Baseball News
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Tropicana Field
SB Nation Site: DRaysBay
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-7, 5.81 ERA) vs. LHP Steven Matz (4-2, 4.67 ERA)
Sign up for a user account and get:
Go Rays!
Sign up for a user account and get:
The feisty fish have given the Nats problems this year, and last night was no different. The Nationals bullpen was unable to hold on to their lead, and they lost 7-3. Tonight, they will try and even the series. They have been a series winning machine lately, so the Nats will not want to drop this one against the Marlins.
There will be a couple changes to the lineup. Jorbit Vivas will replace Nasim Nunez as the second baseman. Dylan Crews will be back in the lineup, after missing the last couple games with a minor hand issue. The struggling Daylen Lile won’t get the night off, but he will be off his feet as the DH. Drew Millas will be doing the catching. Richard Lovelady will open and Miles Mikolas will follow him.
With the lefty opener for the Nats, the Marlins put lefty masher Heriberto Hernandez at the top of the lineup. Liam Hicks will be at first base for Connor Norby. Other than that, it is the same personnel. Lake Bachar will be opening for the fish, and it will be all hands on deck in their bullpen.
Game Info:
Stadium: Nationals Park
Time: 6:45 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
The Nats have had problems against the Marlins, so hopefully they can snap out of it tonight. Getting all those hard fought wins against teams over .500 just to give those curly W’s away against the Marlins would be frustrating. That makes tonight an important matchup. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats.
Fresh off a 7-3 homestand, the O’s open their June schedule with three games in Boston against a reeling Red Sox team. The Orioles are just 9-17 on the road, while the Red Sox are 9-15 at home, so neither team is happy to be there. It’s a movable force against a stoppable object. But somebody has to win.
So why not the Orioles? Their hitting and their pitching (minus some bullpen slip-ups) were both on point during their just-concluded homestand, and tonight’s starter, Shane Baz, is coming off two consecutive excellent outings against his former team, the Rays. This is his first time facing the Red Sox this year but historically he’s been excellent against them, with a 2.64 ERA in five career starts. He’s held Jarren Duran, Boston’s leadoff hitter tonight, to a 2-for-14.
Scoring runs could be a problem for the Birds, considering they’re facing their Kryptonite, a left-handed starter. This is a pretty good one in rookie Connelly Early, who’s got a 2.95 ERA in 11 starts this year, though his 4.16 FIP indicates he’s been benefiting from some good luck. The Orioles will be unleashing their lefty-facing lineup that often fails to actually hit lefties, including Tyler O’Neill, who is 4-for-45 this year against southpaws. I’d sooner give Colton Cowser the start coming off his monster homestand instead of wasting more time with O’Neill, but what do I know? At least Samuel Basallo is in the lineup.
The Orioles right now have the most momentum they’ve had all season. Will they keep it going on the road, or immediately squander it?
Orioles lineup:
LF Taylor Ward
SS Gunnar Henderson
C Adley Rutschman
1B Pete Alonso
DH Samuel Basallo
3B Coby Mayo
RF Tyler O’Neill
CF Leody Taveras
2B Blaze Alexander
RHP Shane Baz
Red Sox lineup:
LF Jarren Duran
CF Ceddanne Rafaela
RF Wilyer Abreu
1B Willson Contreras
DH Masataka Yoshida
C Mickey Gasper
2B Isiah Kiner-Falefa
SS Marcelo Mayer
3B Caleb Durbin
LHP Connelly Early
Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave updates on a number of injured players as they start a three-game series with the Guardians on Tuesday...
With the injury to Aaron Judge, the Yankees could be in need of an outfield bat to replace their captain in the short term. Jasson Dominguez would be an ideal candidate if he could return from his IL stint and Boone offered a promising update on the young outfielder.
Boone said that Dominguez will take live batting practice and will begin a rehab assignment on Friday.
The 23-year-old outfielder was starting to turn things around since his call-up in late April. He was 6-for-30 in his nine games, but had five hits, including a home run, in his last seven games before landing on the IL with a shoulder sprain after running into the wall making a catch in the outfield.
Boone was asked about Giancarlo Stanton's status and it was more of the same from a week ago, when imaging showed that his calf strain was healing. Stanton will also be hitting in a live BP and continue his running ramp-up.
When asked if Stanton will need a rehab assignment, the Yankees skipper didn't have a definitive answer, but it was the least of his concerns.
"That’s not a big question for me….not necessarily, but I won’t rule it out either," Boone said. "We’ll decide that at the end. He’s different than every other player in that he doesn’t have to build up innings or things like that. It’s possible, but not a certainty either."
Boone said that he was hopeful Stanton would return soon since the slugger has been running the last few days, but conceded it could be a couple of more weeks before we see Stanton.
Stanton was slashing .256/.302/.422 with an OPS of .724. He also has three home runs and driven in 14 RBI in his 24 games.
Southpaw Max Fried was the final injury update that Boone provided and the skipper gave a short, but optimistic breakdown of what Fried has been going through since he landed on the IL with a bone bruise on his elbow.
"Threw again at 75 feet back-to-back days with some better intensity," Boone said. "Seems to be responding to everything very well. Just talking to him, he’s excited how he felt since even a couple of days after the outing in Baltimore. He’s been doing well. Meeting with the doctor today to see about whether we start ramping him up more. But seems to be responding pretty well."
Fried was pitching to a 3.21 ERA across his 10 starts before going down with injury. If the Yankees can get Fried back healthy, he'll slide into a rotation that has just welcomed back Gerrit Cole.
Today’s roster move: Here
Tuesday notes…
Cubs lineup:
Athletics lineup:
I’m not sure what to say about Jameson Taillon anymore.
His last three starts have been, well, awful. The numbers back me up: 14.2 innings, 21 hits and four walks (1.705 WHIP), 16 runs (all earned, 9.82 ERA), eight home runs. His four-seamer velocity is down from last year, not by much, but maybe dropping that from 92.3 to 91.7 makes a difference.
Last year he had a decent outing against the A’s, April 2, 2025 in Sacramento, allowing two runs (a two-run homer by Brent Rooker). I think we’d take that.
Just keep the ball in the yard, Jamo.
Gage Jump. Now there’s a name!
Jump was the A’s second-round pick in 2024 out of LSU. He was a Top 100 prospect before this season and after nine starts at Triple-A Las Vegas this year, the A’s called him up to make his MLB debut last Tuesday against the Mariners. He allowed nine hits and four runs in five innings.
That’s about all I’ve got here, besides the pitch chart below (for the 88 pitches he threw against Seattle). He’s obviously never faced the Cubs or anyone on their active roster.
Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Athletics site Athletics Nation. If you do go there to interact with A’s fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
Sign up for a user account and get:
The Jays shared some injury news today:
Apparently it is raining in Atlanta. I’m hoping the game will happen, because I’ve planed to watch at the bar with a friend, and, if the game doesn’t happen, we’ll have to talk or something.
Tonight’s lineup:
The Brewers’ offense came alive last night, when a Milwaukee offense that scored only nine runs over the weekend put up 16 on Landon Roupp and the San Francisco Giants in the first of a four-game series. Tonight, they will look to keep that offensive momentum going, Kyle Harrison looks to continue his brilliant start to the season.
Harrison’s brilliance this year has been overshadowed by the firepower of his rotation-mate, Jacob Misiorowski. But it’s actually Harrison who leads the Brewers in ERA, even after Misiorowski’s seven scoreless innings on Sunday: in 10 games started this season, Harrison has allowed just nine runs. He’s just short of “qualifying” for the ERA title, but if he did, he’d be third in the league, only behind the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler (1.50) and Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez (1.47). Incidentally, those are probably your two leading candidates for the AL and NL Cy Young Awards right now.
Harrison hasn’t allowed a run in any of his last three outings, which covers 18 innings. In that time he’s struck out 20 batters and walked only one.
For the Giants, 25-year-old righty Trevor McDonald will take the hill. He’ll be making his sixth start of the year (in just his tenth career appearance), and he’s been okay this season: in 29 innings, he has struck out 27 and walked only six. He’s had some bad luck, so his 4.34 ERA doesn’t look great, but his FIP (3.26) tells a nicer story. While McDonald has walked only nine batters in 47 major league innings (1.7 per nine), his minor league numbers suggest that might be small sample size blip; even in just the last two years, he’s walked 4.4 batters per nine when pitching with Triple-A Sacramento.
Milwaukee will mostly ride with the lineup that collected 18 hits last night. The one change is that Garrett Mitchell is in while Andrew Vaughn is out; Jake Bauers slides from left field to first base, while Milwaukee goes with a Jackson Chourio-Mitchell-Sal Frelick outfield alignment. For the second straight night, Luis Rengifo and David Hamilton make up the left side of the infield.
First pitch is at 6:40 on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
The awful road Orioles (9-17) take on the even more awful Fenway Red Sox (9-19) in a battle for the bottom of the American League East.
But you know who hasn’t been awful at Fenway of late? Connelly Early. He’s thrown back to back seven inning shutouts in the comforts of home against the Rays and Braves, who are two of the best teams in all of baseball.
Early’s probably going to have to be great again too, because offensively, the Red Sox have been so bad at Fenway Park this season, they’ve only won one game all year in which the opponent has scored more than two runs. In the month of May, it was even worse. Here’s all their wins at home in May, and as you can see, all of them involved the opponent scoring one run or less:
Boy do they suck!
The good news is, as you can probably deduce, two of those were the Connelly Early games referenced above, so between that and the Orioles being on the road, maybe they can break through tonight.
Lineup wise, the biggest items of note are Ceddanne Rafaela and Willson Contreras back in there after being out of the lineup on Sunday to double up on rest days with the Monday off day, and Mickey Gasper continuing to court favor with Chad Tracy as he once again gets the start behind the dish.
⚾️ First Pitch: 6:45pm — Fenway Park, Boston, MA
📺 TV: NESN
📻 Radio: WEEI
San Diego Padres (32-26) at Philadelphia Phillies (30-29), June 2, 2026, 3:40 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, Penn.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
Sign up for a user account and get:
The San Francisco Giants didn’t take long to find a new third base coach. Just four days after the team announced that they had removed Hector Borg from third base duties, and reassigned him within the organization, they formally hired his replacement: Gary Pettis.
Longtime Giants coach Ron Wotus had been serving as the interim third base coach following Borg’s demotion but, according to reporters, did not wish to remain in a full-time, traveling role. And so the Giants pounced on Pettis, announcing the news a day after USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported the likelihood of a deal.
Pettis, who is 68, has a lengthy resume, and has been coaching in the Majors for 22 years. He also has tons of experience as a third base coach specifically, as he served that role for the Houston Astros from 2015-2025, a run that included four championships and two pennants. He also spent many years working for the Texas Rangers, where he was primarily a first base coach, but also a third base coach for two seasons. Pettis was the first base coach for the Rangers in 2010, when they lost to the Giants in the World Series.
Not only does Pettis have tons of experience in the role, but he has plenty of experience with people in the Giants organization. During some of his time with the Astros, he worked under manager Dusty Baker, who currently serves as a special advisor to Buster Posey. And during much of his tenure with the Rangers, Pettis worked under manager Ron Washington, the organization’s Major League infield coach. So it’s safe to say that Pettis comes highly recommended from people within the organization.
In addition to his successful coaching career, Pettis played 11 seasons in the Majors as a centerfielder, and won five Gold Glove awards in a six-year period between 1985 and 1990. Befitting for his current role, Pettis was an excellent baserunner, and stole 354 bags in his career.
It’s also something of a homecoming for Pettis, who was born and raised in Oakland. He not only grew up in the East Bay, but played both his high school and college baseball in Oakland, at Castlemont High and Laney College, respectively. You can imagine how exciting it must be for Pettis to, after more than three decades in the Majors in various capacities, finally get a chance to wear a Bay Area jersey. His son, Dante, is an NFL wide receiver who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2018 draft, and spent parts of three seasons with the Niners.
Pettis is expected to join the Giants on Wednesday for their game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Texas Rangers lineup for June 2, 2026 against the St. Louis Cardinals: starting pitchers are Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers and Dustin May for the Cardinals.
The Texas Rangers go up this evening against Texas native and one time Dodgers wunderkind Dustin May.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Jung — 3B
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Duran — SS
Osuna — LF
Carter — CF
Higashioka — C
Lopez — 2B
6:45 p.m. Central start time. The game is a pick ‘em.
The curious case of Bryan Abreu continues to become more intriguing with every appearance he makes for the Houston Astros.
For a pitcher who was once considered one of the most feared setup men in Major League Baseball, it is an understatement to say that Abreu has underperformed this season. A reliever who routinely sat above 97 mph on the radar gun has seen his velocity drop by nearly three miles per hour, and the dominant results that Astros fans had grown accustomed to simply have not been there.
To be fair, Abreu had shown signs of improvement recently, putting together several scoreless appearances and appearing to regain some of the form that made him such a valuable weapon out of the bullpen. However, even during that stretch, the warning signs remained impossible to ignore.
His command issues continue to plague him. Too often he struggles to find the strike zone, frequently walking the leadoff hitter or putting additional runners on base. With a strike percentage hovering only slightly above 50 percent, Abreu is putting himself in difficult situations before opposing hitters even have a chance to do damage.
That simply is not good enough for a pitcher whose role is to enter high-leverage situations and protect slim leads, preserve ties, or keep his team within striking distance. The margin for error is too small, and right now Abreu is creating more problems than he is solving.
Beyond the numbers, he looks different. The confidence that once defined him appears to be missing. The intimidating presence and trademark stare that accompanied his dominance on the mound seem to have faded. His body language tells a story of a pitcher searching for answers rather than one who expects success every time he takes the ball.
The Astros must determine how they want to proceed because Abreu is no longer a reliever that manager Joe Espada can trust. That statement would have been unthinkable just a season or two ago, but it reflects the current reality.
While the recent scoreless outings are encouraging, context matters. The situations in which those appearances occurred matter just as much as the final line in the box score. The usage patterns suggest Espada deploys Abreu only when necessary or when the risk to the outcome of the game is relatively limited.
The series against Milwaukee provided another example. Entrusted with a one-run lead against a quality opponent, Abreu entered with an opportunity to secure a meaningful victory. Instead, he left the game with the score tied, and the Astros ultimately lost. It was another reminder that the version of Abreu who once thrived under pressure is nowhere to be found at the moment.
The question becomes: how much longer can the Astros continue expecting different results when placing him in situations he once handled with ease?
With Josh Hader expected to return soon and other bullpen options emerging, it is fair to wonder how long Abreu can maintain his place in the bullpen hierarchy. It may even be reasonable to question how secure his spot on the major league roster remains.
Abreu is approaching free agency, and based on his current performance, it is difficult to imagine owner Jim Crane committing significant money to an extension. The organization has already experienced the consequences of investing heavily in relievers after the disastrous Rafael Montero contract, and it would be surprising to see the Astros repeat that mistake.
As an impending free agent, Abreu is pitching for his next contract as much as he is pitching to rediscover the success that once made him one of baseball’s elite setup men. Unfortunately for both him and the Astros, neither objective appears close to being achieved.
The Astros are also in a position where every victory carries increased importance. After a slow start to the season, they are playing catch-up in the standings and cannot afford to give games away while waiting for a struggling reliever to figure things out.
That brings us to the questions the Astros must answer before the trade deadline.
Is there a physical issue contributing to Abreu’s declining velocity? Are there mechanical flaws causing his inability to consistently throw strikes? Is this something that can be corrected during the season, or does he need a stint on the injured list to address either a physical ailment or make significant adjustments?
There are mental questions as well. Has the constant struggle begun to affect his confidence to the point where he is expecting failure before he ever takes the mound? Has he become trapped in a cycle where poor performances feed self-doubt, which in turn creates more poor performances?
There is also the possibility that the heavy workload of recent seasons is catching up to him. Astros fans have seen similar situations before. One cannot help but wonder whether Abreu is dealing with the effects of overuse, much like Lance McCullers Jr. eventually experienced after years of heavy reliance and repeated arm issues. While the circumstances are certainly different, the concern remains valid when a pitcher’s velocity drops and effectiveness disappears.
Whatever the cause may be, the Astros cannot afford to ignore it much longer.
Bryan Abreu was once one of the most reliable and dominant relievers in baseball. Today, he is one of the biggest question marks on a team desperately trying to climb back into contention. Between now and the trade deadline, the Astros must determine whether the answers lie in mechanical adjustments, medical treatment, rest, or simply accepting that the pitcher they once depended on may no longer be the same.
Until then, every appearance will continue to add another chapter to the curious case of Bryan Abreu.
Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:
For the Padres:
Let’s talk about it.
Aaron Judge has a bone bruise near his right shoulder, New York manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday before the Yankees game against the Cleveland Guardians. This will be the first game Judge has been out of the Yankees lineup this season.
The team later clarified that the imaging revealed a bone bruise to Judge's rib, not his shoulder. He feels the discomfort in the shoulder. It's not the first time he has had an issue with his right ribs.
The two-time reigning American League MVP underwent imaging Monday. Boone called the injury a nagging issue and said Judge could be back in a few days. A firm timeline will not be set until Judge meets with team doctors later Tuesday.
With Jasson Dominguez and Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list, the Yankees are actually very thin in the outfield right now. Tuesday night, Boone will have utility infielder Jose Caballero in right field for Judge. Spencer Jones, who had been called up last month, was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton on May 22 after struggling at the plate.
Judge, 34, is hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI through the Yankees' first 59 games. He's slugging .533 with an .907 OPS.
“Hopefully, we’ve avoided something serious. But we’ll have an idea more when he meets with the doctor and then as the next couple of days unfold," Boone said to reporters in the Bronx.
The Yankees captain played through a partially collapsed lung and a stress fracture of his first right rib during the 2019 postseason. He suffered the injury on a diving catch attempt on an Albert Pujols fly ball on Sept. 18 and received pain injections to get through the playoffs. The fracture was not diagnosed until March 2020, when Judge complained of shoulder soreness during spring training. He missed all of the first part of the COVID-19 interrupted spring training in 2020 with the issue.
This story has been updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Judge injury update, what we know about Yankees lineup absence