Category: Baseball

We now know that the St. Louis Cardinals will finally have Lars Nootbaar back in the Major League lineup as he’s being activated for the homestand versus the Cincinnati Reds starting Friday night. There’s been a lot of discussion about what that will mean for the roster moving forward, but I’d like to focus on something that Lars Nootbaar’s return gives the team that statistics cannot track.

In case you missed the announcement that was reported on by MLB Trade Rumors, Lars Nootbaar is headed back to St. Louis. No additional roster move was required because St. Louis sent rule 5 pick Matt Pushard back to the Marlins. The expectation is that Lars will take over his spot in left field which has been covered by Jose Fermin, Bryan Torres, Nelson Velázquez and Thomas Saggese since Nathan Church was injured. There’s a good chance that Lars will be slotted 5th, 6th or 7th in the batting order which should be an upgrade over the production from the bottom of the lineup so far this season. These are important and tangible differences that having Lars back will make for the St. Louis Cardinals.

May I introduce one other factor that I haven’t seen mentioned so far about what Lars Nootbaar’s return will provide the St. Louis Cardinals? If I were one of the Sabermetrics experts here in the VEB community (spoiler alert: I’m not), I’d call my intangible metric TOE. Tarps Off Energy.

One of my favorite parts of the St. Louis Cardinals 2026 season compared to the past 3 years is the competitive energy that the team’s young players bring to the table. I can count on one hand the number of games this year where I’ve felt the team lacked intensity. Now, imagine Lars Nootbaar bringing his personality and fire to what we’ve already seen this season. I can’t wait.

I was not surprised to see ESPN mention today that they believe Lars will become a trade deadline candidate if he stays healthy. That may be so and I don’t disagree that the team should listen to offers and move if the right one is presented. I have to wonder if his playing time between now and the trade deadline is enough to show his value to another team. There’s also the issue of whether Lars can remain healthy which has been his challenge for the past few seasons. However, even if that happens, that gives Lars nearly two months to make a positive impact on the Cardinals young lineup.

Having a career 9.4 WAR player added to the bottom of the lineup which needs help can only be a good thing. There are many that believe Nootbaar being back will also enable the Cardinals to move Victor Scott II back to the minors for more development time once Nathan Church is able to return in the next week or so and I don’t disagree. But, I still believe one of the biggest pluses of having Lars Nootbaar back with the St. Louis Cardinals active roster is the energy he will bring. Let’s hope his positive mojo will be like adding fuel to an already burning fire this young team has already shown.

Long-time Denver Post sports reporter Patrick Saunders announced today on X that he would be leaving the newspaper on June 24, 2026.

Saunders has worked for the post since October 1998 when he began writing about the Denver Broncos.

In 2005, he moved to covering the Colorado Rockies, only missing two years when he served as The Post’s online sports editor (2010-2011).

The third-generation Colorado native, Saunders was recognized in 2018 as the Colorado Sportswriter of the Year. He also served as president of the Baseball Writers’ Association in 2017.

Saunders has degrees in history and education from Fort Lewis College and earned a master’s degree in journalism for the University of Colorado where he works as an adjunct faculty member teaching journalism courses.

Thoughts and well wishes have poured in from the Rockies media community:

On a personal note, Saunders’ departure marks a significant loss of institutional memory on the Rockies beat. In watching Patrick work, he has an ability to ask difficult questions in ways that elicit thoughtful answers. He has worked tirelessly to cover the Rockies and share stories that might be overlooked.

Plus, he’s very funny.

Whatever’s next for Patrick, we here at Purple Row appreciate all that he’s done and look forward to seeing what’s next.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Roster moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.

• Recalled from Triple-A Reno: LHP Phillip Abner (No. 50)
• Recalled from Reno: RHP Kade Strowd (No. 24)
• Optioned to Reno following last night’s game: RHP Brandon Pfaadt
• Placed on family medical emergency list: RHP Taylor Clarke

The big move is, of course, the exit of Pfaadt from the active roster. Little more than a year ago, he had signed a five-year, $45 million contract extension covering the years 2026-30. That bought out his arbitration years, and gave the team an option for 2031, as well as a mutual option for 2032. Despite his success in the 2023 playoffs, it was an interesting move considering Pfaadt at the time had made 50 regular season starts and been replacement level, with a 5.06 ERA. Things since he inked the deal have only gone downhill: a 5.25 ERA in 2025, and a 5.94 ERA in three starts this year, before getting bumped to the bullpen. Things hardly improved (5.91 ERA), and led to today’s move.

It’s not an enormous surprise, Torey Lovullo saying they wanted to get Pfaadt stretched out as a starter again. He hasn’t thrown 40 pitches in a game for more than a month. Along with the news that Corbin Burnes won’t be back until September (if at all), it means the team has little starting depth, if any replacement for the current rotation were to be needed. So far, the team has been lucky, needing only six starting pitchers. But with Mitch Bratt currently on the minor-league IL, we’d perhaps be looking at a call-up for Thomas Hatch. A 4.01 ERA across 11 starts in the Pacific Coast League is good. But he’s only averaging fourteen outs per game for Reno.

We also note the temporary absence for Clarke. Don’t know any of the details, and it’s frankly none of our business. But I hope whatever it is, gets taken care of, and Clarke is able to come back with a good mind. He has been an excellent part of the bullpen with a 1.73 ERA (and almost of that due to the Opening Day blow-up in LA), and his 26 relief innings leads the club this season. We’ll see whether it’s Abner or Strowd who becomes a long-term resident of the Diamondbacks bullpen, with the other presumably going back down when Clarke returns.

Jung Hoo Lee has been someone the San Francisco Giants can look to when they need a base hit.

Despite San Francisco's season of dismay, Lee in the Giants' recent string of games, has been a ray of sunshine beaming through a dark cloud that's casted over the baseball club.

The Giants' 27-year-old right fielder extended Major League Baseball's longest active hitting streak to 12 games in San Francisco's 12-9 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, June 4. Lee's streak is also a career-best for the third-year major leaguer.

Lee had four hits on Thursday against the Brewers. He finished the game batting 4-of-5 with three runs scored and a RBI.

Lee now has 67 hits this season, tied for 10th in the MLB. His teammate Luis Arraez is second in the league with 76 hits. Lee also has a .322 average, .356 OBP and .803 OPS, all currently above his career averages.

"I know Ichiro (Suzuki) is a hero of his. The one thing I think Jung Hoo had going at times on video from the past and then seeing it in-person or in the season is that style of hitting I think that we're kind of familiar with from a lot of Asian players. It's got a little bit of rhythm, little bit of movement going forward," Giants skipper Tony Vitello told reporters after the game. "But Ichiro, (he) was always going forward and in line with the pitcher... I just think he's a really good hitter. Again, I boil it down to the mentality. But I do see him staying in line a lot better than he did earlier in the year."

The San Francisco Giants are turning the 2026 season into a rather forgetful one.

At this point in the season, as records are taking shape and we get a sense of the teams being fielded, the Giants' shortcomings have been surprising.

The season was headlined by the excitement and doubts of Tony Vitello, a first-year skipper with no major league experience. There was anticipation for the returning lineup that includes Casey Schmitt, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Heliot Ramos, among others.

There was excitement about the arrival of Tyler Mahle and Luis Arraez, and a full season with Rafael Devers. That was March. We're in June, and all that is out the window.

The Giants have one of the worst records in all of baseball. They are dead last, if not second-to-last, in their NL West division, at 25-38, and are currently trending towards the club's first 100-loss season since 1985.

San Francisco has lost seven of its previous 10 games. Prior to back-to-back wins on Wednesday and Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers to conclude their series, the Giants' previous win in that span came against the Colorado Rockies in a 19-6 rout on May 31. Outside of that, there have been mostly low points for the Giants who have, at times, struggled to score runs.

At this point in the schedule, the Giants should consider ways to give their fans something to cheer for and salvage an abysmal season, even if it means preparing for the future.

Here are options for San Francisco to consider:

After a quick four-game series split against the Giants in Milwaukee, the Brewers are headed out west for a three-game set in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. The Crew sits at 37-23 on the season, five games ahead of the Cardinals and Pirates atop the NL Central as of this writing. On the other side, the Rockies are coming off back-to-back series wins over the Giants and Angels, moving them to 24-39 on the season, still in last place in the NL West.

While several key players have returned for the Brewers in recent weeks, they had a string of injuries in Thursday’s series finale against the Giants, as both DL Hall and Grant Anderson exited. Hall has already been ruled out for the road trip, as he’ll remain in Milwaukee to undergo an MRI scan as he deals with left subscapular/pectoral discomfort. Anderson, who took a liner off his right arm, is reportedly day-to-day with a contusion after X-rays were negative. Lefty Rob Zastryzny, who returned from the IL last weekend, went right back on the shelf with a trap strain, and he’s out until at least late June. Right-hander Brandon Woodruff is close to returning, as is outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who is on the verge of a rehab assignment. Right-hander Quinn Priester is now rehabbing with the ACL Brewers as he continues to deal with the effects of thoracic outlet syndrome. Right-hander Logan Henderson and left-hander Jared Koenig are also expected to return in the coming weeks.

For Colorado, they also have a few day-to-day injuries, as TJ Rumfield is dealing with a nagging shoulder issue, and Tyler Freeman is dealing with shin soreness. Outfielders Jordan Beck, Mickey Moniak, and Brenton Doyle are also out, with Moniak the closest to returning, potentially as soon as this weekend. DH Kris Bryant continues to be plagued by injuries, as he hasn’t played a single game this season. On the pitching side, RJ Petit (2027), McCade Brown (TBD), Jose Quintana (second half), Chase Dollander (TBD), Victor Vodnik (TBD), Jimmy Herget (mid-June), and Welinton Herrera (TBD) are all out.

Jake Bauers is the first Brewer to hit double-digit homers this year, hitting his 10th of the season earlier this week. Brice Turang has seven homers, while Jackson Chourio’s two-homer game in Thursday’s series finale brings him to four for the year, tied with William Contreras and Christian Yelich. Beyond those guys, Milwaukee’s offense features Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, David Hamilton, Andrew Vaughn, Joey Ortiz, Gary Sánchez, Blake Perkins, and Luis Rengifo. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .247/.336/.369 (.705 OPS ranks tied for 16th), with 44 homers (last), 301 runs (sixth), and 63 steals (second).

Catcher Hunter Goodman leads Colorado’s offense with 15 homers this season, with Rumfield at eight homers and Jake McCarthy and Ezequiel Tovar the next best among active players at four homers apiece. Willi Castro, Kyle Karros, Freeman, Edouard Julien, and Troy Johnston round out healthy regulars, while Sterlin Thompson, Braxton Fulford, Chad Stevens, and Brett Sullivan serve as depth. As a team, the Rockies are hitting .247/.316/.391 (.707 OPS ranks tied for 14th), with 60 homers (tied for 20th), 272 runs (15th), and 50 steals (ninth).

The Brewers’ bullpen picture is a tad unclear after the injuries to Hall and Anderson, but the leaders of the current group include Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill. Jake Woodford’s ERA has ballooned to 6.94 after another blow-up outing on Thursday, with Chad Patrick, Robert Gasser, Shane Drohan, and Coleman Crow (all three of whom have started games at different points this season, including the latter three in the last week) rounding things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.26 team ERA (third), including a 3.23 starter ERA (third) and a 3.30 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 580 batters (third) over 535 1/3 innings.

Brennan Bernardino leads the Rockies with 28 appearances this season, pitching to a 3.70 ERA over 24 1/3 innings. Juan Mejia (5.79 ERA) and Jaden Hill (3.43 ERA) rank second and third in appearances, respectively, while former starter Antonio Senzatela has looked great in a bullpen role this year, with a 1.30 ERA and three saves over 34 2/3 innings (17 appearances). Seth Halvorsen (2.70 ERA over 13 1/3 innings) is the only other real standout for Colorado. Former Brewer farmhand TJ Shook (no runs allowed over two innings), Keegan Thompson (7.56 ERA over 8 1/3 IP), and Blas Castaño (no appearances) round out the bullpen. As a staff, the Rockies have a 5.46 team ERA (last), including a 6.03 starter ERA (last) and a 4.92 bullpen ERA (26th). They’ve struck out 451 batters (28th) over 552 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, June 5 @ 7:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (1-4, 6.24 ERA, 5.59 FIP) vs. RHP Ryan Feltner (2-1, 4.85 ERA, 5.06 FIP)

Sproat hasn’t been able to figure things out just yet, and patience seems to be wearing thin as he’s now 11 appearances (nine starts) deep into the season. He sits with a 6.24 ERA, 5.59 FIP, and 52 strikeouts across 49 innings, as he’s allowed a whopping 48 hits (10 homers) and 27 walks for a 1.531 WHIP. He got hit hard again in Houston his last time out, allowing five runs on six hits (but walking none!) with four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in a 9-2 loss. This marks Sproat’s first career appearance against the Rockies.

Feltner, 29, is a former fourth-round pick now in his sixth MLB season with the Rockies. He’s made six starts thus far, with a 4.85 ERA, 5.06 FIP, and 19 strikeouts across 26 innings. He’s coming off his best start of the season, as he went six scoreless innings with four hits and no walks allowed, striking out two in an 8-3 win over the Giants. Feltner has made five career starts against Milwaukee, totaling 27 2/3 innings with a 2.93 ERA and 26 strikeouts. That includes a six-inning, one-run outing last season that resulted in a no-decision.

Saturday, June 6 @ 8:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (6-2, 1.65 ERA, 1.85 FIP) vs. RHP Tanner Gordon (0-1, 6.37 ERA, 4.09 FIP)

Misiorowski is coming off one of the best months we’ve ever seen for a Brewer pitcher (despite not winning NL Pitcher of the Month). He went seven scoreless frames against the Astros on Sunday, allowing three hits, a hit batter, and no walks while striking out eight in his sixth win of the season. Across 12 starts this year, he has a sterling 1.65 ERA, 1.85 FIP, and league-leading 108 strikeouts over just 71 innings. This marks his first career appearance against the Rockies.

Gordon, 28, is a former sixth-round draft pick now in his third MLB season with the Rockies. After making all 15 of his appearances as a starter a year ago, he started 2026 as a reliever, making his first seven appearances from the bullpen before getting the start in his last two outings. For the year, he’s totaled 35 1/3 innings with a 6.37 ERA, 4.09 FIP, and 35 strikeouts. He got hit hard in a 19-6 loss to the Giants in his last outing, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two over three-plus innings. This marks his first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Sunday, June 7 @ 2:10 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (2-1, 2.87 ERA, 2.78 FIP) vs. LHP Kyle Freeland (1-6, 8.06 ERA, 6.08 FIP)

Drohan is set to make his third major league start and 13th appearance in Sunday’s series finale. After making his MLB debut as a starter, he made his next 10 appearances from the bullpen before returning to the rotation on Monday night against the Giants. He went four innings in that one, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five as the Brewers would go on to a 16-2 blowout victory. As is the case with Sproat and Miz, this is Drohan’s first career appearance against Colorado.

Freeland, a fourth-place finisher in the NL Cy Young race back in 2018, has never quite been able to replicate that success. After leading the majors with a whopping 17 losses last season, he has a dismal 8.06 ERA and 6.08 FIP across his first 10 starts this season, totaling 48 innings with 43 strikeouts. He’s allowed at least three runs in each of his last seven starts, including six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings against the Angels in his last outing, taking a no-decision as the Rockies would go on to win 9-8. A familiar foe for the Brewers, Freeland is 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA and 51 strikeouts across 58 1/3 innings (10 starts) against Milwaukee, though he lost both appearances against them last year, allowing 11 runs over just 10 1/3 innings.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, June 5: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, June 6: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, June 7: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

This could be one of the highest-scoring series we’ve seen this year, especially when you consider how dismal some of Colorado’s pitchers have been this year and the high-altitude environment of Denver. While the Brewers are just 7-13 in Colorado since beating them in the 2018 NLDS, they did manage to win the series a year ago. Give me a repeat of that performance as the Brewers win two of three.

The Cubs are in some unfamiliar territory.

With their 5-4 10-inning loss to the visiting Athletics Wednesday night, Chicago became the first team in MLB history to win at least 15 straight home games and then lose their next eight straight at home.

Chicago started its season blazing hot at 27-12, didn’t lose a home game from April 11 to May 18 and was in the driver’s seat in the NL Central.

The team’s 15-game home win streak included sweeps over NL East teams in the Mets and Phillies as well as sweeps over the Reds and Diamondbacks.

With an offense producing at a high level and the team winning six one-run games at home during the stretch, it seemed Chicago was well on its way to its first NL Central title since 2020.

But since May 18, everything that could’ve gone wrong for the Cubs has gone wrong.

Chicago was first swept by its rival Brewers from May 18-20, scoring just five runs across three games.

Against the Astros from May 22-24, the Cubs were outscored 15-7 and were even shutout in Game 2 of the series, 3-0. Shota Imanaga struggled mightily in the series finale, surrendering seven runs on seven hits.

The Cubs finally seemed to be getting out of their home funk Wednesday when they were up 4-2 in the eighth inning against the Athletics, but their bullpen imploded, allowing two runs in the eighth and one in the 10th.

It’s not just one factor contributing to Chicago’s struggles, however.

The team’s lack of power hurt it throughout May, as Chicago hit just 27 home runs, the sixth-fewest in the majors. A year after blasting 31 home runs, Pete Crow-Armstrong has just eight in 2026 so far.

Chicago’s pitching staff also has dealt with injuries to Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera, and has a team ERA of 4.15, 18th in the majors.

Once in first place in the NL Central, the Cubs are now just 32-30 and have dropped to fourth, six-and-a-half games back of first-place Milwaukee. Chicago is a game out of the NL’s final wildcard spot.

The Cubs look to avoid a sweep as they conclude their series against the Athletics Thursday night.

PHOENIX — Former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, who signed the richest contract in Arizona Diamondbacks history, was scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Friday and return to the Diamondbacks in July for the first time in 13 months.

The plan was to step into the rotation, be there for the pennant stretch, and lead the Diamondbacks back into the postseason with perhaps a deep October run.

Instead, there he was Thursday, talking about changing diapers and making his kids’ lunch at home for another two months, hoping he can just return by the end of the season for his sanity.

Burnes, who signed a six-year, $210 million contract, had his Tommy John surgery recovery paused for at least another two months after an MRI revealed that he has a teres major/lat strain in his right shoulder.

“It's obviously frustrating,’’ Burnes said. “Your team’s playing good baseball, you want to get back and have as much of an impact as you can. … It's tough to have put in work for 11 months and you're a little over a month away from being back. It sucks.’’

Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober has a reason for his recent elbow injury.

Ober, who was recently placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, blamed his injury on slick baseballs used during a rainy game at Fenway Park on May 24.

The righty told reporters that the balls used during the Twins’ 6-5 win over the Red Sox were the worst he’s rubbed during his six-year career. He also said they led to grip issues throughout his five innings pitched, in which he allowed four runs on seven hits.

“The only way to be able to throw slick baseballs is to grip them harder, so you can execute your pitches,” Ober said, according to the Star Tribune. “If not, you’re not going to know where the ball is going, especially with breaking pitches.”

Ober made one more start against the Pirates on Saturday, but surrendered a season-high eight runs before landing on the injured list.

The Twins pitcher said his arm felt better during the week between his final two starts, but the injury popped up again in the second inning against Pittsburgh.

Ober, 30, is expected to be sidelined for roughly a month while recovering from the injury, adding that he and Twins athletic trainer Nick Paparesta have had conversations since his issues started.

“We both kind of came to the conclusion, and other people said, ‘Well, you probably did this in Boston,’” Ober said.

Before going on the IL, Ober held a 6-3 record with a 4.59 ERA through 12 starts. Despite having a strong April, he allowed 20 runs in 28.2 innings in May.

Ober is still looking to recapture his 2022 form, in which he pitched to a 3.21 ERA, but his mark steadily increased to 5.10 last season.

The Twins are currently 29-34 and third in the AL Central, behind the White Sox and Guardians.

Striker Pence, the nephew of former San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence, announced on Instagram on Thursday afternoon that he is reclassifying from the class of 2028 to the class of 2027.

Striker, 17, is a right-handed pitcher from Santiago High School in Corona and is already considered the class of 2027 No. 2 prospect and the top prep pitcher in the country, behind Dylan Seward of Norco.

Before reclassifying, Baseball America had Striker ranked as the No. 1 player in his class, while Perfect Game has him ranked as a 10.

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Perfect Game vice president of scouting, Jered Goodwin, said what separates Striker from the rest of his class is being able to utilize his tools and seeing how they translate in competition.

Considered a power arm pitcher and having a 6-foot-6 frame, while weighing 185 pounds, Striker has already shown why there is so much excitement surrounding him.

Striker’s pitch arsenal includes a fastball that sits at 98 mph and reaches up to 101 mph, while his slider sits in the mid-80s.

In August last year, he caught everyone’s attention while pitching in the Area Codes game at Blair Field in Long Beach by throwing seven straight pitches at 100 mph.

The knock against Striker has been commanding his fastball when it reaches triple digits. If he is able to locate his fastball better, he will have a chance to unlock another aspect of his game.

In a game against Orange Lutheran last season, he showed just what the potential of his slider could look like in a league game against Orange Lutheran.

Striker threw a slider towards the lower outside part of the strike zone, making University of Texas Commit, Brady Murrieta, drop to his knees swinging for a strike.

Santiago finished last season with a 19-12 record and finished third in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoffs.

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (28-35) will continue their nine-game homestand tonight as they play the rubber game of their three-game series opposite their former divisional opponent, the Pittsburgh Pirates (33-29).

RHP Kai-Wei Teng (3-3, 2.57 ERA) will try to pitch the Astros to a series victory in what is his his fifth consecutive turn in the Astros rotation tonight as he starts opposite RHP Jared Jones (0-0, 10.38 ERA) and the Pirates

MY WAY OR THE KAI-WEI: RHP Kai-Wei Teng has split his season between the bullpen (13 G) and rotation (5 starts), posting a 2.57 ERA (12ER/42IP), a .185 opponent average, and a 1.10 WHIP.

Teng is new to the Astros organization, as he was acquired from San Francisco on Jan. 29, 2026 in exchange for minor league catching prospect Jancel Villarroel.

A native of Taiwan, Teng is the second Taiwanese-born player to appear with the Astros in their history, joining RHP Chia Jen-Lo, who made 19 relief appearances with the Astros in 2013.

VS. THE PIRATES: The Astros are hosting the Pirates in Houston for their first series in the city since July of 2024.

Since the Astros moved to the AL in 2013, the Astros and Pirates have split their matchups evenly, winning 10 games apiece. Historically, these teams have played each other 720 times, with the Astros going 349-371.

ASTROS ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have made the following roster moves:

• OF LaMonte Wade Jr. (#31) has been signed to a Major League contract and is active for tonight’s game.

• C Collin Price (#37) has been selected to the Major League roster.

• OF Joey Loperfido has been reinstated from the IL and optioned to Triple A.

• OF Zach Cole has been optioned to Triple A.

• C César Salazar and OF Rhylan Thomas have been designated for assignment.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros rallied back from a five-run deficit, scoring six runs in the 8th inning en route to a thrilling 11-9 comeback victory in Houston. RF Cam Smith (2×5, 3RBI) had the go-ahead hit, a two-run triple in the 8th, while DH Yordan Alvarez (4×5, 2RBI) tied a career high with four hits. LHP Josh Hader (0ER/1IP) closed out the win for his first save of the season in what was his first Major League appearance of 2026.

TONIGHT’S TV: Tonight’s game will be televised locally by Space City Home Network with Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum and Julia Morales on the call. The game will also air locally and nationally on FS1, which will feature Eric Collins and Tom Verducci.

LOS ASTROS: Space City Home Network will televise this series in English and Spanish with the Spanish broadcast being televised on SCHN2. Danny Gonzalez and Enrique Vasquez will be on the call on the Spanish telecast this series.

ON THE DIAL: The Astros English radio broadcast this series will feature Robert Ford and Josh Reddick, who’s subbing for Steve Sparks. Reddick, who played parts of 13 seasons in the Majors and was a 2017 World Series champion, will make select appearances on Astros radio this season.

TONIGHT’S ANTHEM: Tonight’s Anthem will be performed by the Voices of Mobile, which is a vocal ensemble hailing from the University of Mobile, the alma mater of Astros manager Joe Espada.

MONTHLY AWARDS: Announced yesterday, RHP Spencer Arrighetti was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for May after going 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA (3ER/29IP) and a .165 opponent average (16×97) in five starts in the month. He followed DH Yordan Alvarez, who won the AL Player of the Month for March/April of this season.

LATE NIGHT LAMONT: OF LaMonte Wade Jr. joins the Astros after spending his entire season at Triple A Charlotte in the White Sox organization, appearing in 46 games and hitting .250 (38×152) with seven homers, 26 RBI, 45 walks and an .861 OPS.

Wade has appeared in 560 career Major League games over parts of seven seasons with the Twins (2019-20), Giants (2021-25) and Angels (2025).

VOTING COMMENCES: MLB launched the 2026 Konami eBaseball MLB All-Star Ballot yesterday.

Astros on the ballot: 1B Christian Walker, 2B Jose Altuve, 3B Isaac Paredes, SS Jeremy Peña, C Yainer Diaz, DH Yordan Alvarez, OF Brice Matthews, OF Jake Meyers and OF Cam Smith.

ON THE LEADER BOARD: DH Yordan Alvarez leads MLB in OPS (1.075), SLG (.649), and total bases (146), and leads the AL lead in batting average (.316) and homers (21).

Also in the AL, he ranks tied for first in hits (71), second in extra-base hits (33), second in OBP (.426), tied for second in RBI (44), tied for sixth in walks (40), and eighth in runs (41).

WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER: 1B Christian Walker leads the AL in RBI with 45, which is one RBI more than teammate DH Yordan Alvarez (44), and ranks sixth in the AL in homers (16).

Walker also has not committed an error in 62 games.

FIRE STARTER: SS Jeremy Peña is batting .316 (18×57) with three home runs, 10 RBI and an .866 OPS in 15 games since being activated from the IL on May 18. The Astros are 9-6 since his return.

HIT PAREDES: 3B Isaac Paredes has 99 career homers and is looking to become just the fourth Mexican-born player in MLB history to the reach 100. Paredes just reached another milestone on Sunday vs. MIL, becoming the 10th Mexican-born player in MLB history to reach 500 career hits.

THERE IS A SANTA!: RHP Alimber Santa (pronounced saun-tuh) set a franchise record by retiring the first 18 batters of his career consecutively before giving up a walk last night. The 18 consecutive batters retired are the most to begin a career since the Pirates RHP Nick Kingham retired 20 straight to open his career on April 29, 2018 vs. STL.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1997 – 3B Bill Spiers is walked in four straight PAs, including two intentional passes, which ties a club record for the most consecutive walks in a single 9.0-inning game. This streak added to Spiers’ run, in which he would set a club record by reaching base safely in 13 consecutive PA’s over a six-game span (nine walks, three singles, HBP).

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, June 4, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network, FS1, SCHN2 (Spanish)

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

The A’s had an awesome come-from-behind victory last night, scoring two runs in the eighth to tie the game before taking a one-run lead into the ninth and holding on. That earned them win #30 on the year and pushed them past the Texas Rangers into second place,

Right-hander J.T. Ginn will be tasked with finishing off the Cubs and helping the A’s to the sweep, something the squad hasn’t accomplished since early April. The 27-year-old is in the midst of a fantastic season and is looking to keep that going against a slumping Cubs squad.

The Athletics’ lineup for tonight’s series finale shakes out like this:

A new man at the top as rookie center fielder Henry Bolte will bat leadoff this evening. He’ll be followed by the usual duo of Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz, while the hit-swinging Colby Thomas, who homered last night, bats cleanup. Soderstrom brings up the rear of the top half batting fifth.

We have a couple regulars getting the day off as well in Brent Rooker and Darell Hernaiz. That means catching duties fall to Jonah Heim this evening while Alika Williams will handle shortstop. Second and third are occupied by the regulars in Jeff McNeil and Zack Gelof.

As for the Cubs, they’ll be relying on righty Shota Imanaga to help them avoid the dreaded home sweep. Now in his third year in MLB, the 32-year-old has steadily declined since bursting onto the scene in 2024. He started off strong this year, posting a 2.32 ERA through his first nine starts. Things have quickly fallen apart for him over his last three appearances: eight earned runs, seven earned runs, and most recently five allowed to Cardinals. This recent cold streak has raised his season ERA over two full runs. He may be skidding but the Athletics’ batters have to be on their game tonight and hope this isn’t the game he figures things out. He’s only pitched once against the A’s, firing six innings of two-run ball back when the A’s were still in Oakland a couple years back.

And the Chicago starting nine:

The Cubs are slumping but there’s still plenty of power and danger in that lineup if Ginn takes them lightly. You know he won’t though and he should be ready for tonight’s gamezl

Time to finish off the sweep. Let’s go A’s!

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Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

The final game in Atlanta. They’ve lost the series and four in a row, and avoiding the sweep will be difficult with Chris Sale on the mound. They’ve gone for a righty maximizing lineup to try to counter, which has Charles McAdoo at second and Daulton Varsho and Andres Gimenez sitting. That will make defence behind Chad Dallas/the bullpen interesting.

Here are the lineups:

Welcome back to Thursday baseball. I had a couple of weeks off to recharge the ol’ game thread and recap batteries. The Royals played every other day of the week, so let’s see how they di—

Oh.

Oh, no.

Well, on the bright side, they took the series from the Reds in Cincinnati. Going into tonight’s series opener in Minnesota—the first of four, I should add—the Royals are 24-38, 11.5 games back of the Guardians in the Central and 6.5 back of the last Wild Card spot.

They also have the second-worst record in the American League (thank you, Arte Moreno) and are tied with the Giants for the fourth-worst record in the Majors.

Is this season lost? I don’t know. It’s hard for me to definitively say that on June 4. There are still a ton of games to be played. If the Royals reached the postseason, they’d join a list of many teams that started slowly only to rebound and make the playoffs.

The Twins, meanwhile, are 29-34, and just won a home series against the White Sox despite getting blanked yesterday, 8-0. Their three series before that one: swept in Pittsburgh, lost three of four to the White Sox in Chicago, and swept the Red Sox in Boston.

Baseball in 2026, am I right?

The Royals will send to the mound tonight Seth Lugo, who’s pitched pretty well his last three outings against the Red Sox, Mariners, and Rangers. Over those starts, Lugo’s tossed 18-and-1/3 innings while allowing six earned runs with 14 strikeouts versus four walks and 17 hits.

The Twins will counter with righty Andrew Morris, a rookie making just his second start and 18th appearance. Morris is 1-2 with a 4.07 ERA, 3.06 FIP, and 1.521 WHIP. His first start of the year came nearly a month ago on the road against the Guardians. He pitched…one inning.

Ah, an Opener more than a Starter. The Royals did well last time they faced a team utilizing its bullpen the entire game.

Here’s the Royals lineup:

Michael Massey is Michael Mashey recently. He’s hitting the cover off the ball. In his last 23 games, he’s slashing .323/.338/.581 with four home runs. A sliver of good news in a season gone awry.

Now, for the Twins:

This made me feel old: the Twins drafted Byron Buxton fourteen years ago today. He’s one of those great “what if” type of guys. What if he stayed healthy? Dude might be one of the best all-time. And yet, he’s still posted at least 4.9 bWAR in three different seasons including one in which he only played 61 games. He’s slashing .253/.314/.538 in 2026 with 17 home runs, ten more than the next guy on the team.

See you on the other side.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Houston Astros, June 4, 2026, 8:10 p.m. ET

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet

Pitching Matchup: Jared Jones (0-0, 10.38 ERA) vs. Kai-wei Teng (3-3, 2.57 ERA)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Houston Astros looking to grab a win.

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