first time since 1973?

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: An already beleagured Yankee outfield suffered another blow last night, as centerfielder Trent Grisham pulled up limp between first and second base in the sixth inning of the 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays. Grisham left the game with what the Yankees called right hamstring tightness. We’ve seen how hard soft-tissue injuries in the legs can be to deal with, and we may wake up to the news that Grish is headed to the IL. He’ll join Aaron Judge and Jasson Domínguez if so, and the position group thought to be the strongest of the team looks awful depleted all of a sudden.

New York Post | Greg Joyce ($): No team can withstand the loss of a player like Aaron Judge, but the Yankees have been doing their very best, led by a different corner outfielder. Cody Bellinger has been a top 10 player in the American League this season, and been critical on both sides of the ball. His sterling 175 wRC+ in the month of May bouyed the offense as Judge played hurt, and he has been the best defensive player in baseball if you believe DRS. If you prefer Statcast, well, he’s merely a top 10 most valuable defender in the sport. With no Captain on the field, Cody Bellinger might be borrowing from hockey and wearing an A so far this year.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Meanwhile, after a couple hot games to start his season, Anthony Volpe has begun to fall on hard times both at the plate and in the field. The shortstop was not in the starting lineup on Friday night in Toronto, and seems destined to cede more playing time in the future. Meanwhile, Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. seems to have found his footing with Triple-A Scranton with a 120 wRC+ since Memorial Day, and a 114 overall which is quite good given how much he struggled in his initial promotion. Lombard isn’t MLB ready just yet, but you can imagine Volpe may be hearing footsteps behind him.

MLB.com | Jesse Borek: Speaking of prospects, meet Tony Rossi. The 26-year-old reliever has had as winding a career as you possibly can in the game, bouncing between three colleges, signing for $10,000 as an undrafted free agent with the Yankees, and now he has been just about the best pitcher in the entire Yankee system so far this year. Now throwing out of the Double-A Somerset bullpen since being promoted in early June, Rossi has gone 17 straight appearances (dating back to Hudson Valley) without allowing a run, and the legacy of the Yankees churning out high-end relievers out of seemingly nowhere may be stirring.

Tobias Myers is close to rejoining the Mets, but it won’t be as a fully stretched out starting pitcher.

The right-hander was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse two weeks ago, at which time team officials indicated Myers could be lengthened into a starter.

In his most recent outing on Thursday, he pitched 2 ²/₃ scoreless innings.

“I think his role is going to be whatever we actually need at that point,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said Friday before a 7-5 win over the Braves at Citi Field, noting that Myers will likely be recalled within the next few days. “He could pitch at the front of games, it could be more in the swing capacity that we saw at points this year.

“But that is what makes him special, he has the ability to help us in a variety of different ways and we probably aren’t going to lock him into one specific role when he comes back.”

Myers was sent to Syracuse, according to Stearns, because the Mets needed a fresh arm and Myers had received much work at that point.

Myers has pitched to a 4.05 ERA in 20 appearances for the Mets this season.

Francisco Lindor began taking live batting practice, with two innings simulated on defense, but he wasn’t allowed to run the bases.

Lindor, who is returning from a left calf strain, will continue the simulated workouts over the next week, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. It’s unclear of the shortstop will receive a minor league rehab stint before rejoining the Mets.

The Braves began the day with a MLB-leading 3.20 ERA under new pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who was fired by the Mets last October.

Stearns was asked if the Braves’ pitching success had led him to reassess the decision to fire Hefner.

“We’re happy with our coaching staff right now,” Stearns said. “Hef is a really good person and a good coach, and it doesn’t surprise me he’s having success.”

Kodai Senga likely will start at least one additional minor league game following his strong outing Thursday for Double-A Binghamton in a rehab appearance.

The right-hander allowed one earned run on one hit over six innings with five strikeouts over 75 pitches.

“He threw strikes, competing in the strike zone it was good to see,” Mendoza said.