Category: Baseball

Why Toronto's Dylan Cease presents a different challenge for Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

One of the more surprising moves of the offseason came last November, when the Blue Jays landed Dylan Cease.

It was no surprise Toronto wanted to fortify its starting rotation. But the club came to an agreement on a seven-year, $210 million deal, the largest contract in franchise history…

…for a pitcher who had posted a 4.55 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP the year before.

The way Cease has pitched this season has given that deal a different tone, though.

The 30-year-old enters Tuesday’s matchup against the Phillies with a 3.05 ERA through 11 starts in 2026, with 92 strikeouts in 62 innings.

He ranks in the 99th percentile in strikeout rate.

Cease has missed his last two turns after landing on the injured list with a hamstring injury, but he will be activated as the Blue Jays look to even the three-game series against the Phils.

So what has the right-hander, who has the second-best odds for the American League Cy Young Award, done differently this year?

EXPANDED THE ARSENAL

In years past, Cease relied mostly on his fastball and slider.

This year, he has leaned more heavily on pitches he had thrown before, but not nearly as often. The changeup has become a real weapon against lefties. The sinker has given him another look against righties.

In 2025, Cease threw his changeup just 1 percent of the time. In 2026, he has thrown it 11 percent of the time. He has used it just 1 percent against righties, but 18 percent against lefties.

Cease, who carries a 36 percent whiff rate, eighth best among 233 qualified pitchers, has seen his swing-and-miss jump with the development of that pitch.

The changeup has produced a 56.8 percent swing-and-miss rate, the highest in baseball among pitches thrown at least 100 times.

The sinker has also grown. Cease is throwing it 9.7 percent of the time this year, nearly triple last season’s usage. It has missed barrels when hitters have put it in play. Opponents are just 3-for-25 against the pitch with three singles and nine strikeouts.

He has put hitters away with the sinker 36 percent of the time, an impressive rate and something to watch against the Phillies’ right-handed bats.

The more complete repertoire has helped Cease generate softer contact, a nearly 10 percent increase in groundball rate and a significant drop in barrel percentage.

It is a six-pitch mix, but one pitch still stands out.

CEASE AND SLIDE

Cease’s slider, which he throws 29.4 percent of the time, has been dominant.

Opponents are hitting just .130 against it with a .169 slugging percentage. Of the 43 times hitters have put it in play, only one has gone for extra bases.

He is throwing the slider a little more than 11 percent less than last year, but it has been more effective. His four-seam fastball, which averages 97.8 mph, has also been used less, but the pitches have played off each other well. His short, over the top arm slot, plus his arm speed provide Cease with great deception.

That is where the challenge starts for the Phillies.

PHILLIES ATTACK PLAN & PICK TO CLICK

The Phillies’ best plan probably does not revolve around hitting the slider.

As a club, they are batting .188 against sliders this season. And among their right-handed regulars, not one is hitting better than .212 against the pitch.

That is especially important because Cease throws the slider 13 percent more often to righties than lefties.

Cease also has a career-high first-pitch strike rate in 2026, which has helped open up his more balanced mix. For the Phillies, the best target should be his four-seam fastball.

Opponents are hitting .276 against the pitch. They also have a 48.1 percent hard-hit rate against it, the highest mark of Cease’s career and well above his 41.9 percent career average.

Cease is also throwing the fastball for a strike more than ever before.

A pick to click could be Trea Turner, who is batting just .197 over his last 15 games. The Phillies’ shortstop has surprisingly hit .338 against four-seamers this season, with 23 hits and three homers.

As Turner tries to break out of his skid, it might make sense for him to be aggressive early and hunt the fastball instead of trying to work deep counts against Cease, who has shown he can put hitters away in a variety of ways.

That same approach could apply to Kyle Schwarber or Bryce Harper if they get a fastball they can drive.

It worked against Monday’s starter Patrick Corbin, who had far fewer ways to finish hitters late in counts.

The current Phillies who have faced Cease have combined for a .900 OPS in 60 at-bats against him. Turner leads the group with a .444 average in nine at-bats.

Cease has still had command issues at times, posting his highest walk rate since 2023. If the Phillies can take their walks, get into fastball counts and punish mistakes, they will have a real chance to put Cease on the ropes.

That would be a good development with Zack Wheeler on the mound.

Cease’s numbers change drastically the third time through the order, which could pair with the Phillies’ recent ability to string together baserunners. They did it Monday night against Corbin.

Tuesday, they will look for their third straight series win..

The Athletics kicked off their six-game Las Vegas homestand with the first of three against the Milwaukee Brewers on a sweltering summer night. The ballpark lived up to expectations as both offenses put on a show. The Brewers defeated the Athletics 15-14 in 12 innings in a game that featured 34 hits, 11 home runs and 29 runs. The Athletics bullpen lost a four-run lead, and the hosts twice failed to capitalize on walk-off chances in extra innings.

Brewers Strike First

A’s starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs got off to a rough start. With two runners on and two outs in the first inning, Brewers’ right fielder Jake Bauers chopped an RBI single to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead. Springs retired the next batter to limit the damage to one run, though he threw 31 pitches in the inning.

Shea Bangeliers!

The Athletics answered immediately. Catcher Shea Langeliers led off the inning by crushing the first pitch he saw from Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison for his 17th home run of the season. The 483-foot rocket to left field tied the game at 1 after the first inning of play.

Athletics’ shortstop Alika Williams and first baseman Nick Kurtz combined on a nice defensive play to get the first out of the second inning. Boosted by the play, Springs completed a scoreless second inning of work to keep the game tied.

A’s Take the Lead

In the bottom of the second, A’s second baseman Zack Gelof hit a two-out double, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 13 consecutive games. Williams followed with his first double of the season, scoring Gelof to give the Athletics their first lead.

Back and forth we go

Milwaukee regained the lead in the top of the third. After a leadoff single, second baseman Brice Turang hit his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot over the wall in right-center field.

Gelof made a stellar diving catch for the second out of the inning. Springs then allowed a second home run of the frame, a solo shot to center by Brewers’ first baseman Andrew Vaughn, his second of the season, giving Milwaukee a two-run lead. Springs now has allowed 16 home runs, the third most in the majors.

A’s Storm Back

Down two, the A’s sought to comeback again. Kurtz and right fielder Colby Thomas led off the bottom of the third with two straight singles. Harrison then walked A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker to load the bases with zero outs. Max Muncy, in his second at-bat in his first game off the injured list, tied the game with a two-run single single up the middle.

The A’s were not done scoring runs against Harrison. Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom hit his ninth home run of the season, a three-run 434 blast past the pool in right-center field to put the hosts up three. That was the first home run Harrison had surrendered to a left-hander this season.

With one out, Gelof knocked Harrison out of the game. He hit his seventh home run of the season, a solo blast to left field to put the A’s up 8-4. The Brewers replaced Harrison with right-handed reliever Grant Anderson, who got the final two outs of the third inning.

Brewers Inch Closer

In the top of the fourth, Springs worked a scoreless inning after a leadoff walk, keeping the A’s momentum going. The Brewers scored their fifth run in the fifth courtesy of Vaughn’s two-out RBI double. The A’s left-hander completed five innings with his team leading by three runs. He allowed five runs on eight hits, including two home runs, over five innings of work.

A’s Add Another Run

Former Athletics’ reliever Joel Kuhnel entered in the bottom of the sixth for his first appearance out of Milwaukee’s bullpen. With two outs, Kurtz hit his 13th home run of the season, an opposite-field solo shot to left field. So far, the A’s have taken full advantage of the hitter-friendly ballpark, hitting four home runs through six innings.

Bullpen Time

The Athletics looked to get two scoreless innings from reliever Luis Medina, but he allowed a two-run, two-out home run to Bauers, cutting the hosts’ lead in half. Right-hander Justin Sterner replaced Medina on the mound and allowed a single before recording the final out of the seventh inning.

Soderstrom En Fuego

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Milwaukee brought in left-hander Drew Rom to face Soderstrom. The Athletics’ left fielder responded with his second home run of the night and 10th of the season, extending his team’s lead to three. Soderstrom recorded his sixth multi-homer game of his career.

Potential Game-saving Play

Mark Leiter Jr. entered to pitch the eighth inning for the Athletics. He allowed a walk and a single before uncorking a wild pitch that brought home Milwaukee’s eighth run. With runners on the corners and one out, left-hander Hogan Harris replaced Leiter Jr. Harris got Brice Turang to hit into an inning-ending double play that was nicely turned by A’s infielders Williams and Gelof.

A’s Bullpen Blows Another Save

Harris remained in the game to start the ninth but was charged with a blown save. Milwaukee opened the inning with a single and a walk before Andrew Vaughn lined a two-run double to left field, tying the game at 10. Harris responded by striking out the side, keeping the game tied going into the bottom of the ninth. The A’s failed to score that inning against Brewers left-handed reliever Aaron Ashby, sending this game to extra innings.

Extra Innings: This Game is Absurd!

Scott Barlow pitched the tenth for the A’s. The Brewers took their first lead in several innings when the ghost runner scored on Chourio’s sacrifice fly. They added insurance on catcher William Contreras’s three-run home run to center.

Ashby returned to pitch the 10th for Milwaukee. With two outs, Langeliers singled to score Henry Bolte, the automatic runner, from second base. Kurtz then smacked his second home run of the night, 14th of the season to right field. The A’s sixth home run tonight trimmed their deficit to one.

Jonah Heim’s game-tying home run was the Athletics’ seventh homer of the game. Pinch-hitting for Lawrence Butler, Heim hit a fly ball to right field that just cleared the fence, tying the game at 14.

In the top of the 11th, Athletics’ left-handed reliever Jose Suarez stranded the automatic runner, striking out the side. Brewers’ right-handed reliever Abner Uribe pushed the game to the 12th as the Athletics stranded two runners on base.

The Brewers scored their 15th run in the 12th on Brice Turang’s RBI fielder’s choice off Suarez. Williams led off the A’s half of the 12th with a sacrifice bunt, advancing the automatic-runner Gelof to third base. Chad Patrick got the final two outs with the tying run 90 feet away, sealing Milwaukee’s victory after more than four hours of intense back-and-forth action. Jeff McNeil, who made the wild throw home on Turang’s RBI fielder’s choice, also made the final out of the game.

The teams will meet again tomorrow night. Athletics’ right-hander J.T. Ginn will look to continue his strong run of form at a familiar ballpark. He will be opposed by Brewers’ left-hander Robert Gasser, who is 0-2 with a 4.73 ERA through his first three starts this season.

The Astros Road trip began with a little extra flavor for all, going 10 innings from Anaheim and in the process, producing one of the bigger comebacks of the year.     From Jose Altuve’s daring baserunning to Brice Matthews one hop rocket throw to home plate, negating a slide by Mike Trout, it was late night heroics all around.    Houston would tie it in the 9th and ultimately win it in the 10th.     Astros 5.    Angels 4.     

Spencer Arrighetti entered Monday Night having never defeated the Angels during his career and although he didn’t get the win, the Astros picked up their 31st victory.    The win ultimately went to Josh Hader in relief.    Arrighetti cruised with a six-pitch opening frame, but then the wheels began to fall off in the second inning thanks to a series of miscues, rekindling flashbacks of Arrighetti’s hard luck fourth inning last week versus Pittsburgh.    

Jo Adell would lead off things in the second inning, reaching first base after being hit by an errant pitch.   He scored the game’s first run courtesy of ex-Astro Trey Mancini, who registered an RBI single in his first big league game in three years.   In total, nine different batters would come to the plate with a combination of walks and hits, even Logan O’Hoppe getting in on the action with a double that drove in a pair.    Final damage was thirty-six pitches thrown and three runs on the board.    It’s now six times over his last ten starts that Arrighetti has walked at least four batters.    

Houston would get on the board in the top of the fourth after Yordan Alvarez reached on an error by Mike Trout and scored thanks to Christian Walker’s RBI Double.   Doubles would be the theme of the night for Houston, as their first six hits would all be two baggers.   Lamont Wade Jr., in just his fourth game with the club, would register an RBI double, scoring Isaac Paredes in the 6th inning.    Wade would exit moments later with tightness to his right hamstring.     Brice Matthews would come in as a pinch runner and score when Cam Smith doubled him home, tying things at three.    

De Los Santos would come on in relief and give up a solo shot to Zach Neto in the 7th.    For Neto, it would be his 13th home run of the year.   However, Christian Walker would secure the Astros first single of the night, in a clutch moment in the top of the 9th, with a hit to center, scoring Jeremy Pena, tying things at 4-4.  In the 10th inning, on a fielding error by Logan O’Hoppe, Jose Altuve would score the winning run.  Bryan Abreu would come in and close the door earning his 4th save.     

Odds and Ends.   

Kai-Wei Teng will take the hill for the Astros in game two as they look to even the series.    He’ll be opposed by Walbert Urena who has an identical 3-4 record as Teng for the season.    

Christian Walker has now registered a hit in six of his last seven games.  Collin Price notched his first official career hit with a double in the top of the fifth inning.    

In what will undoubtedly be a theme this summer, Yordan Alvarez received yet another intentional walk.   He leads all of MLB with nine.  

Mark Bowman of MLB.com tackled the subject that has grown more popular over the past few weeks: a potential trade of Tarik Skubal by the struggling Detroit Tigers. For the Braves specifically, Bowman concluded that while the Braves would obviously love to acquire Skubal, the high prospect cost for a rental likely does not make sense. As an alternative, Bowman laid out some options that would be at more reasonable prospect costs and can be controlled beyond this year.

Make no mistake, the Braves have every reason to prioritize going after a starter with a bit more reliable outlook in playoff scenarios than Spencer Strider or Bryce Elder currently. Alex Anthopoulos likely agrees with this sentiment, as he has been in pursuit for that exact talent for years. However, he is going to have go to back to his Toronto days and outside his current comfort zone to pay the prospect price to get such a pitcher. One way to better the chances of Anthopoulos doing exactly that is for any acquired pitcher to have years of control. While there may not be many available options that fit that criteria as of now, Anthopoulos will explore all avenues to get another significant arm in the Braves rotation.

Braves News

The week ahead for the Braves includes the White Sox and the Mets, two teams going in opposite directions of their expected 2026 seasons.

Matt Powers looks at the top 200 prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft.

MLB News

Christopher Sanchez continued his incredible start to the season as the Phillies beat the Blue Jays.

Astros GM Dana Brown made it pretty clear the Astros do not intend to trade Jeremy Pena or Yordan Alvarez.

CLEVELAND — The Yankees can breathe a small sigh of relief on Austin Wells.

Manager Aaron Boone said after Monday night’s 10-inning 7-5 win against the Guardians that preliminary MRI results on Wells showed no cause for concern. He was put on the injured list this weekend with cervical headaches.

“So far, so good,” Boone said. “I’m sure he’ll meet with the doctor again this week and then hopefully be able to start ramping up.”

J.C. Escarra started Monday at catcher, which completed a four-day whirlwind that began late Friday night when he was told that he was being optioned to Triple-A. In his first start since his reprieve, Escarra committed a catcher’s interference and was 0-for-2 before he was lifted for pinch hitter Amed Rosario and replaced by Ali Sánchez.

About 12 hours after being optioned, Escarra was eating pizza in New York with his wife and child — squeezing in some family time while taking advantage of the three-day window to report to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — when he was told not to leave town just yet.

Sure enough, Escarra, 31, was “recalled” without missing a day of the Yankees season because of Wells’ symptoms. So now Escarra and Sánchez — the catcher who was initially called up to take Escarra’s place and provide a right-handed bat and break up the two left-handed catchers — are platooning.

“They didn’t even give me time to think about it,” Escarra joked with The Post. “I have an apartment in New York, so I wasn’t in a rush when I could be with my family. Stuff that I don’t get to do because we have games every day.

“A few hours later they called me: ‘How fast can you get here?’ Here I am starting tonight. Everything happens for a reason, but I’m just focused on … doing as good a job as [Wells] did behind the plate. I was taking the bad news well, but this is where I want to be.”

Escarra, who had a three-hit game May 25, said he has caught all members of the Yankees starting rotation at some point over the past two seasons. That lessens his adjustment to a bigger role.

“Some of that option was circumstantial, and I think he understands that,” Boone said. “He’s done a great job with our pitchers. He’s been entrenched in our culture for the last couple years. I’ve maintained I feel like there is a lot more in there for him offensively. I think part of that is just getting an opportunity to play more frequently. I have a ton of confidence when J.C. is behind the plate.”

Giancarlo Stanton could rejoin the Yankees as soon as the next homestand (June 16-21) against the White Sox and Reds, Boone said. He will spend this week continuing to ramp up his hitting and running.

Max Schuemann had a table-setting walk in the 10th inning ahead of Cody Bellinger’s tiebreaking two-run single. He had entered the game as a pinch runner for Paul Goldschmidt, hitting between Ben Rice and Bellinger.

Schuemann challenged a 3-1 strike call and was so confident that he was right that he began stripping off his hitting equipment as the replay showed ball four.

“That actually gave me a little comfort when he started doing that,” Boone quipped.

The Yankees won a June game with an October feel. Aaron Boone and Stephen Vogt managed Tuesday night’s contest like a playoff game. The Yankees emptied their bench, both teams had quick hooks on their relievers, and momentum swung back and forth throughout the evening before New York finally emerged with a 7-5 victory in 10 innings.

Paul Goldschmidt wasted no time getting the Yankees on the board. After Ben Rice reached base to begin the game, Goldschmidt jumped on a Gavin Williams offering and deposited it into a Yankees fan’s glove just as they emerged from the left-field tunnel for a two-run homer. The blast, his eighth of the season, gave New York an early 2-0 lead and continued a recent stretch of strong play from the veteran first baseman.

The Yankees added another run in the third inning, though this one came in far less conventional fashion. Trent Grisham crossed the plate when a throwing error by Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio allowed Cody Bellinger to reach safely. Up 3-0 early, the Yankees appeared poised to seize complete control of the game.

However, Will Warren labored through his outing. The Guardians worked deep into counts and in the third inning things unraveled both in front of and behind him. A wild pitch allowed Steven Kwan to score before Rocchio redeemed himself with an RBI groundout. Cleveland eventually pulled even when José Caballero was charged with a fielding error that allowed José Ramírez to score. Of the three runs charged against Warren during the inning, only two were earned as defensive miscues once again proved costly for New York.

The Yankees reclaimed the lead in the fifth thanks to Ryan McMahon. After review, McMahon was awarded his seventh home run of the season when replay confirmed his drive had cleared the wall in left-center field. The solo shot continued what has quietly been a much-improved stretch for the Yankees third baseman and pushed New York back in front, 4-3.

That advantage held until the sixth. After Peter Blackburn entered in relief, Angel Martínez turned around a pitch and launched a two-run homer into the right-center field seats. The blast scored David Fry and gave Cleveland its first lead of the night at 5-4. The vibes quickly turned bad.

The Yankees, however, refused to go quietly into the Cleveland night. In the eighth inning, Grisham once again helped spark the offense and eventually came home when Goldschmidt beat out a slow roller that was a potential double-play ball. The run tied the game at five. The Bombers threatened again, but Cleveland closer Cade Smith was able to get a groundball that Rocchio turned into a slick double play to end the rally and kept the game deadlocked.

The Guardians threatened in the bottom of the eighth, putting two runners aboard with one out and had Travis Bazzana and Ramírez looming. Boone responded by calling on Tim Hill. The veteran left-hander got Bazzana to pop out on the infield before Ramírez lifted a fly ball to Spencer Jones in right, allowing the Yankees to escape the inning unscathed.

Hill and David Bednar were able to keep Cleveland off the board in the ninth and sent the game to extras. In the tenth, with Ali Sánchez serving as the automatic runner, Grisham was unable to advance him, but Cleveland elected to intentionally walk Ben Rice. Max Schuemann then worked a walk of his own after successfully challenging a strike call, loading the bases with one out.

That set the stage for Bellinger who is stepping up in the absence of the captain. The Yankees right fielder lined a single into left field that plated both Sánchez and Rice to give New York a 7-5 lead. Schuemann was caught trying to advance to third, but the damage had already been done.

Bednar had needed just seven pitches to get the final two outs of the ninth, so he stayed on for the 10th. Immediately faced with the tying run at the plate due to the automatic runner, thc Renegade made it even more tense by walking Martinez to bring the winning run up. But he stared down the challenge and retired the Guardians in order after that, getting a lineout from Kwan, burying Bailey on a three-pitch K, and coaxing a full-count groundout from Rocchio to end it on his 27th offering of the night.

The Rays won, so the Yankees needed this hard-fought win to keep pace with them in the relative share of first place. Game two between New York and Cleveland is set for 6:40pm ET again tomorrow as Gerrit Cole is set to face Slade Cecconi.

Box Score

The good thing about the punishing grind of an MLB season is it doesn’t allow a lot of time for wallowing. Just one day after the Mariners blew a winnable game in Detroit to drop a series against the lowly Tigers, they escaped with a win in Baltimore today in the series opener against the Orioles, 6-3. There were many aspects of this game that mirrored Sunday’s heartbreaking loss, but today the Mariners came out on top thanks to some timely challenges and a big blast from Josh Naylor.

Emerson Hancock was good, not great, today. The Achilles heel in Hancock’s breakout season – aside from some yucky peripherals on his fastball – has been his occasional command outages, something that’s plagued him since he was in the minors, although his struggles with command now seem to be more related to his expanded arsenal, especially the devastating but finicky sweeper.

That sweeper got away from Hancock in the third: he hit Blaze Alexander to lead off the inning before getting it back to strike out Sam Huff looking on the pitch. But Hancock then lost the handle on his sinker to Taylor Ward, walking him on five pitches, and losing an eight-pitch battle with Gunnar Henderson to walk the bases full. A sacrifice fly from Pete Alonso brought home the first run of the game, but Hancock was able to cap the damage there, getting Colton Cowser to fly out harmlessly to end the Orioles threat.

It wasn’t pretty – Hancock was at 69 pitches by the end of the third before bouncing back with a six-pitch fourth – with Hancock missing his good secondaries, needing to lean heavily on the sinker today, a pitch that has a propensity to get hit hard; he almost doubled up his usage of the pitch today, but also had some extra velo on the sinker, which helped keep the ball finding gloves. The only tick against Hancock was his search for command cost him about an inning of work, going just five innings a day after the Mariners got just 5.2 innings out of their starter yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Mariners hitters struggled against Orioles rookie Trey Gibson (not to be confused with umpire “Power” Tripp Gibson), making a start in place of the injured Chris Bassitt. Gibson poounded the bottom of the zone, eliciting a bunch of weak-contact groundball outs. Finally, in the fifth, Dominic Canzone led off the inning with a single, and then with one out Jhonny Pereda hit a solid line drive single (101.2 mph exit velocity). Ryan Bliss, getting a start after Colt Emerson was a late scratch with back tightness and J.P. Crawford was placed on the 10-day IL after being hit in the hand by Public Enemy #1 Framber Valdez – did his job, knocking in the run with a sac fly. Pretty good, considering Bliss had been ferried to the ballpark with such little fanfare his bags didn’t even arrive (leading to a very cute exchange postgame where similar Short King Brad Adam offered to loan Bliss some of his clothes). Cole Young, pressed into leadoff duty, kept the pressure on, cashing in his Dollar Token of the day (good for one (1) single per game).

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz didn’t want his rookie starter seeing the top of the Mariners a third time, and yanked Gibson for fellow rookie Anthony Nunez, who started off by walking Julio to load the bases for Josh Naylor. Right field at Orioles Park isn’t the friendliest in baseball, but it’s still pretty darn personable, as was the Orioles fan who helpfully stuck out a hat to catch Naylor’s grand slam, hit a mere 358 feet – out in 19 0f 30 parks.

With Hancock going short, Cooper Criswell handled the sixth, hanging a zero. Wilson attempted to get a seventh inning out of his long reliever, but the first two batters reached – a walk and a ground ball single, some more tough BABIP luck for Criswell – and moved to scoring position with a swinging bunt from Huff. With the lineup turning over, Wilson tapped Matt Brash to put out the fire and Brash didn’t so much put out the fire as he did pour gasoline on it, strike a match, and drain the local water supply just in case. Brash just did not have a handle on any of his pitches, immediately throwing a slider to the backstop, allowing the runner to score from third, before drilling Ward on the next pitch, a 98 mph sinker. Brash then walked Henderson, landing a few pitches on the plate but also missing wildly armside with his slider, to load the bases, bringing up Alonso in another RBI opportunity.

Jhonny Pereda has been an offensive lift to the club if not always Gold Glove level behind the dish – he ranks dead last in MLB in challenges won as a catcher among catchers with a minimum of 10 challenges – but what Pereda does understand is momentum swing challenges. He might not challenge the correct pitches, but he does pick the correct inflection points, if that makes sense. Here, potentially burning the Mariners’ final challenge in order to get a called strike three and not walk in a run, and create an out for a struggling pitcher, was the right inflection point challenge; it just also happened to be a good pitch to challenge on.

Brash would wiggle off the hook poised over barracuda-infested waters in the next at-bat, with Ryan Bliss cleanly handling a groundout to put down the Orioles threat.

After the excitement of that inning, the Mariners offense added another run in the top of the eighth – Naylor produced another hit, a single, took second on a wild pitch, and then hustled home on a ground ball single to right from Arozarena, giving Eduard Bazardo a four-run cushion for the bottom of the inning. But Bazardo wasn’t sharp, giving that run back immediately on a single, walk, and flyout that moved the runners into scoring position before giving up an RBI single to Blaze Alexander. The Orioles pinch-hit for Huff with lefty Samuel Basallo, who hit a deep sac fly that looked like it easily scored the runner from third – but wait! This wacky game was not out of wack just yet. Julio made a strong throw in from center that nailed Blaze Alexander at second. Dan Wilson then challenged that Alexander was out at second before Holliday crossed home plate, and on review, it was clear that Holliday’s foot was still mid-stride. Score one for Jake Kuruc and the replay room.

Score two for us getting the gift of Bazardo reverse Dirty Dancing Julio in the dugout:

Run off the board, back to a three-run lead for Andrés Muñoz. Would it be enough?

Like everything else in this game, it wasn’t pretty, but it was enough. Muñoz talked to the media postgame about how much it meant that his team had faith in him to go back out there and do what he hadn’t been able to do yesterday, acknowledging he’d let the team down a few times, but avowed that he’s working hard, and that’s all he can do, to navigate over the baches en el camino – the bumps in the road, team translator Freddy Llanos supplied. Emerson Hancock – always one to deflect praise – was quick to defend his teammate in his postgame interview.

“We’re a team. We are a team. We’re together,” declared Hancock. “There are going to be nights when we’re going to have to pick each other up…it’s a long season, and it’s about sticking together. When you know the guys behind you have your back, it can help you in those moments out there.”

“This game is about responding and tonight – huge moment for him, he put yesterday behind him and went out and had a huge save for our team.”

The Mariners responded tonight, not playing their cleanest game but securing a win nonetheless. They’ll need to continue responding in that fashion over the course of this lengthy road trip, their longest of the season to date, where the bumps in the road might be metaphorical and literal.

CLEVELAND — The Yankees hadn’t won an extra-inning game all season and Cody Bellinger stepped into the box as about half the hitter on the road that he is at home.

And he delivered to beat the odds that the Yankees are going to have to continue to overcome as a complete team — including one man short of an entire bullpen — while Aaron Judge is sidelined.

Bellinger’s tiebreaking one-out single in the 10th inning scored automatic runner Ali Sánchez and the runner that scared the Guardians into an intentional walk (Ben Rice) as the Yankees beat the Guardians 7-5 in a nearly four-hour Monday night marathon.

“It wasn’t pretty,” manager Aaron Boone said, “but very gritty.”

The Yankees improved to 1-3 in extra innings.

“We’re definitely going to have to win more games kind of like this, with a little bit more of a team effort,” Paul Goldschmidt said. “The guy [Judge] is probably the best hitter on the planet. He wins games for us by himself at times. We may have to do some things a little different like tonight — moving runners, stealing bases, stuff we’re already trying to do.”

Bellinger entered the game with a 1.140 OPS at Yankee Stadium and a .591 OPS on the road. Confounding splits that didn’t matter as he bested Shawn Armstrong’s 95 mph fastball with two strikes.

“I wanted to get the job done, keep it simple and not try to do too much,” Bellinger said.

The Yankees used their entire bench and all but one arm in the bullpen. David Bednar, the seventh reliever, recorded the final five outs — including three straight with the tying runs on base.

“It felt like a playoff game a little bit,” starting pitcher Will Warren said, “using that many guys.”

Goldschmidt, whose first-inning, two-run home run started the scoring, tied the score at 5-5 on an RBI fielder’s choice in the eighth inning. The Yankees had three singles in the rally but were robbed of taking the lead by one of the niftiest double plays of the season.

With the infield in, shortstop Brayan Rocchio slid to his knees, lifted his glove to snag a high bounce up the middle, tagged the base with the ball in his glove, rolled over and threw from one knee. The ball hopped but was scooped at first to get the speedy Jazz Chisholm Jr.

“It’s one thing to be there,” Boone said. “But he made a great play.”

At the same moment that lasers danced around the court at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks pregame introductions for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, fireworks went off high above center field 463 miles away in front of 29,517 fans at Progressive Field.

Entering with a runner on first and no outs in the sixth, Paul Blackburn was greeted by Angel Martínez’s go-ahead two-run home run to give the Guardians a 5-4 lead.

The Guardians erased a 3-0 deficit in the third inning with three runs on three hits, a wild pitch and a two-out run-scoring error by José Caballero, who couldn’t handle a short hop behind second base after the ball bounced through Warren’s legs.

Warren needed 91 pitches to get through 4 ¹/₃ innings, and the short outing prompted Boone to piece together the rest of the game.

“A lot of winning plays to get us to the finish line,” Boone said.

Ryan McMahon broke a 3-3 tie with an opposite-field home run that just cleared the 19-foot wall in left field to open the fifth. The ball was initially ruled in play as McMahon held up for a double but changed to a home run upon review.

As McMahon resumed his trot, an uproar came from the Yankees fans behind the first base dugout that the Guardians loyalists tried to drown out with boos. The battle of the fan bases continued every time a Yankees cheer erupted.

It was the second time in six days that the Yankees touched up Gavin Williams, a Cy Young candidate, for a pair of home runs. He won his previous start last Wednesday in The Bronx by limiting the damage to three runs over 5 ¹/₃ innings but didn’t reach the sixth in the rematch.

McMahon didn’t get another at-bat because Anthony Volpe (groundout) pinch hit for him in the seventh against slider-dominant left-hander Tim Herrin. As a result, Volpe — not McMahon — was up in the ninth with the go-ahead runner on first.

Cade Smith, the AL’s best reliever, struck out Volpe and stranded a leadoff single.

Two of the biggest outs by the parade of Yankees relievers came from left-handers Ryan Yarbrough and Tim Hill. All-Star right-handed slugger José Ramírez flied out to end the sixth and eighth innings, both times with two runners on.

The Yankees gave up an early lead, but fought back to tie the game in the eighth inning and go on to beat the Cleveland Guardians, 7-5, in 10 innings on Monday night.

This is New York's first extra-innings win of the year.

Here are the takeaways…

-- Paul Goldschmidt got the Yanks on the board right away in the top of the first inning, blasting a two-run homer over the left field wall off of Gavin Williams to put New York up 2-0.

-- Cleveland should have gotten out of the third inning with a double play, but shortstop Brayan Rocchio's throw went wide, allowing Cody Bellinger to reach first safely and Trent Grisham to score as the Yanks took a 3-0 lead.

-- Will Warren opened the game by striking out the side and kept it going in the second inning. Despite issuing a 10-pitch walk to the leadoff man Kyle Manzardo, Warren forced a big double play and another ground out. 

The right-hander ran into some trouble in the third inning as he walked Steven Kwan and let up a double to Patrick Bailey, giving the Guardians runners on second and third with no outs. Kwan then scored on a wild pitch and Bailey scored on a ground out to make it a 3-2 game. Warren had a chance to get out of the frame after letting up two straight singles, but Manzardo made it three straight and tied the game at 3-3.

Warren plunked Rocchio to open the fifth inning and then struck out Travis Bazzana, but was pulled after 87 pitches. Overall, Warren allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks over 4.1 IP. Brent Headrick held onto the lead by getting the final two outs of the inning.

-- Thanks to the replay review, Ryan McMahon's "double" off the top of the left field wall in the fifth inning was changed to a home run, putting the Yanks up 4-3.

-- Paul Blackburn gave up the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning against his first batter as Angel Martínez blasted a two-run homer to center field, making it a 5-4 game.

-- Needing to get something going, Grisham and Ben Rice hit back-to-back singles to lead off the eighth inning. With runners on first and third base, Goldschmidt came through with the game-tying RBI, beating out Rocchio's throw to first to avoid the double play. Bellinger then singled to keep it going, but Rocchio made an impressive diving stop to turn two and get out of the inning.

-- After the Yanks went down in order following Spencer Jones' leadoff single in the ninth, Tim Hill and David Bednar shut down the Guardians to send the game to extra innings tied up at 5-5.

Bellinger delivered the big hit in the 10th with the bases loaded, slapping it through the infield to left field to give the team a 7-5 lead. Bednar closed it out in the bottom of the inning, recording three straight outs after a leadoff walk.

Game MVP: Paul Goldschmidt

While Bellinger was the hero in extras, Goldschmidt had a big night. The veteran homered in the first and drove in the game-tying run in the fifth, finishing 1-for-4 with three RBI.

Highlights

Paul Goldschmidt home run!! Ben Rice scores, Yankees up 2-0 early pic.twitter.com/aeRpEHeYeK

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 8, 2026

Trent Grisham takes advantage of a bad Guardian throw and makes it 3-0 Yanks! pic.twitter.com/5L98U5m03W

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 8, 2026

After review, Ryan McMahon gives the Yankees the lead with a solo home run! pic.twitter.com/SBO1cqa5Op

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 9, 2026

Trent Grisham ties the game off a Paul Goldschmidt ground out! pic.twitter.com/ntvuaFuBaS

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 9, 2026

Ali Sánchez and Ben Rice score off a Cody Bellinger single! Yankees up 7-5! pic.twitter.com/vDJm8YyDS5

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 9, 2026

What's next

The Yankees continue their series with the Guardians on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m.

Gerrit Cole (1-1, 2.00 ERA) makes his fourth start of the year, facing RHP Slade Cecconi (3-5, 4.92 ERA).

Phillies 5 Blue Jays 2

We knew this was going to be a tough one. Cristopher Sánchez came into the game with a 1.46 ERA and he’s allowed just 1 run in his last 5 starts, covering 38 innings. The most earned runs he’s given up in a game was 2 and, well, we got 2 off him. He went 7 innings allowed 4 hits, 2 earned, 1 walk with 10 strikeouts.

We scored one in the third. Myles Straw doubled and ground outs by Tyler Heineman and Yohendrick Piñango scored him. And in the fifth, Ernie Clement homered.

We had chances. In the sixth, Piñango led off with a double and got to third on an error. But George Springer, Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero all struck out. And we got two on in the eighth. Ernie Clement singled with one out and Miles Straw walked with two outs. Brandon Valenzuela (pinch hitting) ground one deep into the hole at short, for the third out.

Patrick Corbin had a rough night. 3 innings, 4 hits, 5 earned, 4 walks and 3 strikeouts. He game up two in the second. Bryson Stott doubled and Adolis Garcia homered. And three in the third. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases. Alex Bohm singled home one. J.T. Realmuto singled home another. And Bryson Stott walked in the third. They would have had another run but Kazuma Okamoto made a nice play on a grounder and threw home to get the runnner.

Beyond that? Nathan Lukes made a great diving catch in right field. We turned a double play in the ninth, with two on and one out. Tyler Heineman threw out a base stealer.

Piñango had an error in the first, fly ball near the wall, that bounced out of his glove.

We only had 6 hits. Clements had 2 of them (with a homer). Myles Straw, Piñango and Giménez all had doubles.

The top of the order had a tough night. 1 for 12 with 8 strikeouts, Lukes hit a single. Okamoto did have a fairly deep fly out, but 2 strikeouts. Vlad also had a fairly deep fly, 343 feet, but also had 2 strikeouts. Springer had 3 strikeouts.

Our pen did a good job. Adam Macko allowed just a walk in his inning, with a strikeout. Simeon Woods Richardson was terrific in his first game with the Jays, 4 scoreless innings, 1 hit and 3 strikeouts. And Tommy Nance gave up 2 hits in the ninth, but got out of it with a strikeout and a double play.

Jay of the Day: Woods Richardson (0.08). If we weren’t getting Cease and Scherzer back, he would have a very good argument for a starter job.

Other Award: Corbin (-0.30), Springer (-0.13), Vlad (-0.12) and Okamoto (-0.11).

Tomorrow it is Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.31, it doesn’t get easier) vs. Dylan Cease (3-3, 3.05) making his first start after a stay on the IL.

David Peterson went the entire road trip last week without appearing in a game for the Mets, but he remains committed to the cause in his low-leverage relief role.

“I see myself long term as a starter,” Peterson said. “Right now, I’m in the bullpen and I am going to be prepared and ready to finish when I’m given the ball, and my whole goal is to help this team win as many games as possible.”

The lefty last pitched May 31, when he logged four innings against the Marlins and allowed one earned run. It was Peterson’s first outing after he was removed from his bulk relief role, pitching behind an opener, and replaced by Sean Manaea.

Peterson, who owns a 5.18 ERA, said he’s in constant communication with the coaching staff about potential opportunities for him to pitch.

“I still feel comfortable going up to a number like 80 or 90 [pitches],” Peterson said. “What they have in mind might be different, but I also think it depends on the situation: what the outing is going to look like, the length of it and that is obviously something we are going to have to monitor depending on what the workload is.”

A.J. Ewing’s sprint into the gap Sunday to rob Xander Bogaerts in the eighth inning was just the latest highlight reel catch for the defensively gifted center fielder. Ewing reached across his body with an outstretched glove in full stride to complete the catch.

Ewing and Carson Benge have teamed to give the Mets an elite defensive dynamic.

“I had it in Toronto a little bit with a great outfield and you don’t realize how many hits they take away,” Bo Bichette said. “But it’s not just their defense. The energy they bring, the excitement they bring to the yard being their first season in the big leagues, it’s good for all of us.”

Walking into Sunday’s game vs. the Brewers, my brother-in-law asked me a great question: Who is your favorite current Rockie? Most years, I have a pick right off the bat.

Sometimes it’s the superstars like Larry Walker, CarGo or Chuck Nazty.

Sometimes it’s the underdogs with the amazing stories like Conner Joe and Sam Hilliard.

Last year, perhaps due to my desire to have the first baseman of the future, it was Michael Toglia and then Warming Bernabel.

This year, I had to pause and think. But then the answer came.

Troy Johnston.

The hits and batting average are great, but it’s the joy. For years, the Rockies have needed the joy and laughter that a big personality can bring to the clubhouse. His defense leaves something to be desired, but his positive presence gets my vote.

My brother-in-law said Jake McCarthy for the hustle, the speed, the ability to make things happen and, of course, the mullet.

What about you? Who is your favorite current Rockie? And why?

Do you value the production on the field, the story behind the player, a chance meeting or autograph or something other random factor?

Let us know below.

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