Red Sox legend David Ortiz told the Associated Press that despite his old ballclub’s current position in the standings, owner John Henry really does care about his team.
Ortiz said that Henry was “worried” and that he had spoken to Henry recently about the downturn for the AL East team.
David Ortiz during a pregame ceremony before the Boston Red Sox played the Tampa Rays at Fenway Park on May 08, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty Images
“He knows the direction of this team and he’s worried about the team’s situation more than what people think he is,” Ortiz said, while speaking with the AP at his celebrity golf tournament.
The Red Sox are currently 25-33 and sit dead last in the division.
“He’s worried. We had a conversation. I can see. I’ve known John a long time, him and the whole team — him and [chairman] Tom Werner, the whole group, they’re working on figuring things out to get this ride better,” Ortiz also said.
Boston has gone through a hellish season thus far, which has included a purge of the coaching staff in April that included firing manager Alex Cora and five other coaches.
“I sat down to talk to John, and he wants to figure it out. He wants to have the formula to go back to the old days,” he said. “It’s not like he just gives up. Sometimes people don’t understand that the way that this game goes, that it’s hard to stay up there.”
The rough season has led to even further frustration from Red Sox fans, who from 2004-2018 had seen Boston win four World Series titles.
Red Sox owner John Henry watches play during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Thursday, May 14, 2026 AP Photo/Charles Krupa
“When you worry, you worry about everything in general. You worry about the team, you worry about the fans and you worry about how everything is moving around,” Ortiz said. “I tell you, the boss is, he’s working, he’s working. He’s working on putting the pieces that moving forward things get better around here.”
Only time will tell if Ortiz’s faith is correctly placed in Henry and the Red Sox ownership group to turn the team around.
In this week’s Injury Report, Elly De La Cruz goes down with a hamstring injury. The Red Sox will have to wait a bit longer for the returns of Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony. And the Marlins could be without Eury Pérez for the next two months. All that and more as we run down some of the most relevant injury news around baseball.
⚾️ Baseball is back! MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Elly De La Cruz (hamstring)
De La Cruz came up hobbling as he rounded first base on a hit in the fifth inning on Sunday. He was removed from the game with right hamstring tightness. After further evaluation, the team placed the 27-year-old star shortstop on the 10-day injured list on Monday with a right hamstring strain. There’s no timetable for De La Cruz. His injury gave the Reds the opportunity to call up top prospect Edwin Arroyo, who was slashing .323/.383/.562 with 11 homers and nine steals across 250 plate appearances in Triple-A. He’s a must-add in all formats where available.
The future is now for the White Sox, who went 18-10 in May.
D.J. Short
,
Garrett Crochet (shoulder)
Crochet had progressed to live batting practice sessions, appearing on the verge of a rehab assignment as he works his way back from a bout of shoulder inflammation. He unfortunately has to pause his throwing progression after experiencing lat tightness. It’s not known how much longer this will delay his timeline, but a return before the end of June is probably optimistic at this point.
Roman Anthony (finger)
Crochet wasn’t the only Red Sox player to suffer a setback this week. Anthony had progressed to hitting off a tee, but came out of his session with renewed discomfort in his wrist. The 22-year-old outfielder has been on the shelf since May 4 with a right wrist sprain and a ligament sprain at the base of his ring finger. The setback certainly muddies the timeline for Anthony, but it’s hard to imagine he’s back before the end of June.
Eury Pérez (thigh)
Pérez had been pitching well last Wednesday against the Blue Jays, striking out nine batters over four innings, before he was apparently hurt while stretching before the fifth. He needed assistance getting into the clubhouse and was ruled out with a hamstring spasm. Pérez was later diagnosed with a right gracilis strain, the thigh muscle, and placed on the 15-day injured list with an estimated eight-week recovery timeline. This puts him out until late July. It’s unfortunate timing as the 23-year-old right-hander seemed to be turning a corner in his season after pitching six innings of one-run ball his last time out.
Eury Pérez exits the game after seemingly injuring himself while stretching before the bottom of the fifth. pic.twitter.com/nWOWut591Y
Murakami hustled to first to beat out a fielder’s choice in the third inning on Friday and came up grabbing his right hamstring. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain that is expected to sideline the 26-year-old slugger for 4-6 weeks. Murakami has been excellent in his first two months in the majors, posting a .938 OPS with 20 homers, 43 runs scored, and 41 RBI across 246 plate appearances. Jacob Gonzalez was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to fill the vacant spot on the roster. Gonzalez has some intriguing power potential himself, with 19 homers and a .317 batting average over 238 plate appearances in the minors. He’s also chipped in eight steals. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues.
Konnor Griffin (forearm)
Griffin was originally held out of the lineup last Thursday with right forearm soreness. Not considered a serious concern, Griffin returned to the lineup but was limited to designated hitter duties on Friday. He even went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. But with the return of Ryan O’Hearn over the weekend, the team opted to place Griffin on the 10-day injured list. The Pirates expect him to require just the minimum 10-day stint before he’s ready to return at shortstop. The 20-year-old phenom has really come around at the plate, hitting .306 in May after hitting .231 through April.
Hurston Waldrep (elbow)
Waldrep is working his way back from surgery in February to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. He threw two scoreless innings in a game at the Florida Complex League on Monday and was reportedly around 97 mph on his fastball in the 26-pitch outing. The 24-year-old right-hander will likely take the full month for his rehab assignment, but could join the Braves rotation at the end of June. Waldrep makes for a solid stash in most formats after posting a 2.88 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts over 56 1/3 innings last season.
Maikel Garcia (hamstring)
Garcia’s status is one to watch on Tuesday. He left Saturday’s game in the seventh inning with a right hamstring injury. He appeared to be in some pain after running from first to third. The 26-year-old third baseman was held out of the lineup on Sunday and Monday as the team gives him every chance to avoid the injured list, which could still be a possibility if he’s not ready to return on Tuesday.
Corey Seager (back)
Wyatt Langford (forearm)
The Rangers could be getting some major reinforcements back by the end of the week, with both Seager and Langford starting a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Tuesday. Seager has been sidelined for the last two weeks with lower back inflammation. He could need just a couple of games before he’s activated. Langford has been out of action for much longer, hitting the injured list on April 22 with a right forearm strain. He’ll need to exercise more caution in his return after suffering a setback earlier in his recovery. Langford actually got a pair of games in with Triple-A Round Rock over the weekend, but will move his rehab to Frisco on Tuesday.
Teoscar Hernández (hamstring)
Hernández departed last Wednesday’s game against the Rockies with a left hamstring strain. It was pretty evident to manager Dave Roberts that Hernández would require a stint on the injured list. The 33-year-old outfielder is due to miss about a month. Alex Call and Ryan Ward figure to platoon in left field in Hernández’s absence.
Two hits over nine innings were enough to give them a chance Monday night, but the Mets weren’t going to extend their winning streak without a third.
That hit never arrived.
Instead, the Mariners’ win streak continued to a seventh straight game, as Cole Young’s walkoff single against A.J. Minter sent the Mets to a 3-2 loss in 10 innings at T-Mobile Park.
Randy Arozarena, the automatic runner to begin the inning, stole third base, leaving the Mariners 90 feet from the win. Young’s bloop to left with one out followed, snapping the Mets’ winning streak at four games.
“We had a good gameplan going in, but we just weren’t able to execute as much as we wanted,” said Jared Young, whose fifth-inning homer accounted for half the Mets’ hits and scoring.
Marcus Semien was the other half of the offense, with a sixth-inning blast that put the Mets ahead.
Cole Young of the Seattle Mariners reacts after his walk-off single during the tenth inning against the Mets at T-Mobile Park on June 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. Getty Images
“It was a good game, a well-played game by both teams,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “There was a lot of good pitching from both sides and obviously coming into the series we know the type of pitching staff they have.”
It’s a staff that entered the day with a 3.46 ERA that ranked fifth in MLB.
In a performance barely seen from the left-hander since his breakout 2024 season, Sean Manaea contained the Mariners in a bulk relief role.
Manaea, in his longest outing of the season, allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings. Manaea was moved into this more prominent role in recent days, essentially switching spots with David Peterson, who has become a lower leverage reliever.
Mets’ A.J. Ewing reacts after popping out during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Monday, June 1, 2026 AP Photo/Stephen Brashear
“I was just attacking guys and throwing everything for strikes,” Manaea said. “I just felt it was a good pitching performance.”
Brooks Raley surrendered the game-tying homer an inning after Manaea’s removal. Mendoza said he didn’t consider allowing Manaea to pitch that seventh inning because his velocity began to drop in the sixth and he was already at his season’s longest outing.
Austin Warren served as the opener and worked a perfect first inning before plunking Arozarena to begin the second. Manaea was summoned and walked Young with one out before getting Rob Refsnyder to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Manaea surrendered a homer to Colt Emerson with one out in the third for the game’s first run. Emerson hit an 0-1 sweeper into the right-field seats for the fourth homer surrendered this season by Manaea.
Mets reliever Sean Manaea delivers a pitch during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Monday, June 1, 2026. AP Photo/Stephen Brashear
MEts merch shop
47 Brand logo cap
1986 eco tote bag
Mets fiber beach towel
14-ounce sculpted relief mug
Customizable jersey
Color block logo backpack
New York Post receives revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase.
Young homered leading off the fifth to tie it 1-1 after Emerson Hancock had retired 12 straight batters to begin the game. Young jumped on a 3-1 four-seam fastball and cleared the fence in left-center for his second homer in three games. Young began the day with an .837 OPS since returning last week from surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.
A.J. Ewing’s diving catch in center field robbed Young of a hit to begin the bottom of the fifth. Manaea retired Refsnyder before Mitch Garver’s loud fly to left field became the third out.
Semien continued his hot stretch with a homer leading off the sixth that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. Semien began the day with a .954 OPS over his previous seven games. The blast was his sixth this season and second in as many games. Semien’s season has been a disappointment overall, after arriving in the trade that sent Brandon Nimmo to Texas in the offseason.
Marcus Semien #10 of the New York Mets hits a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on June 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. Getty Images
“He’s a guy that doesn’t panic, that is the biggest thing,” Mendoza said before the game. “He’s a guy that has been in this league for a long time and he understands there’s going to be stretches where it’s hard, but he doesn’t panic. He knows his foundation. He sticks to what he believes and what got him here so far.”
Josh Naylor homered against Raley leading off the bottom of the seventh to tie it 2-2. The hit was only the Mariners’ second of the night. Raley allowed a two-out single to Young before Luke Weaver recorded the final out.
Ewing’s diving catch on J.P. Crawford’s sinking line drive completed Weaver’s perfect eighth inning. The right-hander recorded his 12th straight scoreless outing.
Devin Williams worked a perfect ninth, making it seven straight batters retired by the Mets following Young’s single in the seventh.
PHOENIX –– For most of this season, the Dodgers have been watching the San Diego Padres in their rear-view mirror.
After Monday night, they might need to make sure the Arizona Diamondbacks are not sneaking up in their blind spot.
In the first of a four-game series at Chase Field, the Dodgers lost 4-1 to a resurgent D-backs team, which has won 15 of its last 22 games to move within a half-game of the Padres for second place in the National League West.
Neither division rival is exactly pushing the Dodgers right now. Even with Monday’s win, the D-backs remain 5 ½ games back in the NL West race.
But this week’s series does provide an opportunity for Arizona, which has recovered from a 17-20 start behind an expectedly good offense and, unexpectedly, an even better pitching staff in recent weeks.
“They’re resilient, they’re athletic, they can defend … and they’re playing great baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before first pitch Monday.
In the nine innings that followed, that remained the case.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez flummoxed the Dodgers over six one-run innings, continuing his bounce-back campaign by escaping a couple early jams.
In the top of the second, the Dodgers had two aboard with no outs, and the bases loaded with two outs, but came up empty. In the third, they had runners on second and third after back-to-back doubles from Shohei Ohtani (who had three hits on the night) and Andy Pages, but managed just one run on a Freddie Freeman grounder.
After that, the Dodgers (38-22) wouldn’t put another runner in scoring position –– getting robbed of a couple hits along the way by diving snags from Dbacks outfielder Jorge Barrosa in center.
“It certainly changes the complexion of those innings,” Roberts said of the catches. “That could have been a difference maker.”
The D-backs 32-27, meanwhile, erased the early deficit on solo home runs from Tommy Troy and Nolan Arenado in the sixth and seventh innings, then a backbreaking two-run blast from Ketel Marte in the eighth.
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Down the stretch, a once-shaky D-backs bullpen also closed the door with three shutout innings.
And suddenly, this early June series feels a little extra important.
What it means
For the first time in three weeks, the Dodgers have dropped two of three games.
And in both defeats, lackluster offense was to blame.
It’s hardly time to worry yet, with the Dodgers still averaging nearly six runs per game during a 14-4 stretch going back to May 13.
But even after getting 6 ⅓ strong innings from Emmet Sheehan, who gave up just two runs to lower his ERA to 4.50, their offense couldn’t get him off the hook for the loss.
“I thought we had some good at-bats and barrelled up some balls,” outfielder Kyle Tucker said. “But they made some nice plays and we just weren’t able to get the runs across, so just kind of how it goes sometimes.”
Who’s hot
Sheehan, who finally rediscovered his typical fastball velocity.
All year, the right-hander has struggled to dial up his heater, which had fallen from averaging 95.6 mph last season to 94.2 mph this year. But on Monday, it was up nearly two ticks, sitting at season-best 95.9 mph and topping out at a season-high 97.2 mph.
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, right, watches his single against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 1, 2026, in Phoenix. AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
The extra life helped Sheehan be extra efficient in what matched his longest start of the campaign. After giving up a double to Corbin Carroll in the first inning, he retired his next 15 in a row on just 62 throws. For only the second time this year, he pitched into the seventh.
The only problem with Sheehan’s night were two mistakes that went over the fence. In the sixth, he left a 1-0 heater down the middle to Troy, who drove it out to left for his first career home run. In the seventh, Sheehan hung a first-pitch slider to Arenado, who launched another solo blast that chased Sheehan from the game.
Who’s not
Tucker, once again.
Coming off a two-hit game on Sunday that the Dodgers were hoping had snapped his previous 1-for-16 slump, the $240 million offseason signing went hitless once again on Monday, drawing an eight-pitch walk his first time up before stumbling to an 0-for-3 performance.
“I just need to do it more consistently everyday, rather than just every now and then,” Tucker said of his inconsistent production. “So, just come back tomorrow and try to get better at it.”
Tucker’s batting average on the season is now down to .238, and his OPS to .722. Among the team’s everyday players, only Mookie Betts has worse numbers (and he missed a month with an oblique strain).
Up next
The Dodgers will look to bounce back on Tuesday, when Eric Lauer will take the mound for his second start with the team. He’ll face right-hander Michael Soroka (7-2, 3.25 ERA).
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 01: Sean Manaea #59 of the New York Mets reacts against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park on June 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hot off four straight wins to end their homestand, the Mets were once again heading to the West Coast to play some baseball. This time they were facing the Seattle Mariners, with some great starting pitching to test their lineups. Emerson Hancock was making the start for the Mariners, and Austin Warren was starting for the Mets, though he was just opening the game before Sean Manaea would get the bulk of the innings.
The start of the game was quiet for both sides. Austin Warren pitched a scoreless inning before being pulled after hitting Randy Arozarena with a pitch, and Manaea took over and finished the second inning without allowing a run. The first run allowed by Mets pitching was a solo home run to Colt Emerson to put the Mariners up by one run. Emerson Hancock took it further, throwing four hitless frames for the Mariners.
But the Mets finally got their first hit at the same time they got their first run, a solo home run from Jared Young to lead off the fifth inning and tie the game. And Marcus Semien repeated the feat in the top of the sixth, hitting another solo home run for the Mets’ second run–and hit–of the game, putting the Mets ahead by a run.
Sean Manaea made it through five innings allowing just the one run, getting pulled after the sixth inning having allowed just the one run, with a hit and walk allowed and four strikeouts, a great effort from Manaea. Brooks Raley came in to start the seventh, and he gave up a game-tying home run to Josh Naylor. He wasn’t able to make it through the whole bottom of the seventh, getting pulled after allowing a two-out single to Cole Young in favor of Luke Weaver.
Weaver got them out of the seventh and through the eighth, tallying a scoreless inning and a third, allowing no hits and striking out one. Williams led them through a perfect ninth to get them to extra innings.
The Mets were unable to get another hit after Semien’s sixth inning homerun, and it came back to bite them. After being unable to bring the extra runner into score in the top of the tenth, A.J. Minter got one out before allowing a game-winning single to end the game in the tenth.
The four game winning streak was brought to a halt, and the Mets offense went back to looking anemic. They could only muster two hits against an admittedly-great Mariners pitching staff, and their own pitching was out-duelled in that aspect. They get another crack at the Mariners on Tuesday, with Jonah Tong likely getting the bulk of the innings against Logan Gilbert (though there may be another opener for the Mets).
The Mets were walked off by the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Monday night at T-Mobile Park.
Here are some takeaways...
- The Mets weren't able to get anything going against Seattle's Emerson Hancock the first time time through the order, as he retired the first 12 batters he faced and didn't have to work through a three-ball count until two outs in the fourth.
- New York was finally able to get to Hancock in the middle frames, though, as both Jared Young and Marcus Semien stayed red-hot leading off the fifth and sixth (respectively) with solo shots. Young's evened things up at one apiece, and then Semien's gave the Mets their first lead.
- Austin Warren and Sean Manaea did a tremendous job of matching Hancock. Warren retired the side in order in the first, then he hit the leadoff man in the second before Manaea took things over, and he used a routine double-play to dance his way out of a two on and one-out jam.
Colt Emerson got to Manaea for a solo homer with one out in the third, but the lefty quickly settled back into a groove, retiring the next 11 batters in order, with some help from another terrific diving play by A.J. Ewing in center.
- Manaea was outstanding his first time back in the Mets' rotation, allowing just that hit and a walk while striking out four across five innings of work. That not only match Manaea's longest outing of the season, but it was also the longest by any Mets reliever to this point on the year.
- Brooks Raley was greeted rudely after the seventh inning stretch, as he immediately served up a homer to Josh Naylor leading the inning. It was the fourth hit of the ballgame to that point -- all of which were solo homers -- and was the second long ball Raley's allowed this season.
- Luke Weaver extended his scoreless streak, retiring four batters across the seventh and eighth, then Devin Williams struck out two in a perfect ninth to push this one to the Mets' league-high 12th extra-inning game of the season.
- The Mets failed to cash in the free runner with two strikeouts and a popout in the top of the 10th, and the Mariners were sure to make them pay, ending the game on Cole Young's opposite-field walk-off single against A.J. Minter.
- New York managed just two baserunners (a HBP and the free runner) after Hancock left the ballgame, as Seattle's high-powered bullpen finished the night with four hitless innings. The free runner was the Mets' only time reaching scoring position and they struck out 12 times.
- Juan Soto went 0-for-4 with a strikeout leading off the 10th, ending his on-base streak at 15 games.
Game MVP: Cole Young
The 22-year-old reached three times and played hero in the late innings.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 01: Emmet Sheehan #80 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers a first-inning pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Experience won out over youth as Eduardo Rodríguez outdueled Emmet Sheehan to lead the Diamondbacks to a 4-1 win over the Dodgers. The reigning back-to-back champs rolled into town with the Diamondbacks having scored only three runs in their last two games—and for a team that managed to hit three home runs, the Diamondbacks offense could’ve done a lot more than just those four runs, even if they turned out to be more than plenty for the home squad. The Dodgers even took the early lead but allowed one home run in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to surrender control of this one, with those first two coming against Emmet Sheehan before Ketel Marte gave the Diamondbacks a bit of cushion with a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth against Jack Dreyer.
What was a cruise control outing for Sheehan got quickly undone by solo shots to Tommy Troy and Nolan Arenado. Because Sheehan was removed right after that second home run, he left the game on the hook for the loss, his second of the year, even though he didn’t record a single pitch with the Dodgers trailing. Inducing a lot of soft contact but without a ton of whiffs, Sheehan paid the price on a couple of mistakes against Troy and Arenado on a fastball down the middle and a slider that didn’t break enough, respectively. There is a symmetry to acknowledge with Troy and Arenado being the two players to go yard—while Troy was hitting the first long ball of his career, Arenado was making it an impressive 33 homers against the Dodgers, two shy of the Giants for the team he has hit the most home runs against in the bigs.
Sheehan’s performance covering six-plus innings with just two runs is seen in a worse light because Eduardo Rodríguez was up to his usual tricks this year. The Diamondbacks ace allowed one base runner per inning, and Shohei Ohtani, who was responsible for two of the Dodgers’ five hits against Rodríguez, helped the visiting team open the scoring in their only run against him. Ohtani led off the third with a double, stopped at third after another double from Andy Pages that was nearly caught, and then came around to score on an RBI groundout from Freddie Freeman. It was too early for Arizona to play the infield in, and with the Dodgers’ offense falling silent after that, it proved to be the correct decision. Mookie Betts and Kyle Tucker were easily retired, and the Dodgers stranded a runner in scoring position in that inning.
Before Marte upped the D-backs’ lead to 4-1, the Dodgers had an opportunity to get back in this game. As was the case when they scored their only run of the game, Ohtani once again came up as the leadoff man at the top of the eighth and did his part by getting on thanks to an infield single that Marte couldn’t field cleanly. The rest of the offense was unable to do anything with it, and a double play quickly ended the threat. Shortly thereafter, Marte left the yard for his 10th homer of the season.
Game particulars
Home runs— Tommy Troy (1), Nolan Arenado (8), and Ketel Marte (10)
After a successful Dodger debut, Eric Lauer will look to replicate the success he had against the Blue Jays, facing the Diamondbacks. Enjoying quite the resurgence with Arizona, Mike Soroka hopes to make it three straight quality starts. The first pitch will be at 6:40 p.m. (PT).
Jun 1, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (49) smiles as Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) scores a run in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
It had been a long and difficult 0-for-21 skid for Brice Turang, who had seen his batting average drop from .291 down to .263 heading into Monday night’s game. That all changed as Turang snapped his skid with an opposite field double in the first inning and ended up reaching base four times to help lift the Brewers to a 16-2 victory over the Giants.
The Giants got up early on a two-run homer from Matt Chapman off Shane Drohan. But the Brewers offense had their starter’s back, promptly putting up seven runs in the bottom half of the 2nd, sending ten men to the plate.
It got started with a leadoff walk from Jake Bauers after a successful ABS challenge on a 3-2 pitch. Following a flyout from Andrew Vaughn, the next six Brewers batters reached base. Sal Frelick doubled, Luis Rengifo and David Hamilton singled, Christian Yelich walked, Jackson Chourio doubled, then Turang tripled. William Contreras supplied a sac fly to bring home the seventh run of the inning and secure the 7-2 lead.
“You had a big inning there. That’s a big inning against a good pitcher. That’s a good sign. You think about Bauers challenge there, that started the whole thing.” Murphy said.
That was all Shane Drohan needed to finish cruising through his four innings of work, allowing just four hits and striking out five. He was followed by Chad Patrick, DL Hall, Grant Anderson, and Jake Woodford out of the bullpen.
The Brewers offense kept supplying insurance runs, though. A bases loaded GIDP from Contreras in the 4th brought home another run. Andrew Vaughn had a 2 RBI single with the bases loaded in the 6th inning. Then RBI singles in the 7th by Yelich and Chourio brought home two more.
Then in the 8th, the Giants put a position player, Buddy Kennedy, on the mound. The Brewers put up four runs against him to make it 16-2.
Pat Murphy elected to give some rest to Brice Turang and Andrew Vaughn as the game got out of hand. That meant bringing Blake Perkins into the game in the outfield as Jake Bauers moved to first base.
“I just wanted to get Turang off his feet for an extra half hour and to be honest I wanted to get Perk— Perk’s been maybe the most unlucky hitter we’ve had. The numbers are ridiculously bad. He’s hit some balls tremendously hard, especially right handed, so I wanted to get him some at-bats.” Murphy said.
The Giants also made a line change and removed a number of their starters, including Willy Adames, who was 0-for-3 on the night.
This game was well in hand since the 2nd inning as the Brewers offense just continued to demolish one of the worst teams in the league. Everyone in the starting lineup reached base at least once and eight of the nine had at least two hits. The only one who didn’t was William Contreras, who ended up with a pair of sac flies.
The Brewers had 18 hits on the night and drew 11 walks. It was one of their most impressive offensive performances of the season.
They’ll look to do it all again tomorrow in support of Kyle Harrison, who will be facing his old ballclub.
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 11, 2017: The New York Yankees celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Indians 5-2 in game five of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 11, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by: 2017 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Now, for my second least favorite series of the Guardians’ season.
I despise the Yankees. I endure so much generational trauma when we play them. This is only my second least favorite series because playing them in Cleveland is worse.
The Guardians are 34-27 with a +1 run differential, 16th in MLB with a 97 wRC+, 16th in baserunning runs above average at -0.4, 11th in Defense at -4.8, 7th in starting pitcher ERA at 3.69 (3.98 FIP) and 13th in bullpen ERA at 3.83 (3.68 FIP).
The Yankees are 36-23 with a +98 run differential, 2nd in MLB with a 117 wRC+, 10th in baserunning runs above average at 1.4, 8th in Defense at -1.4, 1st in starting pitcher ERA at 2.97 (3.35 FIP) and 10th in bullpen ERA at 3.59 (3.89 FIP).
Literally the only thing the Guardians do better than the Yankees is relief Fielding Independant Pitching which doesn’t matter because Cleveland’s defense is worse and they have replaced injured Erik Sabrowksi with Will Dion and Tim Herrin.
The Yankees are very good. The Guardians are mediocre. That’s what the numbers say. We will see if that plays out on the field, or not.
MATCHUPS:
Game One, Tuesday, 7:05PM: Cantillo vs Schlittler
Game Two, Wednesday, 7:05PM: Williams vs. Cole
Game Three, Thursday, 7:05PM: Cecconi vs. Rodon
I never make predictions. But I predict the Guardians will endure their first sweep of the season by an opposing team. This series is gonna be painful.
Look forward to seeing these Yankees tattoo Guardians’ pitchers: Ben Rice 188 wRC+, Aaron Judge 150 wRC+, Cody Bellinger 141 wRC+, Paul Goldschmidt 140 wRC+, Amed Rosario 129 wRC+, and Anthony Volpe 128 wRC+.
Look forward to seeing three elite starters on the Yankees wipe the floor with our Travis Bazzana 137 wRC+, Brayan Rocchio 129 wRC+, David Fry 122 wRC+, Chase DeLauter 120 wRC+, Rhys Hoskins 108 wRC+, Jose Ramirez 107 wRC+ and Angel Martinez 102 wRC+.
MILWAUKEE — With their most effective starter on the mound and the wind at their sails from a 19-run, 25-hit outburst at Coors Field, the Giants jumped out to an early lead.
And, poof, like most of San Francisco’s hopes this season, it was gone.
About as soon as Matt Chapman’s two-run homer cleared the wall and the outstretched glove of Jackson Chourio in the top of the second, Landen Roupp began to give the lead right back.
The Brewers pounced on Roupp for seven runs in the bottom half of the inning and only added on from there while running away with the first game of their series, 16-2.
“Guys put up two early, and I kind of just slapped them in the face,” Roupp said.
Matt Chapman’s two-run blast in the first inning was the lone Giants bright spot in an absolute drubbing by the Brewers Monday night Tannen Maury/UPI/Shutterstock
It was such a drubbing that it ended with a position player called up before the game, Buddy Kennedy, lobbing pitches while Daniel Susac, a catcher with no prior experience besides two minor-league games at first base, played third.
“I’m a coach of the players, the manager of the team ,but I’m a fan of the players, too,” Vitello said. “I just want to see them do well. We’ve added meetings before the game. We’re talking in the dugout. We’re trying to anything we can to put our guys in a position to succeed.”
Roupp only revealed after he had come out of the game in an 8-2 hole that he had been pitching with a back that tightened up on him, though he downplayed the issue after the game.
Roupp struck out Jake Bauers to bring a merciful end to the second inning, nine batters after the Brewers left fielder started with a leadoff walk. Sal Frelick and Chourio both jumped on first-pitch fastballs for explosive extra-base hits, Chapman wasn’t able to field a bunt from speedy No. 9 hitter David Hamilton, and Roupp issued another walk to Christian Yelich.
The biggest hit of the inning came off the bat of Bryce Turang and gave newly called up Jonah Cox his first opportunity to show off his defense that has been called the best in the organization. Cox gave chase but instead went crashing into the wall in left-center field as the ball careened away and Turang cruised into third for a bases-clearing triple.
Turang jogged home on a sacrifice fly from the next batter for the Brewers’ seventh run.
The Brewers added another run off Roupp the next inning and eight more against the Giants’ bullpen (plus Kennedy). But for all intents and purposes, they were already buried.
Jackson Chourio and the Brewers offense erupted for 16 runs on 18 hits Monday night. AP Photo/Aaron Gash
What it means
Whatever good feelings the Giants brought with them on the plane after their rout to end their series against the Rockies were gone by end of the second inning.
It has been hard enough for the Giants to pull ahead; staying in front has been just as much of a challenge.
The Giants have held a lead in only 48 of their 60 games, the fewest in the majors, and are one of only five teams to relinquish the advantage more often than not, falling to 23-25.
The culprit of late had been the bullpen, but in this one, there was nobody to blame but Roupp, who struggled to find the strike zone and was hit hard when he did.
Roupp exhausted 96 pitches to complete four innings, only half for strikes, and recorded season-highs in bases on balls (five) and earned runs (eight).
The outing raised his ERA almost a full run, to 4.22 from a rotation-leading 3.30.
Landen Roupp now sports a 4.22 ERA after giving up eight runs in 4.0 innings Monday night. Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Who’s hot
Jung Hoo Lee recorded the most hits by a Giant in a single series since 2017 by going 11-for-15 over their three games in Colorado and picked up right where he left off.
Lee’s second-inning single extended his hitting streak to nine games and set the table for Chapman’s two-run shot that gave the Giants the briefest of 2-0 leads.
Bryce Eldridge, getting a rare start in the field, made a nice play to start a 3-6 double play, going to the ground to snag a hard hopper from Frelick, tagging first and getting back to his feet to make an accurate throw to Willy Adames at second base.
Eldridge also laced a double — his sixth in four games on the road trip — that left the bat at 107.7 mph, the Giants’ hardest-hit ball of the game.
Giants catcher Eric Haase could do nothing but look on after the Giants lost 16-2 Monday night. Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Who’s not
After posting a 5.21 ERA in May that ranked as the fourth-worst in the majors, the Giants’ starting rotation didn’t start the month of June on any better note.
As a staff, San Francisco has surrendered at least six runs in six of its past seven games and all four to begin the road trip, albeit with the caveat that the first three were played at Coors Field.
Up next
Salt in the wound: As the Giants try to get back on track, they will be opposed by their former top prospect, Kyle Harrison, who has blossomed into an NL Cy Young contender since being dealt to the Red Sox for Rafael Devers and again this offseason to Milwaukee.
The Giants will have another homegrown arm, Trevor McDonald, on the mound.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 01: Tristan Gray #4 of the Minnesota Twins takes an at-bat against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning at Target Field on June 01, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
No pitchers, no problem. As long as you have Tristan Gray on your team, he’ll give you enough runs to make sure your suddenly shaky pitching staff can pound the strike zone with ease. It wasn’t all the Twins’ journeyman infielder, but he’s already had a few big swings when they needed it most this season.
The Twins only managed a single hit against David Sandlin when they faced him last week, but they were able to triple their previous hit total in the first inning alone. Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens singled to put two men on for Minnesota. Sandlin then struck out Josh Bell before Trevor Larnach came up clutch with a two-out single to give the Twins an early lead.
The Pirates evened the game in the third thanks to another Victor Caratini mistake. With a man on third base and two outs, Caratini dropped a foul tip that would have ended the at-bat and the inning. Given an extra strike and out, Andrew “bad against everyone except Joe Ryan” Benintendi singled two pitches later to knot the game at one apiece. The way the Twins have been swinging lately, that seemed like a mistake that could cost the game. Luckily, Tristan Gray had something to say about that.
After a hard hit Bell double to start the fourth inning and a couple of baffling baserunning mistakes, the Twins looked like they were going to squander a potential big inning. But famed grand slammer Tristan Gray came to the plate with the bases juiced and only needed to see two pitches to put a well-placed curveball into the right field bleachers. Big dong, big inning, big 5-1 lead.
The White Sox immediately answered back in the fifth with back-to-back homers from Miguel Vargas and, guess who, Benintendi to bring the game to 5-4. But the Twins were finally seeing the ball well and capitalized for the second straight inning. In the bottom of the fifth, five straight Minnesota batters reached base to start the inning and score a pair of runs, and sac flies from Luke Keaschall and Gray gave the Twins a couple extra runs to boot. With the exhausted state of Minnesota’s pitching staff and an entire week until their next day off, the insurance runs were much needed.
After Ryan’s solid six innings, Kody Funderburk and Yoendrys Gomez threw a scoreless inning each. With a five run lead, manager Derek Shelton turned to Travis Adams who gave up a single and second home run to Vargas to give the home fans a fright, but buckled down and got the next two White Sox batters to finish the game. Twins win!
STUDS
Tristan Gray: 1-3, 5 RBI, GRAND SALAMI
Trevor Larnach: 2-3, R, RBI, BB
Josh Bell: 2-4, R, 2B
DUDS
NO DUDS TWINS WIN!!!
We’ll see tomorrow night for a fun matchup between exciting rookie Connor Prielipp and breakout All-Star candidate Davis Martin. Don’t worry though, Tristan Gray is hitting 1.000 against Martin for his career.
The emergence of Tuesday’s starter against Cleveland, Cam Schlittler, has been as big a reason as any for the Yankees’ success in that area, but they are routinely getting six-plus innings from whomever is on the mound.
“I feel like the starting pitching has been mostly excellent,’’ Aaron Boone said in West Sacramento, Calif. “They just set a really good tone for us every day.”
And they figure to be even more consistent as Carlos Rodón gets back into form and Fried returns.
“We feel good about how all the guys are throwing and what they bring to the table,’’ Boone said. “We’re sending a guy out there capable of holding the other team down and giving us an opportunity to win.”
Gerrit Cole throws a pitch in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Bronx, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Schlittler and Will Warren — who started Sunday against the A’s — have done that as well as anyone, with the Yankees 9-3 in Schlittler’s 12 outings and 10-2 when Warren pitches.
The Yankees are a combined 6-8 when Fried and Rodón have taken the mound, but that seems destined to change.
Yankees Merch Shop
WinCraft insulated can coolers
Team Effort driver head cover
47 Brand adjustable cap
Customizable jersey
Logo fleece blanket
14-ounce sculpted relief coffee mug
New York Post receives revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase.
Ryan McMahon finally hit a bit at the end of the road trip, homering in consecutive games at the Royals and A’s then picking up two more hits on Saturday in California, but the third baseman no doubt is happy to be back in The Bronx.
Even with his recent outburst, McMahon has the third-worst road OPS among qualified hitters (.472) and Austin Wells and Trent Grisham are also in the bottom 12 in the majors.
Not surprisingly, all three are lefty swingers, acquired by the Yankees in part because they hit from that side of the plate.
Their best left-handed hitter, Rice, has no problems hitting away from Yankee Stadium, with a 1.055 OPS.
And Cody Bellinger, another slugger imported to take advantage of the short porch in right, enters Tuesday with an MLB-best 1.209 OPS at home.
Another beneficiary of Anthony Volpe sticking with the Yankees as the shortstop on a regular basis — at least for now — is George Lombard Jr.
The Yankees top prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, has started at short every game at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since Volpe got back to The Bronx.
Lombard, who turns 21 on Tuesday, had been playing second and third base with Volpe on the roster.
He’s also homered twice in his last five games after not going deep in his first 23 games with SWB following his promotion from Double-A Somerset, as the 2023 first-round pick has gotten off to a slow start at the new level.
Jun 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Ezequiel Duran (20) reacts after hitting a one run double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored two runs while the St. Louis Cardinals scored one run.
Tonight’s game was so low scoring you’d think it were played at The Shed pre-Chris Young turning off the run suppression machine last week.
The Rangers starters have been doing their part to keep runs down of late. In fact, after five scoreless from Jacob deGrom in tonight’s opener, Texas starters have gone 27 innings combined without allowing a run. That’s the second longest scoreless streak from members of the rotation in franchise history.
The last time a Rangers starter allowed a run was when Nathan Eovaldi coughed up a couple in the third inning against Houston last Thursday. Tonight deGrom had a relatively easy time keeping the spotless stretch alive. Aside from running his pitching count a little higher than he’d probably like, deGrom got better as the game went along.
The veteran deGrom allowed four hits with only one of them going for extra bases as he worked around a two-out second inning double from Victor Scott with Nolan Gorman matching his third base counterpart Josh Jung in footspeed on the bases to hold up at third base on the two-bagger.
That eventually erased threat followed a first inning where it seemed like Texas had left their gloves in Arlington as a couple of misplays in the infield forced deGrom to have to wiggle out of a first inning jam. The first inning has been deGrom’s kryptonite all year so it was nice to see him escape with a zero on the board, which paved the way for more to come.
Though he lasted just five innings on 91 pitches, deGrom also walked only one batter and struck out eight in his first win on the road since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers back in mid-April nine starts ago.
Meanwhile, while deGrom was dealing, the Rangers lineup were getting similar treatment from Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy. However, Texas was able to break through with a run in the top of the fourth via a two-out RBI double from Ezequiel Duran which scored Brandon Nimmo all the way from first base.
The Rangers tacked on another run an inning later when Joc Pederson worked his way back from an 0-2 count to line a single up the middle to score Danny Jansen who had walked and stolen his first base of the season.
The Rangers couldn’t add to the lead that inning despite a rally and it nearly cost them in such a close game as St. Louis scored their first and only run in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out solo home run by Masyn Winn off Peyton Gray in the first frame after deGrom had exited.
But after some shaky games from the bullpen over the last week or so, the high leverage relief arms were up to the task tonight as Tyler Alexander, Jakob Junis, and Jacob Latz each tossed a scoreless inning apiece to shepherd the Rangers to their first four-game winning streak since taking four in a row at the end of March.
Player of the Game: deGrom produced a solid start and Pederson deserves praise for his RBI hit that ultimately proved the difference, but Duran got the ball rolling with his two-out RBI double that got Texas on the board. Later, he utilized his speed to pressure St. Louis third baseman Gorman into a poor throw on an infield single where he reached second base to represent a potential insurance run in a one-run game in the ninth.
The Rangers flubbed the chance and Duran didn’t score which meant we had to sweat out the bottom of the ninth a little more than we should have but Duran has continued to come up with big hits for a Rangers lineup that often has a shortage of them.
Up Next: The Rangers and Cardinals are back at it tomorrow with RHP Nathan Eovaldi passed the starter scoreless streak baton for Texas opposite RHP Dustin May for St. Louis.
The Tuesday evening first pitch from Busch Stadium is once again scheduled for 6:45 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
Jun 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob Degrom (48) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Michael McGreevy gave the St. Louis Cardinals a quality start, but he was not quite up to the level that Jacob deGrom was as the Rangers managed to eek out a 2-1 win against the Cardinals Monday night at Busch Stadium.
Jacob deGrom looked like a pitcher who has won the Cy Young Award twice. He gave the Texas Rangers 5 full innings allowing just 4 hits with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. The Cardinals had some opportunities against him, but were unable to put any runs on the board during his 5 inning stint. Michael McGreevy also had an impressive night. He tossed 6 full innings allowing 5 hits and 2 earned runs with just 1 strikeout while giving Texas 2 walks.
Texas would get their runs in the 4th and 5th innings against McGreevy. In the top of the 4th inning, Brandon Nimmo delivered a one-out single. That was followed by a double by Ezequiel Duran which scored Nimmo from first giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 5th, McGreevy walked Jansen which would come back to haunt him. Jansen stole second and then advanced to third when Lopez singled. Joc Pederson would come through with a single up the middle scoring Jansen doubling the Texas lead to 2-0.
With deGrom out of the game in the bottom of the 6th inning, the Cardinals bats would come alive (somewhat) when Masyn Winn turned on an 85 mph changeup and deposited it into the left field seats cutting the Rangers lead in half making it 2-1 Texas.
Justin Bruihl gave St. Louis 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief until he gave up a single to Lopez in the top of the 8th inning and then he advanced to second when Joc Pederson hit into a fielder’s choice. Ryne Stanek was brought in to keep the Rangers from adding to their lead. He got Josh Jung out on a good lateral play by Masyn Winn who covered a lot of ground to his left and then threw out Jung. Stanek then hit Nimmo giving Texas a first and third scoring opportunity bringing up Jake Burger. Ryne was fortunately able to get Burger to go fishing for a diving slider to end the Rangers 8th inning.
George Soriano was the Cardinals answer for the top of the 9th inning. Duran started the inning with an infield single that Nolan Gorman made worse with a throwing error that gave Duran second base. Osuna then followed with his own infield single making it first and third with no one out for the Rangers. Soriano came through with a clutch strikeout of Carter and a pop-out by Jansen. George struck out Lopez to keep Texas close at 2-1 going into the bottom of the 9th inning.
The St. Louis offense had been quiet after Masyn Winn’s home run in the bottom of the 6th with no baserunners in either the bottom of the 7th or 8th innings. In the bottom of the 9th, the Rangers brought in Jacob Latz. Bryan Torres grounded out to start the Cardinals 9th. Masyn Winn whiffed on a ball nowhere near the strike zone. That brought up Nolan Gorman. He managed to work a full count against Latz before fouling off a couple pitches. Unfortunately, there would be no David Freese bottom of the 9th magic as Gorman struck out on the 8th pitch ending the Cardinals night with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Rangers.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers will tangle again Tuesday night as Dustin May will try to match his excellent last start for the Cardinals while Nathan Eovaldi will take the mound for the Rangers. First pitch is set for 6:45pm central time at Busch Stadium. Game broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 01: Lane Thomas #15, Jac Caglianone #14, and Carter Jensen #22 of the Kansas City Royals celebrate after Thomas hit a grand slam in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 01, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals have been looking for answers, trying to find something, ANYTHING, to break the horrid stretch of baseball recently. They finally found something tonight. And they did not have to do a bunch of small ball for it.
The Reds were starting a little-used reliever with control problems as an opener. The Royals made them pay. Carter Jensen led off with a walk, Bobby Witt reached on a HBP, and Cags walked to load the bases for Isaac Collins, who struck out. With two outs, Lane Thomas came to bat. The pitcher threw a middle-middle fastball to Thomas, who blasted the ball at 106mph and 409 feet into the left field seats, drawing boos from the sparse crowd. First inning grand slam, spotting Luinder Avila four runs before he threw a pitch.
And that was just the start.
In the fifth inning, Witt just missed a homer on a pitch he golfed into the left-center field gap. It bounced off the top of the fence, and JJ Bleday, the left fielder, seemed very confused. Like his glove got stuck in the wall or something. Witt ended up on second with a double. After a Pasquantino out, up came Jac Caglianone. He got a slider that hung in the middle of the zone, and dang he did not miss it. An impressive 108mph, 419 foot bomb to deep left-center field, an oppo-taco. Those were the fifth and sixth runs of the night.
The Royals added another run in the sixth. Nick Loftin walked and advanced to second on maybe the worst pickoff attempt I have ever seen. The Reds pitcher, Brandon Leibrandt, was half-assing a bunch of throws to first base, apparently worried about Loftin stealing. Well, he eventually badly missed a throw that skipped to the tarp in foul territory. No matter – Leibrandt went down 3-0 to Witt, who was intentionally walked with first base open and two outs. Pasquantino finally knocked in a run by sneaking a line drive between the first and second basemen.
Michael Massey hit his fifth homer of the season in the seventh inning to add another insurance run. They got a lot of insurance! But they still wanted a bit more – they tacked on their ninth run of the game in the ninth inning with two singles and a sac fly.
I feel like that does not totally do justice to the offensive outburst. The second inning was the only one in which the Royals did not have a baserunner. They had 13 total hits – Kyle Isbel was the only player who did not reach base (Jensen did not get a hit but did get a walk). The top 5 exit velos in the game were all Royals, and 8 of the top 10 were Royals. They went 3-12 with runners in scoring position and left 9 guys on base and still scored 9 runs!
And, oh, by the way, Luinder Avila threw five innings of one-run ball. It wasn’t clean – he had four walks and gave up a homer to JJ Bleday on an extremely hittable fastball – but it was enough! Schreiber, Lange, Black, and Morgan (that’s a law firm, not a bullpen, you can’t fool me Royals) combined to finish off the game, though Morgan did give up a run on a single and a double. He made up for it I guess by getting all three outs by strikeout, limiting the damage. They struck out seven guys in their four innings of relief.
While it is just one win in the grand scheme of things, and the Royals still find themselves in a deep hole, this game was really nice to watch. Like finding an oasis in a desert.
The Royals are now 23-37. The Reds are 30-29. They play again tomorrow at 6:10pm US Central time.
D.J. Short
