CHICAGO (AP) — Matt Chapman singled to drive in automatic runner Jonah Cox in the 10th inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants over the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Sunday night for their fourth win in their last five games.
Chapman lined the second pitch from Trent Thornton (2-2) to center and Cox, pinch running for Bryce Eldridge, scored from second base as the Giants took two of three at Wrigley Field and dealt the Cubs their 20th loss in 27 games.
Keaton Winn (2-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win, working around a single and a walk. Dylan Smith tossed a perfect 10th for his first major league save, getting Alex Bregman to pop out and stranding Pete Crow-Armstrong at third.
Javier Assad threw 6 1/3 shutout innings and allowed only Chapman’s infield single — along with a walk and a hit batter — after coming in for Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, who exited with a strained left hamstring with no outs in the second. Taillon said after the game he thinks he’s headed to the injured list.
Assad struck out five following his recall from Triple-A on Saturday for a second stint with the Cubs this season. The right-hander retired the last 12 Giants he faced before Jacob Webb took over in the eighth.
Jung Hoo Lee had an RBI single in the first to stretch his hitting streak to 15 games
Crow-Armstrong extended his career-high hitting streak to 12 games with a single. Moisés Ballesteros singled in a run in the third.
Giants starter Trevor McDonald allowed one run on four hits in five innings.
Taillon exited after walking Chapman to lead off the second. The right-hander allowed one run and two hits, and walked two.
Two-time Gold Glove shortstop Dansby Swanson was held out of the Cubs’ starting lineup for a second straight game. He entered batting .180.
Up next
Giants: RHP Logan Webb (3-4, 4.25 ERA) starts Monday in San Francisco against Washington RHP Miles Mikolas (1-5, 6.39)
Cubs: RHP Colin Rea (5-3, 4.45) faces Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (5-4, 3.98) on Tuesday in Colorado.
CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs starter Jameson Taillon thinks he’ll end up on the injured list after he left Chicago’s 2-1, 10-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night with a strained left hamstring.
Taillon walked Matt Chapman to lead off the second with Chicago trailing 1-0. Then, the Cubs training staff and manager Craig Counsell came to the mound to talk to the right-hander. After a brief discussion, Taillon walked to the dugout and was replaced by righty Javier Assad, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.
“I don’t think it’s crazy,” said Taillon, who’ll have an MRI on Monday. “Like, I’m walking around and moving around. Obviously, it will be an IL stint, but hopefully we can keep the arm conditioned and moving around. I don’t think it’s surgical or anything like that.”
Taillon said he first felt discomfort in the hamstring after throwing an inside changeup to Chapman that made the count 2-2 in the at-bat.
“And then kind of in-between pitches, I was kind of trying to weigh whether I should throw another pitch or not, then threw the 3-2 pitch and kind of felt it a little more,” Taillon said. “Nothing I’ve ever felt. Unfortunately, just kind of one pitch did it.”
Taillon allowed a run in the first inning Sunday on a walk followed by two singles, pushing his ERA to 5.19. He entered the game 2-5 and had lost four straight decisions over his previous five starts.
Assad followed with 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, along with a walk and a hit batter. He retired the final 12 Giants hitters he faced.
San Francisco won it in the 10th when Chapman singled in automatic runner Jonah Cox. The Giants won for the fourth time in their last five games and handed Chicago its 20th loss in 27.
Then he used it again this spring and said he “almost ripped my oblique” again because he swung it as hard as he does with his own lighter bat.
So after striking out in each of his first three at-bats Sunday, Chisholm found the injured Judge’s bat bag, picked one out and brought it to the plate with him in the eighth inning.
Red Sox lefty reliever Joe La Sorsa threw him a first-pitch sinker on the inside edge and Chisholm, not wanting to hurt himself, got off an in-control swing that resulted in a three-run home run that put the Yankees’ 6-1 win on ice.
“I feel like when I pick up his bat, I know I can’t swing as hard as I can, or else I’ll tear an oblique like last year,” Chisholm said. “But I feel like it just helps me to go out there and control the barrel and just try to touch the ball instead of trying to hit it so hard.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. hits a home run during the Yankees’ June 7 win. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
“I was swinging and missing when I thought I was hitting the ball [earlier in the game], so I was just seeing if the bat would change [things]. Sometimes you need a little bit more weight and a little bit less on your swing.”
For those keeping score at home, Chisholm was wearing Giancarlo Stanton’s pants (a slump-busting trick that worked earlier in the season and has stuck) and swinging Judge’s bat — at a time when the Yankees are missing both sluggers to the injured list — to cap the five-run rally in the eighth.
At this rate, Chisholm’s teammates might start offering him any of their belongings if it is going to lead to this.
Aaron Judge watches from the dugout during the Yankees’ June 7 win. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“I like when he does that,” manager Aaron Boone said with a grin.
Chisholm said he had used Judge’s bat one other time, in his second game as a Yankee, and hit a home run.
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Judge’s bat is 35 inches and about 33 ¹/₂ ounces, according to Chisholm, whose own bat is 34 inches and 31 ounces.
The second baseman has also used José Caballero’s bat for some key hits this season, and said he has probably used just about every teammate’s bat at least once, except for Paul Goldschmidt and Stanton, as the veterans have bigger bats that were grandfathered in to the current regulations.
“With Cabby’s bat, I think I can still try to muscle up a little bit and be super strong through the zone like I was in the first three at-bats today,” Chisholm said. “But after that, picking up Cap’s bat, I can’t do it. I really just can’t.”
The Mets have played at the Giants, Dodgers, Angels, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Mariners and Padres.
All told, it’s been 22 of 65 games in the Pacific and Mountain time zones.
In contrast, the Mets have played only seven road games in the Eastern time zone.
They have played six others in the Central.
Carlos Mendoza is pictured during the Mets’ June 3 game against the Mariners. Getty Images
“It’s brutal,” David Peterson said of the schedule. “I think they need to take a look at how they are doing the schedules and fix it. We’re in June and we haven’t seen Atlanta or Philly yet and usually we would have seen them by now.”
That will begin changing when the Braves arrive at Citi Field for a three-game series starting Friday.
On their ensuing road trip, the Mets will face the Phillies for the first time.
Among Peterson’s issues with the West Coast travel was the absence of an off-day when heading east to west.
Three times the Mets went from playing during the day in Queens to a game the following night on the West Coast.
Teams are required to receive an off-day when they travel from the West Coast to the East Coast.
“There is one way of looking at it, where we’ve got all our West Coast swings out of the way,” Peterson said. “But I also think the schedule over the last couple of years has lost some of the balance that it’s had previously.”
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Do the condensed mileage and time-zone hopping take a physical toll?
“It could be a challenge, but I feel like our guys do a good job of communicating with our training staff, making sure they recover their sleep, the nutrition, all that,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “You go to places like Colorado [with the altitude], and that is where you feel it the most, but … the guys do a really good job of doing what they need to do to stay in good shape.”
And Mendoza isn’t about to concede the Mets have played their last game out West this season.
“We’re done for the regular season,” he said. “I am trying to be optimistic here.”
But by late Friday night, the Yankees catcher decided it was finally time to let the training staff know about the pressure in the top of his head and headaches he had been dealing with “for a bit,” which ultimately led to him landing on the 10-day injured list Saturday.
“I think it just needs a couple days, let the brain catch up a little bit and get back to work,” Wells said Sunday after the Yankees’ 6-1 win over the Red Sox in The Bronx.
Wells is set to undergo an MRI on Monday to try to rule out anything more serious going on — particularly in his neck — though he tested negative for a concussion Saturday.
Austin Wells reacts after striking out during the Yankees’ May 20 game against the Blue Jays. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
“In my mind, it’s just the cumulative buildup over the last couple weeks, month, whatever it is,” he said. “When you’re in it every day, you don’t really realize, but being out of it today, I felt better today already.”
Wells, who has struggled badly at the plate for most of the season, said getting beat up behind the plate is “part of the position, honestly.”
But he decided to use a hockey mask for Friday’s game — on the advice of another catcher he spoke to who had also gotten banged up — which he said felt sturdier.
He plans to keep using it once he returns.
“Whatever was going on this year wasn’t really working, so try everything,” Wells said.
In the meantime, Ali Sánchez made his Yankees debut behind the plate Sunday, going 0-for-2 before being pinch hit for by Spencer Jones in the seventh inning.
Aaron Boone said that J.C. Escarra is likely to start two of the next three games against the Guardians, but the manager is treating the position day to day.
Boone said it is “possible” that Jasson Domínguez (AC joint sprain) could rejoin the Yankees on their upcoming road trip, as the outfielder played a second rehab game Sunday and is expected to need at least a few more early this week.
Domínguez started in left field Sunday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, though the Yankees’ need is in right field with Aaron Judge expected to miss two-plus months with a stress fracture in his right first rib.
The Yankees may just move Cody Bellinger to right once Domínguez returns, though Bellinger has been the best defensive left fielder in the majors this season, which is part of the reason why they have at least kicked around the idea of Domínguez playing right field (which he has for one game in his entire pro career).
“We’ll see how that unfolds,” Boone said. “It would be kind of tough, just because we’ve poured so much into Jasson and committing to left field. Little bit of a challenge. But it is something we’ve talked about.”
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Boone was noncommittal on whether Domínguez would get any right field action during his rehab assignment.
Max Fried is set to undergo his next round of imaging later this week to determine whether he can advance to throwing from the mound.
For now, the left-hander has been playing catch on flat ground, expected to get out to 120 feet this week as he tries to work back from a bone bruise in his left elbow.
“He’s responded pretty well to everything,” Boone said.
Anthony Seigler, the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2018, started at second base Sunday for the Red Sox.
Their 27th-round pick that year, Mickey Gasper, was starting at catcher for the Red Sox.
The only Yankees pick from that draft who is currently in the organization is Wells, their 35th-round pick who did not sign out of high school.
They drafted him again two years later in the first round.
CHICAGO — The Giants did what they couldn’t a day earlier: They plated the automatic runner placed at second base to begin extras and prevented the Cubs from doing the same in their turn to bat.
And, in doing so, so did Keaton Winn.
Winn, who allowed the walkoff blast to Pete Crow-Armstrong the previous afternoon, got the Cubs star to ground out with the winning run on third base to end the ninth and keep the score tied at 1.
Jonah Cox, in as a pinch-runner, raced home on an opposite-field single from Matt Chapman to begin the 10th for only the Giants’ second run of the game that proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win Sunday night.
“I’ll be danged if it doesn’t come up where the game’s on the line and those two go at it,” manager Tony Vitello said of the rematch between Winn and PCA. “That’s what you tune in for is moments like that, and he did a tremendous job.”
Chapman’s RBI single was only the Giants’ fourth hit of the night and their first since the fourth inning, completely stymied by Javiar Assad, who only entered the game after Jameson Taillon strained his hamstring one batter into the second inning.
Dylan Smith, one of the only arms left in the Giants’ bullpen, struck out Michael Conforto to begin the bottom of the 10th and worked around a stolen base that put the tying run on third and forced the infield in with one out to earn his first career save.
San Francisco Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee hits a one-run single during the first inning. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
The Giants’ bullpen, which had a 9.35 ERA in nine previous games on the road trip, threw five shutout innings behind Trevor McDonald, who left the game after five innings with the score tied at 1.
“You can’t say enough about the way Schmitty came in at the end and threw,” Vitello said. “We haven’t really had defined roles. It’s kind of been organized chaos. Tonight was a good example of all guys did was take the ball in whatever situation and do what they needed to do.”
Offensively, the Giants were in action early against Taillon, who walked Rafael Devers and allowed him to come around to score on an opposite-field single from Jung Hoo Lee to open a 1-0 lead.
But as soon as Assad entered, the Giants went silent.
“I don’t know that Assad even had his jersey on and all of a sudden he’s got to go,” Vitello said. “I’ve seen it so many times where that guy has a phenomenal outing because you don’t overthink it.”
Assad allowed only three Giants to reach base while tossing 6 ⅓ shutout innings of surprise relief, putting the Cubs in position to break the 1-1 tie in the eighth.
A walk and an error by Erik Miller had put runners at the corners with nobody out, but pinch-runner Kevin Alcantara was doubled up at third on a broken-bat line drive that went straight to Devers, who fired across the diamond to Chapman at third.
“Rafi, he might not talk a lot, but he’s a smart baseball player,” Chapman said. “He knows the game and he pays attention, so I’m not surprised he knew what to do with the baseball there.”
San Francisco Giants’ Rafael Devers, right, scores on a one-run single by Jung Hoo Lee. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
They survived the eighth and got around a walk from Winn in the ninth that put the potential winning run in scoring position and brought Crow-Armstrong to the plate.
Winn learned from his previous losing battle and didn’t offer Crow-Armstrong a splitter in the strike zone.
“It felt like yesterday, he was obviously sitting on it,” Winn said. “Today, I just tried to attack him with heaters early and let the split play below the zone.”
The Cubs led the majors in walkoff wins, and the Giants had been walked off more than all but one other team, but their fortunes flipped in a late-night finale to their 10-game, three-city trip.
What it means
The Giants, one of the majors’ worst teams away from home with a 14-23 road record entering the game, finished off their first non-losing road trip since their first of the season.
“It’s not always about what the numbers say on the scoreboard,” Chapman said. “If we help each other out and finish strong down the stretch and figure out a way to turn this thing around, nobody’s going to remember the beginning part of the season.”
San Francisco Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee, right, gets a high-five from Luis Arraez during the first inning. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Who’s hot
Despite their struggles against Assad, the Giants should return home feeling good about the biggest bats in their order, which isn’t something that could be said for much of the season.
Before Taillon exited, Lee extended his hitting streak to 15 games — the longest active streak in the majors — and finished the trip batting .561 (23-for-41).
Bryce Eldridge also extended his on-base streak to 14 games and went 15-for-35 on the trip.
The much-maligned middle of the order has also come alive with Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman combining to drive in 32 runs on eight home runs and 10 other extra-base hits while batting a respectable .271.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be down forever,” said Chapman, who was responsible for 17 of the runs driven in. “It feels good to feel like I can contribute. As a team, we really need it right now. Our backs are against the wall a little bit. We need wins.”
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Trevor McDonald throws against Chicago Cubs during the first inning. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Who’s not
The last time McDonald took the mound, he became the first Giants starter since his last turn in the rotation to complete five innings. This time around, another solid start from the rookie capped a suboptimal road trip from the rest of the pitching staff.
Despite their bats breaking out in a big way since they left home, the Giants still barely broke even over the 10 game, three-city trip.
“We left some stuff on the table,” Chapman said. “And we know that.”
Dating back to the start of the trip, the 6.49 ERA from Giants pitchers is the second-worst in the majors, ahead of only the Rockies, and it’s no secret what has been the biggest culprit.
The 55 walks issued over the course of the trip, including five more Sunday, were the most by any Giants team over a 10-game stretch since 2010, averaging out to almost two every three innings.
Up next
The Giants face an ultra-quick turnaround before hosting the Nationals on Monday to begin a six-game homestand. Logan Webb, who flew ahead of the team, gets the ball against Miles Mikolas and will be tasked with trying to hold in check the majors’ top run-scoring operation.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. found a way to keep Aaron Judge’s bat in the Yankees’ lineup.
After being held hitless by the Red Sox in each of his first three plate appearances on Sunday, the slugging infielder decided to make a change when he stepped to the bat rack.
Chisholm grabbed Judge’s 35-inch, 33-ounce bat instead of his own and ended up clubbing the first pitch he saw to deep right-center for a three-run homer.
“I was swinging and missing when I thought I was hitting the ball,” Chisholm said. “Sometimes you just need a little more weight and a little less on your swing.”
This isn’t the first time the lefty slugger has borrowed Judge’s bat.
Chisholm used one to homer off a position player in his second game as a Yankee, but also tore his right oblique after swinging too hard with the heavier lumber last April.
This time around, he knew he needed to just keep things simple.
“When I pick up his bat I know I can’t swing as hard as I can, or else I’ll tear an oblique like last year,” Chisholm said. “It helps to be able to just control the barrel, and just try to touch the ball instead of trying to hit it so hard.”
Chisholm’s dipped into most of his other teammates bats too, aside from Paul Goldschmidt and Giancarlo Stanton.
While Stanton’s bat is too difficult for him to swing, he of course, wore the injured slugger’s pants in an effort to break his slump at the plate late last month.
With Sunday's homer, Chisholm is hitting .306 with 11 RBI and a .918 OPS over his last 19 games.
The left-hander, in a bulk relief role, allowed two earned runs on four hits over four innings in the Mets’ 7-3 victory over the Padres.
It was Manaea’s sixth straight respectable outing since May 6, when he was removed from a game in Colorado after only one-third of an inning because of struggles.
Manaea, who worked behind opener Huascar Brazobán, was afforded a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning.
Freddy Fermin hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame and Manaea was removed for the sixth.
Sean Manaea prepares to throw a pitch during the Mets’ June 7 win against the Padres. Imagn Images
“The first-pitch fastball to Fermin, I wish I got that back,” Manaea said. “But, yeah, [the outing] was OK.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza could appreciate that Manaea went after hitters.
“He had to pitch today, which was good to see with so many righties, a heavy righty lineup,” Mendoza said. “For him to use the cutter, for him to use the changeup, got swings and misses with the fastball. Not an easy lineup to navigate and I thought he did a really good job.”
Carson Benge became the fourth Mets rookie to record a five-hit game that included a home run.
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The others were Pete Alonso (Aug. 15, 2019), Alex Ochoa (July 3, 1996) and John Milner (Sept. 8, 1972).
Mark Vientos was absent from the starting lineup for the third time in four games as Mendoza went with Jared Young at first base and MJ Melendez in left field, allowing DH duty for Juan Soto.
The struggling Vientos has seen his OPS drop from .703 to .617 over the past three weeks,
“It’s been hard for [Vientos], it’s been a rough stretch,” Mendoza said. “He’s just got to continue to fight. He’s got to continue to come in every day with the mindset that there’s adjustments. He’s got to continue to work, and he’s been doing that, so off the field that is kind of some of the things we’re looking for.”
May 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers designated hitter Jahmai Jones (18) hits an RBI single in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Well, we had some good times in 2025. Lefty masher Jahmai Jones seized that role from Andy Ibáñez, hero of the 2024 AL Wild Card series win over the Houston Astros, last year and he ran with it. This year it just isn’t happening, and while it’s easy to give up on a bench bat too quickly when the sample size of plate appearances is still too small, we’re now into June, the Tigers are a desperate team, and Jones shows zero signs of getting hot. Game after game, Jones is entering to pinch-hit for Colt Keith, or Kerry Carpenter, or Zach McKinstry, failing to get it done, and then costing them another bench move as Jones can’t really be trusted to play much in the outfield. There has to be a better way.
One of the failures of Scott Harris’attempts to build a complete roster is the presence of limited players that continue to undercut their supposed philosophy of having a very flexible, versatile bench. They already rely on too many jack of all trades, master of none, types in the first place. Not only is Jones not getting it done against left-handed pitching this year, he can’t really do anything else other than pinch-run effectively. Having a player in such an extremely limited and specific role isn’t ideal even when he’s hitting well, but you can deal with it. When he isn’t hitting, the Tigers are playing with a 12-man position player roster.
In 2025, Jones hit seven homers and posted a 159 wRC+ in 150 plate appearances, mostly against left-handed hitters. This year he has two homers and a grisly 35 wRC+ in 86 plate appearances and it has to stop now.
Obviously 86 plate appearances is a small enough sample that it’s hard to make too much of it under normal circumstances. With the Tigers desperate for help, there just isn’t time to wait around for Jones to figure it out. They’ve been very patient with him already, but with a stacked injury list it didn’t really matter because they already had no way to replace all their vacant roster spots. Now that they’re getting healthy, that last roster spot becomes the real point of dispute.
For my money, the smart move here is to call up Trei Cruz. A switch-hitter with typically balanced splits, who is arguably the their best center fielder right now, Cruz would open up a lot more options on the Tigers roster. He’s also a decent shortstop who could make Zack Short a moot point as well. Cruz is unlikely to hit any more than Zach McKinstry does and he generally does his best work hitting left-handed against right-handed pitchers, so don’t expect too much from his bat. However, his defensive versatility, pesky, disciplined at-bats, and speed on the bases would be an asset and actually give the Tigers more of the flexible bench they want, while opening up other options on the roster at the same time.
Adding Cruz, who is already on the 40-man roster to the mix, would allow them to sit Wenceel Pérez and Matt Vierling more against right-handed starters, with Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter in the corners. Pérez is a significantly better hitter against left-handed pitching, and he could then fill Jones’ role, with the added benefit of being marginally more functional defensively. Cruz’s presence would also give AJ Hinch a second option at the shortstop position, allowing them to DFA Zack Short and bring up one of Hao-Yu Lee or Max Anderson to play some third base, while otherwise riding the bench waiting for lefty relievers to pinch-hit against.
The biggest flaw in the plan is that Cruz has only been back with the Toledo Mud Hens for seven games. He’s not exactly tearing it up even by Triple-A standards, but while you’d like to catch him on a hot stretch, this isn’t really about his bat so much as how he frees up the rest of the roster and injects some flexibility back into the mix. Letting them use Pérez, Vierling, and perhaps one of their young, right-handed hitting infielders to hit left-handers, is only one of the benefits.
The Tigers could also choose to replace Jones by adding right-handed hitting Triple-A outfielders like Ben Malgeri or Corey Julks to the 40-man roster in Jones’ place. Julks has major league experience as a replacement level corner outfielder, and he’s hit 11 homers and stolen 8 bases for the Hens across 211 plate appearances this season. Julks doesn hold a 1.076 OPS against left-handed pitching this year, though we’re only talking about 52 appearances. He didn’t hit at all in the major leagues against either left or right-handed pitching, however. He’s also 30 years old and it’s highly unlikely that he’s figured it out at this point.
Malgeri is a little more interesting as the 26-year-old homegrown outfielder is a good enough outfielder to play center field in a pinch. He has six homers and seven steals for the Mud Hens this year, with an OPS against left-handed pitching of 1.148 in 67 plate appearances. I wouldn’t get too excited, however, as Malgeri didn’t hit lefties at the Double-A level last year, and overall has the track record of a career minor leaguer.
If the Tigers can’t quite quit on Jones just yet, and want to give Cruz some time to get his bat going, another option is to simply DFA Zack Short and use Zach McKinstry to spell McGonigle at shortstop as needed. That would at least open up the option of calling Lee back up, or adding Max Anderson to the 40-man roster and bringing him up instead. Anderson’s lack of plate discipline is going to remain his undoing, as he swings at everything, but he does have the hands to make a good amount of contact anyway, and plenty of power against left-handed pitching.
Lee is the better prospect of the two in my book, as he’s a little more disciplined and a better defender due to an edge in his range over Anderson. On the other hand, Anderson is pretty steady, and doesn’t make as many mistakes. Pick your poison.
The final option is for Scott Harris to go trade for a part-time, right-handed hitting outfielder who is more versatile than Jones. At this point, any player like that who can at least hit for some average and be more useful defensively would be an upgrade. That’s probably not in the cards this time of the year, especially with Harris running the show.
Jahmai Jones was a force off the bench in 2025, but it just isn’t happening this year. The lack of production isn’t just hurting the Tigers in his plate appearances, it’s costing them at-bats from good left-handed hitters late in games as well, with no gains to offset that issue. As long as he’s on the bench, manager AJ Hinch has to try and get him going somehow, but they can’t keep doing this any longer without a big sign from Jones that he’s about to turn things around. Even if the Tigers do DFA Jones, there won’t be that much interest in a lefty mashing DH who isn’t hitting at all. He may end up accepting an assignment to Triple-A Toledo to try and get back on track.
I feel like a broken record, but the Tigers can’t keep holding non-prospect level players they aren’t even willing to use in a limited role on their 40-man roster. If Jace Jung can’t help you right now, and he cannot, when is that supposed to happen exactly? The same is true with Trei Cruz and first baseman Eduardo Valencia. The latter is unfortunately a pretty balanced splits type overall, and so not really a good fit to replace Jones, and he’s even less valuable defensively and on the basepaths. Cruz is the one who checks the boxes as a near average center fielder who can also play shortstop, switch-hit, steal bases, and generally be a pest to opposing pitchers. If the Tigers don’t trust him to handle center field and shortstop to an acceptable degree, there’s no reason he should have been on the 40-man roster to begin with.
The Tigers might prefer to give Cruz some more games to get back to full speed against Triple-A pitching before joining his father and grandfather as major league players, but it’s hard to think of a move that could open up more options for them and create the flexible, versatile sort of bench that Harris always says that he wants. The Tigers have been very patient with Jahmai Jones, but they really need to try to freshen up their bench. Trei Cruz won’t provide a lot of offense, but his defensive ability would at least give them options to get more out of their bench spots.
The Mets dropped a tough one on Saturday night, falling to the Padres on a Freddy Fermin homer in the late innings, despite receiving an encouraging outing from Nolan McLean.
Austin Warren allowed a go-ahead blast in a rare hiccup thus far this season, then Mark Vientos' struggles continued as he went down easily on three pitches to end the game with the tying-run on-base.
Instead of sitting and sulking in the finale on Sunday, though, the Mets were able to come back and put together a complete effort from top-to-bottom to secure the series victory.
“It was a really good team win,” Carlos Mendoza said.
The offense was terrific after being held in check on Saturday, putting men on-base in all nine innings as they broke through for seven runs on 13 hits and four walks.
Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette stayed hot, but it was Carson Benge who led the way with a solo homer and RBI triple as part of his first-career 5-for-5 day.
“It was really cool to see,” Carlos Mendoza said. “Rockets pretty much everywhere, using the middle of the field, staying short and on top of the ball -- he set the tone for us.”
Benge is the third youngest player Met to go 5-for-5, and their first rookie since Pete Alonso (2019).
And he wasn’t the only youngster to shine, as A.J. Ewing showcased his outstanding range once again with a running grab in left-center to rob the Padres of extra-bases in the bottom of the eighth.
Ewing also drove in a run, and extended his hitting streak to five games with a ninth-inning single.
“I’m loving him out there,” Benge said.
“I feel like something cool or special is going to happen every day,” Sean Manaea added.
Manaea was terrific as well serving as the bulk reliever, holding the struggling Padres offense to just two runs across four innings of work to lower his ERA to 3.28 over his last four appearances.
Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams put the finishing touches on the victory.
After starting the road trip with a pair of tough losses in Seattle, the Mets were able to rebound nicely to finish it off 3-3, and winners in seven of their last 10.
They now head home for a big six-game stretch with the Cardinals and Braves.
“We just have to continue to win series,” Mendoza said. “Bouncing back after a tough one last night, they showed up today and set the tone early -- that’s what you want to see -- now enjoy the day and be ready for our homestand.”
Francisco Alvarez was back behind the plate as he continued his minor league rehab assignment on Sunday afternoon with Triple-A Syracuse.
The 24-year-old backstop enjoyed himself a much-needed strong day with the bat after going hitless in each of his last two appearances with the team.
Alvarez was retired his first two times up, but then drew walk before being stranded in scoring position.
He then ripped a third-pitch fastball right back up the middle in the top of the eighth, and came in to score a few batters later on a Matt Rudick homer.
Before that, Syracuse regained the lead on a Ryan Clifford RBI sacrifice bunt.
Alvarez finished 1-for-3 with a walk, and caught a runner too far off first on a back-pick.
The Mets don’t have an exact day for his return, but as long as things continue progressing as planned, he could be back in the lineup at some point during the upcoming six-game homestand.
On the mound for Syracuse, prospect Zach Thornton delivered a bounceback performance, allowing just two walks and walk hits while striking out five over five scoreless innings.
Tobias Myers followed that by only giving up an unearned run while striking out one over two innings of work in his second appearance following his demotion from the Mets.
Dylan Ross was called upon to get the final out after Syracuse ran into trouble in the ninth, and he allowed an RBI double and two walks before striking out George Lombard Jr. to end the game.
Ross took home his first save, but he’s now issued 16 walks over 18 outings this season.
Carson Benge just continues to progress at the big-league level.
The youngster has settled in nicely after a bit of a slow start to his career, and Sunday was easily one of his most impressive showings to this point.
Benge led the way for the Mets’ offense, becoming the third-youngster player in franchise history to enjoy a 5-for-5 day in a series-finale win over the Padres.
He’s also the first Mets rookie to reach that mark since Pete Alonso in 2019.
“Pretty impressive, it was really cool to see,” Carlos Mendoza said. “Rockets pretty much everywhere, using the middle of the field, staying short and on top of the ball -- he set the tone for us and it was a good team win.”
The 23-year-old certainly set the tone, lining the fourth pitch of the game right back up the middle before coming in with the opening run just two batters later.
Benge also singled leading off the top of the third, then again to open the fifth, with the second sparking another rally which chased Vásquez from the ballgame.
The damage wasn’t done there, as Benge lifted a homer in a left-on-left matchup in the sixth then ripped an RBI triple down the right-field line with two outs in the top of the eighth.
Benge scored three runs, drove in two, and finished just a double shy of the cycle.
“Today was definitely nice,” the slugger said. “It’s always nice to get two hits let-alone five, so being able to do that today was definitely pretty special.”
With the Mets’ offense extremely shorthanded Benge has slid seamlessly into the leadoff spot, hitting an impressive .316 with five homers and 20 RBI since the beginning of May.
“I’m not surprised,” Mendoza said. “We’ve seen the type of player and the talent and just the things he can do on a baseball field -- he’s settling in, is comfortable, and is just going out and playing his game.
“We’re going to see a lot of games like that moving forward where he’s just totally locked in and he's doing a lot of things to help us win baseball games -- he’s just a special player.”
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JUNE 02: Trevor McDonald #72 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at American Family Field on June 02, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s series finale time, and it’s getaway day … in the evening? Odd. Yes, the scheduling deities have blessed the San Francisco Giants by placing their 10th of 13 straight games in the evening, ahead of a flight back to the Bay Area. So it goes.
Taking the mound for the Giants is right-hander Trevor McDonald, who makes his seventh start of the season. The 25-year old is 2-3 on the year, with a 4.50 ERA, a 3.66 FIP, and 31 strikeouts to nine walks in 34 innings. In his last start, McDonald, who is trying to hang onto a rotation spot that he’s halfway through stealing from Tyler Mahle, gave up three runs in five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pitching for the Chicago Cubs is veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon. The 34-year old, who is in his fourth season with the Cubs, has made 12 starts this year, and is 2-5 with a 5.13 ERA, a 6.33 FIP, and 57 strikeouts to 21 walks in 66.2 innings. He’s also allowed an MLB-worst 20 home runs, which opens the door for a Giants team that has been putting the ball over the fence a lot lately. In Taillon’s last start, he gave up two runs in 6.1 innings against the Athletics.
Emmet Sheehan’s failure to complete the second inning Sunday resulted in an unexpected bullpen game for the Dodgers, who were forced to use six relievers in a 13-5 loss to the Angels.
Talk about an unpleasant surprise.
Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan didn’t last two innings Sunday against the visiting Angels. Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
Outside of a game last season in which he was used as an opener, the start was the shortest in the career of the 26-year-old Sheehan.
Pitching against the worst team in baseball, Sheehan lasted only 1 ⅓ innings.
Sheehan’s implosion came after spectacular performances by Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first two games of the series.
With one out in the second inning, he gave up a single to Jo Adell, which was followed by walks to Nick Madrigal and Jose Siri. A two-run single by Sebastian Rivero resulted in Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removing Sheehan, who had thrown 36 pitches in the inning, including 15 to Madrigal.
Blake Treinen gave up two runs in the fourth inning, and Alex Vesia was charged with two in the fifth to put the Dodgers at a 6-1 deficit.
But for however briefly, the Dodgers made a game of it, as back-to-back homers by Dalton Rushing and Ryan Ward in the bottom of the sixth reduced the deficit to 6-5.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-5 Sunday in the loss. Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
The Angels blew open the game in the next inning.
Jonathan Hernandez had a nightmare of a seventh inning, giving up six runs on a walk and five hits, including home runs by Adell and Zach Neto.
What it means
The Dodgers have won six of their last seven series, and they split the other. They are 16-6 over that span.
On May 13, they trailed the Padres by a half-game, but they now have a commanding lead over the Padres and Diamondbacks in the National League West.
Who’s hot
Rushing matched his career high in hits with a 4-for-4 performance that included a three-run home run and double.
Rushing is now 7-for-14 in his last four games.
Freddie Freeman also maintained his steady form.
In the three games against the Angels, Freeman was 5-for-10, including 2-for-5 in the series finale.
Freeman’s third-inning single contributed to the Dodgers’ first run, as it advanced Shohei Ohtani to third base and positioned the two-way player to score on a dribbler by Kyle Tucker.
Freeman has hit well over the last couple of weeks, batting .362 over his last 12 games.
Who’s not
Will Smith didn’t make his anticipated return to the lineup after being held out Saturday night with a stiff neck. Rushing started at catcher for the second consecutive game.
Up next
The Dodgers have a day off Monday. They resume play Tuesday in Pittsburgh, where left-hander Eric Lauer (2-5, 5.74 ERA) will make his third start for LA against Paul Skenes (6-5, 3.09) of the Pirates.
Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan delivers during the first inning of a 13-5 loss to the Angels at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The Angels flipped the script on the Dodgers, preventing a Freeway Series season sweep with a 13-5 win Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Emmet Sheehan’s start only lasted 1 ⅓ innings, as he struggled to keep his pitch count low. He threw 35 of his 49 pitches in the second inning alone. Many of those went to Nick Madrigal, who battled Sheehan in a 14-pitch at-bat in which Madrigal won two ABS challenges.
“I thought the stuff was good coming in,” said manager Dave Roberts about Sheehan. “After the first inning, I just didn’t feel comfortable getting him past the 40-pitch mark in one inning. I’m not going to put this guy in harm’s way.”
The Angels third baseman drew a walk, marking the beginning of the end for Sheehan, who already allowed a single. The 26-year-old pitcher loaded the bases with another walk. Angels catcher Sebastián Rivero drove in two runs with a center-field single.
“Frustrating,” Sheehan called his outing. “Couldn’t put guys away, not efficient.”
The game shifted into an unexpected bullpen game, and the Dodgers shuffled through seven pitchers. Edgardo Henriquez retired five consecutive batters. But the Dodgers’ spiral continued. Jo Adell reached first after a ball deflected off the glove of Miguel Rojas. Adell then moved to second on a passed ball by catcher Dalton Rushing. Reliever Blake Treinen then gave up a walk and before Rivero hit another two-run single.
Madrigal beat the Dodgers (42-24) in another double-digit pitch plate appearance in the fifth. Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called a third strike, but Madrigal argued with the umpire, emphatically slapping his head. After an ABS review, the pitch was determined to be a ball. Rushing, seemingly not pleased with a borderline check-swing call, argued with Iassogna. In the end, a 12-pitch at-bat resulted in another walk.
Coupled with a missed call for a walk on a foul-tip earlier in the game, the check-swing call added to a frustrating afternoon for the Dodgers.
“It should be reviewable,” Roberts said of the foul tip. “That changed the game, and obviously the Madrigal check-swing. I felt that he went. That did impact the game.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walks on the field during the seventh inning Sunday against the Angels. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Roberts replaced Alex Vesia with Jonathan Hernández, who gave up a two-run single to Jose Siri. Miguel Rojas threw out Madrigal at home on the hit to limit the damage.
In the third inning, Kyle Tucker drove in a run on a groundout that landed a foot away from home plate, but it gave Shohei Ohtani just enough time to sprint home after Rivero threw to first.
Still, the Dodgers, who had outscored the Angels 41-5 in games this season before Sunday, struggled. Twice, Rushing hit singles. Twice, Ryan Ward, the next batter, grounded into a double play, dashing any momentum. Rushing and Ward hit back-to-back home runs to right field in the sixth, but the Dodgers couldn’t capitalize on the momentum.
Rushing received more playing time than predicted this series, but he said he embraced the opportunity. He matched his career-high with four hits on Sunday. His home run was his first since April 20.
“This year, my whole goal was make sure if there’s an opportunity that I can pick a day that Will [Smith] needs rest, make sure that I can provide just as much as he does with the bat as well as behind the plate,” Rushing said Saturday. “He knows I’ll catch every game if he can’t go back there.”
Catcher Will Smith did not play Sunday because of neck stiffness, despite Roberts predicting the catcher would return for the series finale. Imaging on Smith’s neck came back negative, though it’s unclear if he’ll play Tuesday against Pittsburgh.
“It’s not anything serious, but it’s something that is preventing him from playing,” Roberts said. “It’s kind of a day-to-day thing.”
Rushing’s and Ward’s home runs were quickly negated when Adell hit a two-run homer to left-center field. Zach Neto also hammered a seventh-inning, three-run home run. By the time the game concluded, the bottom of the Angels lineup batted 13 for 15, walking four times. The Angels (25-41) could’ve scored more if not for Neto and Mike Trout, who hit a combined one for 12.
“The bottom half of the order, they were fouling off a lot of balls, we couldn’t put those guys out,” Roberts said. “But, yeah, the Madrigal at-bat really was a difference today.”
Glasnow talks about his injury
Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow (back spasms), who was put on the 60-day injured list Saturday, attributed his slow recovery to trying to come back too soon. He plans to rest a few days before building back up.
“It’s uncomfortable,” Glasnow said. “When I get into my load, something feels weird. The more I go, the more it starts to aggravate it. Generally, before I start to throw, as long as it’s completely gone, it gets over the hump, it’s gone, and then I can get back to full speed. I just feel like I haven’t gotten there yet.”
