Category: Baseball

An eye-watering, cough-inducing thick stench of burning plastic permeated Dodger Stadium on Sunday morning. The smoke from the Boyle Heights warehouse fire had spread into every crevice and corner of the facility, inescapable despite the masks handed out to staff.

“It’s a little dark out there, little Gotham City when I was driving up,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Major League Baseball approved the Father’s Day game to be played, according to Roberts. Still, the ominous atmosphere was hard to miss. When rolling up Vin Scully Avenue, a white smoke hung like a curtain behind the small hills on the other side of outfield walls, obscuring the normally scenic view of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Perhaps that should’ve been the first sign things wouldn’t go as planned for the Dodgers, who lost 12-1 to the Orioles. The loss marked the first time the Dodgers (49-29) have lost consecutive games since May 12.

“It just wasn’t a great start for our team, and offensively we weren’t very good,” Roberts said. “Feel fortunate we won a game this series.”

By the time Emmet Sheehan took the mound, the smell had diluted, and the sunshine broke through the haze. The 26-year-old hasn’t won in more than a month, despite what at the time appeared to be a bounce-back performance against the Chicago White Sox last week. Sheehan lasted 3 1/3 innings against Baltimore, none particularly worse than the first.

Sheehan (3-5) loaded the bases, and Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo put Baltimore (37-42) on the scoreboard with a softly hit ball that split first baseman Freddie Freeman and right fielder Kyle Tucker. A two-out single by Colton Cowser put the Orioles up by two. With the bases loaded, Sheehan worked out of trouble with two strikeouts and a pop out. But the inning cost him four hits and nearly 30 pitches.

“At this point, my coaches, my teammates deserve better,” Sheehan said.

Read more:Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announces birth of second child

Sheehan struggled the most with his slider. Normally, the pitch elicits about a 43% chase rate, though against Baltimore it plummeted to 18%. The nosedive, mainly caused by his inability to throw the slider in the zone, made his other pitches look less competitive, and the Orioles started connecting with his fastball. He gave up two home runs on the pitch to Taylor Ward in the second and Cowser in the third.

“He wasn’t sharp,” Roberts said. “The slider wasn’t in the zone, they were seeing him well, he wasn’t efficient.”

Meanwhile, Max Muncy drove in the Dodgers’ only run in the first with a line drive to left field. Shohei Ohtani, who had reached first on a walk and took second on Freeman’s single, slid home as the throw came in. However, the ball bounced off Basallo’s gear and ricocheted away from the plate.

The Orioles scored runs in four consecutive innings before Edgardo Henriquez threw a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. The team tacked on four runs in the seventh, when, with a man on, the Dodgers reliever Jonathan Hernández intentionally walked Gunnar Henderson, who had gone two for four. He then threw a belt-high sinker down the middle of the plate that Pete Alonso smashed into the right-field bleachers for a three-run homer. Hernández could only watch the ball soar, hunched over.

Blaze Alexander hit a two-run homer in the eighth. But position-player pitcher Miguel Rojas dealt a 1-2-3 ninth inning, one of the team’s three innings it held the Orioles scoreless. By then, the skies had cleared enough for the faint outline of the San Gabriel Mountains to appear. The Dodgers, though, finished the game as uncompetitive as it had started.

“It’s everywhere in baseball, to be quite honest, but my concern is our team,” Roberts said of the Dodgers’ recent performances. “I don’t know the answer. It happens sporadically with all teams.”

Read more:Dodgers Debate: BLISTER WATCH. Should Shohei Ohtani Be shut down?

Injury updates

Catcher Will Smith will not travel with the team this week as they take on the Twins and the Padres, Roberts said before the game. Smith is expected to participate in some baseball activities and will have a better estimate of his return depending on how he feels after.

Teoscar Hernández is slated to play in a rehab assignment Tuesday with the triple-A Oklahoma City Comets before joining the team for its final June series against the Athletics.

Reliever Blake Treinen, on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, got some good news. The MRI did not show any structural damage, only inflammation that Roberts attributed to the wear and tear of the season. “I don’t think it’ll be a long thing,” Roberts said. “Obviously, he’s on the IL, so it’s going to be two weeks, but hopefully it’s not much more beyond that.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The day started with a thick, harrowing haze enveloping Dodger Stadium.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts likened the scene to Gotham City as doubts about whether the game could proceed swirled like the smoke that filled the place.

Somehow, the mood darkened.

Even though the fumes from a nearby warehouse fire cleared well before the first pitch Sunday, the gloominess only intensified.

Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan delivered another stinker over just 3 ⅓ innings, and the bullpen didn’t exactly hold things down from there during a 12-1 loss to the Orioles.

Sheehan hasn’t won in more than a month and didn’t wow anyone in his latest outing.

“Execution was really bad,” Sheehan said. “You know, at this point, my coaches, teammates, the fans — they all deserve better than what I’m putting out there right now.”

After making it through a dreadful first inning that could have been much worse and giving up a solo homer in each of the next two innings, Sheehan (3-5) was done in the fourth. Roberts had seen enough after the right-hander walked two of the first three batters he faced in that inning.

Sheehan’s pitching line — he gave up eight hits and a season-worst six runs while striking out four and walking three — was a contender for his worst of 2026.

Five Dodgers relievers combined to give up six more runs. The only highlight came when infielder Miguel Rojas took the mound and needed only seven pitches to complete a perfect ninth inning, earning a standing ovation.

The Dodgers’ offense was anemic, managing just five hits off Baltimore starter Brandon Young and two relievers.

“Offensively, we just weren’t very good, and I feel fortunate that we won a game this series,” Roberts said after his team scratched out nine runs in the three games.

What’s wrong with the Dodgers’ approach at the plate?

“I just don’t think it’s been good,“ Roberts said. “Taking hittable strikes with the fastball and then chasing spin, it’s just not who we are, who we need to be. … Pitchers just start to get that rhythm, that comfort, and that just shouldn’t be the case with our lineup. So I think there’s passivity at the wrong time.“

What it means

This was not the sort of sendoff the Dodgers were hoping to give themselves before a lengthy trip.

They have now lost back-to-back games for the first time since May 12, when they were in the midst of dropping four straight.

They also couldn’t build upon what remains the best home record in the National League, falling to 26-14 at Dodger Stadium.

But the Dodgers (49-29) aren’t exactly on the verge of giving up their massive lead in the NL West — they lead second-place San Diego by nine games.

Who’s hot

Fans who braved the crummy conditions expecting to be rewarded.

Their anger level started to redline after patiently enduring Sheehan’s first-inning wobbles.

The first boos could be heard after Taylor Ward’s solo homer in the second gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead. There were more in the third when Colton Cowser added another solo shot.

The displeasure peaked in the seventh, after Pete Alonso’s three-run blast off reliever Jonathan Hernandez gave Baltimore a 10-1 lead. Fans started to leave in droves, no longer wanting to subject themselves to disappointment.

Who’s not

It’s time to start worrying about Sheehan given what unfolded Sunday.

Three pitches into the game, the Orioles had a baserunner.

Four pitches in, they had runners on second and third.

Nine pitches in, the bases were loaded with nobody out.

Things continued to deteriorate — Baltimore scored two runs as part of a 28-pitch first inning that was a sign of things to come. Sheehan’s ERA ballooned to 5.32, the highest it’s been since late April.

Roberts said Sheehan would get another start before contemplating a change in the rotation.

Up next

The Dodgers will open a nine-game, three-city trip Monday in Minneapolis. Left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer (2-5, 5.37 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Dodgers, with right-hander Zebby Matthews (3-4, 4.78) going for the Twins.

Cody Bellinger, the son of a Yankee, had his family with him in The Bronx this weekend — including his father, Clay.

Cody’s well on his way to his first All-Star appearance since his MVP season in 2019, and he said getting the chance to go again would be especially meaningful.

“It would absolutely be special,” Bellinger said. “I’m not gonna lie: To experience it with my kids, who I didn’t have the last time I made it, would be amazing.”

It’s part of what’s been a strong opening season to his new contract, as Bellinger has so far lived up to the five-year, $162.5 million deal he signed with the Yankees in the offseason.

He reached base twice and stole two bases in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Reds and is on pace for his best season since that ’19 season.

Of the six contracts signed this offseason by position players that could hit nine figures, Bellinger’s is arguably off to the best start.

He entered Sunday with the highest WAR among the group, which includes the Cubs’ Alex Bregman, Baltimore’s Pete Alonso, Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber and Bo Bichette of the Mets, as well as the player some wanted the Yankees to sign to take Bellinger’s spot in the outfield, Kyle Tucker.

Tucker is off to a very pedestrian beginning of his tenure with the Dodgers, as he entered Sunday with an OPS-plus of 100, which is league average.

Bellinger, meanwhile, has been valuable in the lineup, especially as the Yankees deal with injuries to key members of their roster — including Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

And it comes with Bellinger under the added spotlight of the pricey deal.

Bellinger said he’s aware of all of that.

“The contract definitely allowed me to take care of my family, but I still want to perform to my highest capability,” Bellinger said. “I want to outperform the contract. I want to honor it.”

That can be easier said than done.

Paul Goldschmidt understands the scrutiny, having signed a five-year, $130 million extension with the Cardinals in 2019.

“It’s all about your mindset,” Goldschmidt said. “There’s always gonna be pressure, whether you’re in high school or on the biggest stage. You want to live up to the contract, but you can’t let that be all-consuming. You just have to do your part and perform. You can tell it’s not too much for Cody. He’s the same guy no matter what.”

Bellinger has seen his share of ups and downs, from bursting onto the scene as the NL Rookie of the Year in 2017 with the Dodgers, a solid second season in 2018, his 2019 MVP season and winning the 2020 World Series.

But Bellinger also injured his right shoulder and dealt with surgery the following offseason and had a miserable 2021 and ’22 with Los Angeles before being non-tendered following that last year with the Dodgers.

Two strong comeback years with the Cubs led to his trade to the Yankees in December 2024, and Bellinger hasn’t missed a beat in The Bronx.

“I definitely appreciate all of it,” Bellinger said. “So many people have helped get me to where I’m at now. I’m in a good spot and really just try to give it all I’ve got.”

Pelicans right-hander Edwardo Melendez was activated off the Development List.

South Bend left-hander Ethan Flanagan was activated off the Development List.

Only the Pelicans won today.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs fell to Indianapolis (Pirates), 3-1.

Jordan Wicks started and took the loss after allowing two runs on five hits over five innings. Wicks walked two and struck out two.

Catcher Christian Bethancourt went 2 for 4 with an RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were put out by the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 11-4. However, this game meant nothing as the Smokies clinched the first-half yesterday.

Brooks Caple started and took the loss after surrendering five runs on six hits over four innings. Four of those runs came in the top of the first inning. Caple walked three and struck out five.

Third baseman Devin Ortiz hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning, his third of the season. Ortiz went 1 for 4.

Center fielder Carter Trice was 2 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk. He scored on Ortiz’s home run.

The Ortiz home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs got baked by the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 6-2.

Jaxon Wiggins started this game on a rehab assignment. He allowed one hit—a solo home run to lead off the second inning—over 2.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three.

The loss went to Ethan Flanagan, who pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth inning. But then he came out for the seventh inning and gave up three runs. Flanagan’s final line was three runs on five hits over three innings. He struck out four and walked no one.

South Bend managed just five hits. DH Kane Kepley was 2 for 2 with an RBI double, a walk. and he was hit by a pitch.

Kepley’s double.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans egged the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles), 7-2.

Braylon Myers started and got the win. He made pretty much one mistake, a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Other than that, his final line was two runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked no one.

Daniel Avitia pitched the next three innings without allowing a run. Avitia gave up one hit, walked three and struck out four.

Catcher Logan Poteet homered for the third-straight game and for the 13th time this year. It was a solo home run in the fourth. Poteet went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored three times.

First baseman Michael Carico hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, his seventh on the year. Carico was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

DH Edward Vargas was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and an RBI infield single in the fifth inning. He also scored one run.

Left fielder Darlyn De Leon went 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the fourth inning. Poteet

Shortstop Derniche Valdez was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.

Poteet’s home run.

Vargas’ infield single actually scored two with the throwing error.

Carico’s home run.

ACL Cubs

Off day.

Coming into Sunday’s afternoon game with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Colorado Rockies were looking to finish the sweep after Friday and Saturday night wins in games that had, well, stressful conclusions. The hope on Sunday was to finish the job in a less-dramatic fashion.

That did not happen as the Rockies bats stayed quiet early while the Pirates offense cranked up the volume on Rockies pitching, and a late-game rally wasn’t enough.

In the end, the Pirates avoided the sweep with a 8-6 win.

Although the Rockies lost the game, they did win the series, their seventh series win of 2026.

The Rockies offense arrived fashionably late — too late

Things began to get serious in the second inning when the Rockies loaded the bases, starting with a leadoff single from Tyler Freeman followed by two walks issued by Jared Jones. A Sterlin Thompson force out got the run home while sending Edouard Julien to the dugout. Still, the Rockies had a one-run lead with two on and just one out.

However, following that, Kyle Karros struck out, and Brett Sullivan flied to center, ending the threat.

Starter Jared Jones left the game after three innings and 45 pitches (28 for strikes). He left after being struck on the right elbow by a comebacker. His final line was one run (earned) on one hit with two walks and three strikeouts. Jones’ ERA is 5.75.

The Pirates answered back in the fourth inning. After Bryan Reynolds hit a lead0ff double, Nick Gonzales finished the job with a homer, and the score was 2-1 Pirates.

The Pirates extended their lead in the fifth when a Jake Mangum double brought home Tyler Callahan, giving the visiting team a 3-1 lead.

As for the Rockies, they were unable to figure out Yohan Ramírez and continued scoreless into the sixth.

In the sixth inning, RHP Juan Mejia entered the game in relief of Lorenzen with one out and runners at the corners. He allowed a single that gave Gonzales an opportunity to score, but a gorgeous throw from right fielder Tyler Freeman to third baseman Kyle Karros gave the Rockies their second out of the sixth. Jake Mangum hit an RBI double that made the score 5-1 Pirates as the top of the sixth ended.

Things got worse in the seventh as Mejia stayed in for a second inning of work. He surrendered two singles to Spencer Horowitz and Brandon Lowe before Bryan Reynolds went yard to make the score 8-1 Pirates.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Rockies showed some offensive life with a Cole Carrigg leadoff single — the Rockies first hit since the second inning. Julien followed that with another single. But even with three outs remaining, the Rockies were unable to capitalize.

The Rockies tried to rally again against Pirates reliever Dennis Santana in the eighth with a Jake McCarthy lead-off single followed a Will Castro single that moved McCarthy to third with no outs. And then TJ Rumfield hit a 387 ft. home run (12) to make the score 8-4.

That was Rumfield’s fifth homer run in his last 11 games.

Gregory Soto came in to close for the Pirates.

Tension was high in Coors Field as Braxton Fulford kicked off the inning with a leadoff walk. Kyle Karros, who had struck out three times, smacked a double to score Fulford, making the score 8-5.

At that point, Schaeffer sent in catcher Hunter Goodman, who had an off-day, to hit. But he struck out, turning over the order with Karros surveying the scene from second with one out.

And then things got interesting.

McCarthy got on base with a single, E4, no RBI, which scored Karros. At that point, the Pirates lead was 8-6 with one out.

However, Willi Castro hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and the game.

The Pirates finished the day with eight runs (earned) on 13 hits, which were spread out across the Pirates lineup. They walked once and struck out five times.

As for the Rockies, they had six runs (five earned) on eight hits. They struck out 10 times compared to four walks.

“It just wasn’t our done on offense,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game.

Michael Lorenzen struggled through

For starter Michel Lorenzen, it was another day of trying to find his footing. Although he kept the Rockies in the game through five innings, things began to skid in the sixth.

He left the game after 5.1 IP on 90 pitches, 57 for strikes. He give up four runs (all earned) on seven hits. In addition, he walked one and struck out six.

Lorenzen’s current ERA is 7.11.

“I thought Mike was good,” Schaeffer said. ”I thought that was another building block for him. I thought he pitched very well. He was efficient. He got ahead in counts.“

The bullpen was uneven

Juan Mejia, who entered the game in the sixth inning, went 1.2 IP allowing four runs on give hits. He neither walked nor struck out a batter. Mejia’s current ERA is 6.95.

The eighth and ninth innings went to reliever John Beribbia, whose contract the Rockies had selected earlier in the day. He saw traffic but no runs. Brebbia’s final line was 2.0 IP with one hit, no walks, and one strikeout.

Of Brebbia, Schaeffer said, “He’s efficient. He throws strikes. He’s a veteran that’s not scared of anything.”

Painful fact of the day

Tyler Freeman was HBP for the 12th time this season. He is fourth in MLB in that category.

(Shoutout to Eli Whitney for doing the research on this one.)

Up next

Tomorrow, the Colorado Rockies (30-48) will welcome the Boston Red Sox (31-43) to Coors Field for a three-game stand.

Jake Bennett will take the mound for the Red Sox while Ryan Feltner will start for the Rockies.

First pitch is at 6:40.

See you then.

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Mariners 3, Red Sox 1

Hoppy Poppy: Logan Gilbert, .21 WPA

Sad Dad: Cal Raleigh, -.09 WPA

Game thread comment of the day:

Summer is here and it's hittin' season for Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Sunday was the first official day of summer in these parts.

And you know what that means.

Hittin’ season, as that great baseball philosopher Charlie Manuel likes to say.

It’s certainly hittin’ season for Kyle Schwarber. He followed up Saturday night’s three-homer game with another long ball in powering the Phillies to a 6-2 win over the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday night.

After losing to the Mets on Friday night, the Phillies outscored them 21-5 in winning the next two. The Phils, who play their next seven games on the road, went 4-2 on the homestand and are now 42-35, 6 ½ games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East. They were 10 ½ back a month ago.

Under Don Mattingly, the Phillies are 33-16. They’ve won 12 of 16 series. They were minus-54 in run differential when Mattingly took over as manager on April 28. They are now minus-4. They haven’t had a positive run differential since the first week of the season. Maybe they get there soon.

“I thought we had great at-bats the whole series,” said Bryce Harper, who shared the offensive spotlight with Schwarber in the back-to-back wins. “I thought the pitching was good. As a whole, I thought we played great in this series.

“Just get us in (the postseason). That’s our motto. Obviously, our goal is to fight and claw back and win the division. But we just want to get in the postseason and see what happens.”

Schwarber’s majors-leading 29^th home run was a three-run shot against Mets lefty David Peterson in the second inning. The Phillies slugger is on pace for 61 homers. Time will tell if he gets there, but it’s sure entertaining when he gets on these power streaks.

“He’s one of the best power hitters if not the best power hitter in the game and it’s fun to watch,” Harper said. “Just like anybody, I’m a fan. I enjoy watching him hit the baseball. When he takes a swing, it changes the whole momentum of a game, the mindset of our team and the fanbase and everything else. It’s a lot of fun.”

As a team, the Phillies hit .290 (60 for 207) with 11 homers, nine doubles and three triples on the homestand.

Schwarber had eight hits on the homestand. Five of them were homers. He loves hitting in June. He has seven home runs this month and 74 in 226 career games in the month of June. In just under 4 ½ seasons with the Phillies, he has 216 homers. He’s up to 369 for his career. He’s 33 years old. His contract runs through 2030. At this pace, he will make a run at 500 homers and the Hall of Fame in a Phillies uniform.

Harper, a two-time NL MVP, is likely already headed to the Hall of Fame and pitcher Zack Wheeler is pitching himself into consideration. According to Fangraphs WAR, he has been the top starting pitcher in baseball since arriving in Philadelphia before the 2020 season.

Harper and Wheeler both came up big on Sunday night. One night after hitting for the cycle, Harper came up just a triple shy of duplicating the feat as he singled, doubled and homered. Harper’s hot streak has coincided with his switching from a 32-ounce bat to a 35-ounce bat and taking early batting practice on the field. Usually, he takes his hacks in the indoor cage.

“I’m still doing my full routine in the cage,” he said. “Just trying to hit outside, stay through the ball, hit the ball to right in the air. The last two days have been great.”

Harper plans to stick with the big bat as long as his body allows. There will be days when it tells him to use a lighter bat.

While Schwarber and Harper were driving in runs, Wheeler pitched 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball to run his record to 7-1. His ERA is 2.11. Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez, Saturday’s night’s winner, have combined to make 21 starts this season. The Phillies are 17-4 in those games.

Wheeler did not have his best command. He ran some deep counts and pushed his pitch count over 100 in the sixth inning when he uncharacteristically walked three batters. Mattingly visited Wheeler at the mound with one out and the bases loaded. Mattingly stayed with Wheeler for the second out, a fielder’s choice that resulted in a run, then went to Jonathan Bowlan who ended the inning with a strikeout of Marcus Semien.

Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Jhoan Duran combined on three scoreless innings to close it out.

Wheeler is loving what he’s seeing of the offense, particularly the show Schwarber and Harper put on the last two nights.

“It’s pretty special, pretty cool to see,” he said. “You hear about all the greats before you. I’m watching these guys as a fan do something magic and special career-wise. It’s gone on for a long time now. They’re putting together unbelievable careers. It’s fun to be present and watch it live.”

And from Harper’s standpoint, it’s fun to be part of.

“That’s kind of what we expect of ourselves as an offense,” he said. “When we get going and clicking like that, when me and Schwarbs have big swings or great at-bats, we’ve got a chance to win games.”

Next up: Four games in Washington against the Nationals.

Mets lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. Juan Soto – LF
4. Jared Young – 1B
5. A.J. Ewing – CF
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. Brett Baty – 3B
8. Francisco Alvarez – DH
9. Luis Torrens – C

David Peterson – LHP

Phillies lineup

1. Trea Turner – SS
2. Kyle Schwarber – DH
3. Bryce Harper – 1B
4. Alec Bohm – 3B
5. Edmundo Sosa – LF
6. Brandon Marsh – RF
7. J.T. Realmuto – C
8. Derek Hill – CF
9. Bryson Stott – 2B

Zack Wheeler – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 7:20pm EDT
TV: NBC/Peacock
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Ahead of Sunday's series-deciding game between the Mets and the Phillies, manager Carlos Mendoza provided some updates on the team's star shortstop, Francisco Lindor.

When asked about the current condition of Lindor, who's been rehabbing a calf strain, Mendoza replied that "the reports so far are pretty good." 

However, the skipper did also clarify that he still needs to "talk to the trainers" to gain further insight into when he will be able to pencil in Lindor's return to the Mets lineup.

"We're getting there, he's getting close," Mendoza continued, sharing that he liked what he saw as he watched Lindor play in Triple-A from the clubhouse TV.

Lindor played for Triple-A Syracuse in their 5-3 win earlier Sunday and went 0-for-4 with a walk, alongside fellow ailing major leaguers Tyrone Taylor and Ronny Mauricio. Taylor hit a single to drive home two baserunners - including Lindor, who stole a base shortly before Taylor's knock - in the fifth inning.

The switch-hitting shortstop - who landed on the IL after straining his left calf against the Twins on April 22 - could potentially participate in a simulated game at Citi Field tomorrow, as the Syracuse Mets have an off day. 

Francisco Lindor stole second base and scored on an RBI single by Tyrone Taylor today for Triple-A Syracuse pic.twitter.com/hLcRb9vNbK

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 21, 2026

Pirates 8, Rockies 6

Leverage index and box score

Graphics via FanGraphs

Making Dad proud: Nick Gonzales, 0.17 WPA

Grounded: Juan Mejia, -0.13 WPA

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Hopefully the Phillies saved some runs for today. After demolishing the Mets on Saturday night, the Phillies will attempt to win the series and give Phillies fans a Happy Father’s Day as the series finale is held on Sunday night.

Former Met Zack Wheeler gets the start for the Phillies. For his career, the ace righty is 5-5 with a 3.36 ERA against his former squad.

The Mets will counter with veteran David Peterson. The veteran lefthander is 3-5 with a 5.91 ERA on the season.

Game time is 7:20 PM and will be televised by NBC and streaming on Peacock.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and other parental figures out there!

The Cardinals jumped the Royals for 5 runs in the top of the first inning and held on to defeat the Royals 12-10 in a Father’s Day matinee, salvaging the series and avoiding the sweep.

Stephen Kolek has been dynamite for the Royals in his tenure, but he simply didn’t have it today. Three pitches into the game, Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt blasted a solo shot into the right center seats. A hit batter, walk and double gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead. Masyn Winn put the exclamation point on the inning, hitting a 3-run homer into the Cardinals bullpen.

The Royals did respond with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning, Carter Jensen led off with a single, Jac Caglianone walked, and Michael Massey hit a two-out single, to make it 5-2.

Kolek got smashed again in the top of the second, a leadoff double was followed by Wetherholt hitting an opposite field two run homer, making it 7-2. A single and RBI triple made it 8-2, Kolek did get two big outs not allowing the run to score, but Winn legged out an infield single to make it 9-2, ending Kolek’s day. Connor Seabold came on to get the last out of the 2nd.

In the bottom of the inning, Kameron Misner led off with a single, and scored on Nick Loftin’s two run homer, Loftin’s 2nd on the year, a 416-foot blast to left center. Isaac Collins singled, and after two straight outs, he scored on Caglianone’s mammoth two run shot into the second deck of fountains in right center, a 444-foot blast, making it 9-6. It was Cags 3rd straight game with a homer, and his 11th on the year.

Fast forward to the bottom of the 4th, Jensen and Cags worked walks, making it 1st and 2nd with two outs for Salvador Perez, who smacked an RBI single into center, making it 9-7. Massey flew out to right to end the inning.

Steven Cruz was rolling, striking out 3 batters to get his first 5 outs, but a 4 pitch walk to the number 9 batter, Nathan Church, opened the door for St. Louis. Wetherholt hit an opposite field single, and Iván Herrera blasted a crucial three run homer, making it 12-7 Cards, giving them some much needed breathing room.

Jensen got in on the home run party, slamming one to the opposite field, for his 10th on the year, making it a 12-8 ballgame.

To the bottom of the ninth, on the first pitch of the inning, Cags did it again. Smoking a homer to right field, his 4th of the series, second of the day and team leading 12th on the season. A 426-foot towering blast.

Salvy was hit by a pitch, Massey singled and it was 1st and 3rd, nobody out, with the tying run coming to the dish. Lane Thomas hit a high chopper to third, Blaze Jordan’s only play was at home, Salvy would make a nifty move and slide to avoid the tag. After a St. Louis challenge, Perez was still safe. 12-10, 1st and 2nd nobody out for the Royals. Misner laid down a good bunt, making it 2nd and 3rd with one out. John Rave pinch hit for Loftin, (which I didn’t like because Loftin has been good with RISP this season), and he struck out looking on a pitch that was inside, but the Royals were out of challenges. Collins grounded out to the pitcher on the first pitch to end the game.

Outside of Cruz giving up the three run homer, the bullpen of Seabold, Erceg, Strahm and Way were good. Shoutout to them.

The Royals drop the series finale and finish the year 3-3 vs St. Louis, they are 32-46 on the season. They are off to Tampa Bay for a four-game series starting tomorrow night. Michael Wacha gets the start; first pitch is set for 5:40 p.m. CT.

With the biggest series of the year (so far) looming ahead this week, I thought it’d be a good idea to look into what the White Sox do well — specifically against the pitches that our 3 best starters (all of whom are slated to pitch against Chicago) throw.

We’ll start with Gavin Williams (who is starting tomorrow).

Gavin has really struggled recently with an ERA of 4.65 in his last 10 starts. He’s slashed his fastball usage from 28.5% in April to just under 10% in June. He’s been primarily curveball/sinker/sweeper this month, with some cutter and 4-seam usage mixed in. We’ll go in order of highest usage to lowest, looking at each pitcher’s 3-4 most used pitches and the metric range around their pitches.

Gavin Williams

Curveball. 80-84 mph, 11-15in vertical drop

Jacob Gonzalez, .907 xwOBA

Sam Antonacci, .491 xwOBA

Tristan Peters, .161 xwOBA

Edgar Quero, .099 xwOBA

Braden Montgomery, .040 xwOBA

Sinker. 95-97 mph, 14-17in armside break

Chase Meidroth, .282 xwOBA | 10.5% whiff%

Miguel Vargas, .353 xwOBA | 20% whiff%

Andrew Benintendi, .567 xwOBA | 25% whiff%

Tristan Peters, .593 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Sam Antonacci, .370 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Colson Montgomery, .469 xwOBA | 28.6% whiff%

Sweeper. 86-88 mph, 9-11in gloveside break

Austin Hays, .000 xwOBA | 100% whiff%

Colson Montgomery, .701 xwOBA

You’ll notice that, on breakers like Gavin’s, the White Sox have very little seen pitches like those. Leaning on those pitches will be the key to his success. Against 4-seams like Gavin’s, the White Sox have the 7th worst xwOBA and highest whiff rate (.300 xwOBA, 28% whiff%). The 4-seam and his breakers will be the key to his success, and both his success with his breakers and the White Sox fragility against fastballs like his bode well for his tidings tomorrow. Of course now that I’ve said that, he’ll implode.

Parker Messick

Messick has been mostly the same pitcher (by usage) all year. He’s been 4-seam, changeup, sinker around 70% of the time all year.

4-Seam Fastball. 92-95 mph, 15-18in vertical break

Chase Meidroth, .316 xwOBA | 7.7% whiff%

Miguel Vargas, .605 xwOBA | 25% whiff%

Edgar Quero, .005 xwOBA | 10% whiff%

Colson Montgomery, .472 xwOBA | 40% whiff%

Randal Grichuk (RHH specialist), .731 xwOBA | 10% whiff%

Changeup. 84-87 mph, 13-16in armside break

Chase Meidroth, .362 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Edgar Quero, .390 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Randal Grichuk, .051 xwOBA | 20% whiff%

Colson Montgomery, .112 xwOBA | 33.3% whiff%

Miguel Vargas, .341 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Sinker. 91-94 mph, 11-15in armside break

Chase Meidroth, .385 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Miguel Vargas, 2.042 xwOBA (not a typo) | 0% whiff%

Sam Antonacci, .106 xwOBA | 25% whiff%

Colson Montgomery, .307 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

The key, for Messick, will be location. If he can expertly tunnel his fastball and changeup (while working sinkers in to right-handers), he’ll do well. The White Sox are an extremely young lineup, and Messick’s craftiness, for a lack of a better word, should give him an advantage over an inexperienced lineup.

Tanner Bibee

Bibee has really changed up his mix in the last few months but, so far this month, he’s gone almost exclusively fastball (sinker/cutter/4-seam). He’s dropped off his breaking ball usage almost entirely to account for that. It’s worked well for him so far (2.24 ERA in 3 starts in June. 18K:6BB in 20.1 innings)

Sinker. 92-96 mph, 13-16in armside break

Chase Meidroth, .268 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Miguel Vargas, .646 xwOBA | 14.3% whiff%

Sam Antonacci, .499 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Andrew Benintendi, .338 xwOBA | 18.2% whiff%

Edgar Quero, .088 xwOBA | 33.3% whiff%

Tristan Peters, .534 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Cutter. 85-87 mph, 5-8in gloveside break

Chase Meidroth, .368 xwOBA | 37.5% whiff%

Miguel Vargas, .000 xwOBA | 33.3% whiff%

Andrew Benintendi, .654 xwOBA | 66.7% whiff%

Sam Antonacci, .428 xwOBA | 0% whiff%

Tristan Peters, .166 xwOBA | 33.3% whiff%

4-Seam Fastball. 93-96 mph, 15-18in vertical break

Sam Antonacci, .534 xwOBA | 20% whiff%

Colson Montgomery, .306 xwOBA | 30% whiff%

Miguel Vargas, .525 xwOBA | 31.3% whiff%

Tristan Peters, .343 xwOBA | 29.6% whiff%

Chase Meidroth, .274 xwOBA | 22.2% whiff%

Andrew Benintendi, .445 xwOBA | 16.7% whiff%

The key for Bibee: no same-handed sinkers. He’s probably going to need to mix back in his curveball (and maybe changeup) for this lineup. Not necessarily sure how well he’ll fare being mainly sinker-cutter, but if he commands it well, perhaps this mix could work.

MIAMI — Once again, Rafael Devers is stirring up drama.

This time, the Giants first baseman, who refused to play the position with the Red Sox, again tried to stand in the way of what his manager thought was best for the team.

Manager Tony Vitello, for what it’s worth, chalked this incident up to Devers’ competitiveness.

“I don’t have any problem with Rafi,” Vitello said, adding that he didn’t feel the need to speak to Devers about the incident because “we talk every day.”

“He probably wants to win as much as anyone in that clubhouse. He wants to stay in the game. We’ve talked during this road trip about how he feels [physically], and obviously part of how he feels is he’s 100% good to go running-wise.”

Even at full speed, though, Devers wouldn’t have given the Giants a better chance at tying the game than the speedy Jonah Cox. He walked to lead off the ninth inning of the 2-1 loss that completed a sweep by the Marlins. Representing the tying run, it was only common sense to pinch-run for the player whose sprint speed (26.2 feet per second) is the slowest on the team.

But Devers wasn’t having it.

Standing on first, Devers wagged his index finger back and forth as if to wave off the move. When Cox came out of the dugout, Devers attempted — to no avail — to shoo him away.

Instead, after some protest, it was Devers who ultimately returned to the dugout, where he veered to avoid a pat on the back from bench coach Jayce Tingler and stormed in a huff directly back to the clubhouse. He declined an interview request through a team PR official.

“Once we announce the move, the move was made,” Vitello said. “Just going with our best effort to win the game. Obviously you’d like Jonah to go get a bag. [Miami’s closer Lake Bachar] is relatively quick to the plate. But on a double, going with our best chance to be able to score.”

Third baseman Matt Chapman agreed that it was the right move.

“There’s a reason why Tony made the move,” Chapman said. “It’s just a heat-of-the-moment thing [with Devers]. Rafi wants to play and wants to win.”

The Giants haven’t done much winning this season and took their third loss in a row after Jung Hoo Lee flew out and Willy Adames grounded into a game-ending double play.

The losing streak comes on the heels of San Francisco’s fifth three-game winning streak of the season. But the Giants have yet to win a fourth in a row and fell 15 games below .500, matching a season worst.

“It’s frustrating,” Chapman said, “because it seems as soon as we have some momentum, it’s a couple steps forward and a couple steps back.”

Say what you will about Devers and his performance on a $313.5 million contract, he doesn’t like to take days off or, apparently, come out of a game. He played 163 games last season, a rarity made possible by his midseason trade from the Red Sox.

Vitello compared Devers to Logan Webb, the Giants’ workhorse ace, in that regard.

“I’d rather have guys like Webby that you have to rip them off the field,” Vitello said, “as opposed to vice versa.”

But Devers has a history of diva-adjacent behavior. It is, in part, what brought an end to his time in Boston, where he signed a 10-year extension only a year before being offloaded to San Francisco.

In Boston, manager Alex Cora asked Devers to play first base after their starter, Triston Casas, went down with a season-ending injury. Devers had been the Red Sox’s third baseman before they signed Alex Bregman that winter and then became their designated hitter.

The Red Sox never got their way in that situation; this time, Devers had no say except to express his displeasure with his dramatic reaction to the move.

“You know how competitive he is,” Vitello said. “He wanted to stay in the game.”

Dustin May was not in his finest form Sunday, but it didn’t matter as JJ Wetherholt, Iván Herrera and the St. Louis Cardinals offense absolutely unloaded on the Kansas City Royals Sunday afternoon eventually winning a slugfest. The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen would be worn out by the end of it, though.

It only took JJ Wetherholt 3 pitches before he would alert the Kansas City Royals that the St. Louis Cardinals bats would not be sleepy on Sunday as he slammed a 90 mph cutter over the right field wall for an immediate 1-0 Cardinals lead.

The very next pitch hit Iván Herrera in the head for his 21st HBP of the season. Fortunately, it only hit helmet and not skull. (He would get sweet revenge later) How much longer are the St. Louis Cardinals going to tolerate this? At least the Cardinals made the Royals pay for this sin as Alec Burleson followed that with a walk and two batters later, Lars Nootbaar hit a double to right-center scoring Herrera and doubling the St. Louis lead to 2-0. Masyn Winn would improve on that by slamming a 79 mph sweeper into the left field bullpen making it 5-0 Cardinals.

Unfortunately, the Kansas City Royals would not just quietly accept their defeat as they scored two runs of their own when Jensen reached on an infield single and Jac Caglianone walked followed by a single by Massey scoring both of them and cutting the St. Louis lead to 5-2.

The St. Louis Cardinals understood their need to keep adding runs to the board Sunday and JJ Wetherholt was more than up to the task. After Nathan Church doubled, JJ took a 93 mph four-seam fastball the other way a long way 360 feet over the left field wall getting those two runs back and upping the St. Louis lead to 7-2. Rookie of the Year tendencies, much?

The Kansas City Royals were hitting Dustin May hard on Sunday. The bottom of the 2nd inning went much worse than the bottom of the 1st. Nick Lofton and Jac Caglianone hit a pair of 2-run homers severely reducing the Cardinals advantage at 9-6. Caglianone’s home run was the loudest of them all soaring 444 feet into the right-center field fountains. The 2nd inning would be Dustin May’s last as his line looked unlike his most recent starts with just 2 innings pitched allowing 6 hits and 6 earned runs while only striking out 2 and walking 1. That would kickoff an unintentional bullpen game as Max Rajic would give St. Louis their first scoreless inning against Kansas City shutting the Royals down in the bottom of the 3rd and would continue until 1 out in the bottom of the 4th inning when he was replaced by Matt Svanson. He would enter the game after Rajic walked Jensen. He would strike out Garcia, but walked Caglianone. Salvador Perez would make the Cardinals pay for that walk as he singled scoring Jensen and reducing the Cardinals lead further to 9-7.

Never fear as the St. Louis Cardinals never stopped piling on runs and the next burst would come with two outs in the top of the 5th. Nathan Church walked followed by JJ Wetherholt’s third hit of the game which was a single to left. Iván Herrera would say bye bye to a 96 mph four-seam fastball jolting it 414 feet over the left field fence giving the Cardinals back a more commanding 12-7 lead.

The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen carnival merry-go-round would bring Gordon Graceffo into the game to face the Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the 5th. He would keep the Royals off the board in the 5th shutting Kansas City down 1-2-3. JoJo Romero was given the responsibility of handling the bottom of the 6th inning after the Cardinals failed to score in the top of it. He would give up a leadoff home run to Jensen reducing the Cardinals lead to 12-8, but would shut down the Royals for the remainder of the 6th inning.

The Cardinals late inning hall monitors would start with Ryne Stanek who was tasked with keeping the Royals under wraps in the bottom of the 7th inning. He would get a Major League assist from Jordan Walker who snagged a Salvador Perez ball on a home run trajectory over the top of the right field wall keeping it 12-8 Cardinals…barely. The Royals would threaten after a throwing error by Masyn Winn which allowed Lane Thomas to reach second, but Stanek would strike out Misner to end the 7th.

George Soriano kept the Royals scoreless in the bottom of the 8th inning only allowing a walk. The bottom of the 9th inning would be handled by Riley O’Brien. What version of Riley O’Brien would the St. Louis Cardinals see Sunday? Well, the first pitch he threw went 426 feet over the right field wall launched by Jac Caglianone reducing the Cardinals lead to 12-9. His second pitch hit Salvadore Perez in the elbow. If this was retaliation for all of the Herrera hit-by-pitches, it was poor timing. The tying run would come to the plate in the form of Lane Thomas after O’Brien gave up a single to Massey. Blaze Jordan would make a great play on a high chop by Thomas throwing home to nail Salvador Perez, but he was called safe even after St. Louis challenged even though it appeared his hand missed home plate. That cut the Cardinals lead to 12-10. Misner then successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt which moved the tying run up to second base with just one out. O’Brien was very fortunate that the Royals did not have any ABS challenges left as Rave struck out looking. He then was able to get Rave out on a another high chopper narrowly throwing him out at first. Whew.

The St. Louis Cardinals will begin a homestand and welcome a former teammate as the Arizona Diamondbacks come to town. It’s Andre Pallante taking the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals while the Diamondbacks starter is yet to be announced. Let’s hope Nolan Arenado gets the welcome home he deserves Monday night. First pitch at Busch Stadium is scheduled for 6:45pm and the broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.