Category: Baseball

New York Mets (27-35) at San Diego Padres (32-29), June 5, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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With every team in action, we're going back to the well with MLB moneyline predictions on Saturday, June 6.

There are only a couple of lopsided favorites on the slate, so our MLB picks are balancing between some obvious choices and a few underdogs to get the job done, including the Chicago White Sox as they step in against Philadelphia Phillies SP Andrew Painter.

MLB moneyline picks for June 6

Matchup	Pick
Mariners vs Tigers	-127
Royals vs Twins	-127
Reds vs Cardinals	+117
Giants vs Cubs	-133
Orioles vs Blue Jays	+108
White Sox vs Phillies	+117
Pirates vs Braves	-122
Rays vs Marlins	-133
Athletics vs Astros	+113
Nationals vs Diamondbacks	-150
Red Sox vs Yankees	+117
Guardians vs Rangers	-104
Brewers vs Rockies	-233
Angels vs Dodgers	-257
Mets vs Padres	-104

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 6-5.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for June 6

Mariners vs Tigers: Mariners (-127)

Mariners win probability: 56%

The Detroit Tigers seem to have righted a ship a bit, but the Seattle Mariners have been far superior, with a slightly misleading 33-30 record entering Friday. Their Pythagorean record is two wins better, and they have the second-best run differential in the American League.

Royals vs Twins: Twins (-127)

Twins win probability: 56%

Along with the Tigers, the Kansas City Royals are baseball's most disappointing team. Despite Bobby Witt Jr. doing everything in his power to lift the team out of the AL Central cellar, KC remains 10.5 games back in the division.

It's not as if the Minnesota Twins are world-beaters, likely punching above their weight class, but Joe Ryan offers them their best shot at picking up a win whenever he takes the mound, and the same can't be said for Royals righty Luinder Avila.

Reds vs Cardinals: Reds (+117)

Reds win probability: 46%

The Cincinnati Reds have not gotten much out of their rotation this year, but as Nick Lodolo continues to get stronger as he gets further away from a blister issue, I like their chances opposite the St. Louis Cardinals and fellow lefty Matthew Liberatore.

The Reds are fourth in MLB with 23rd home runs vs. left-handed pitchers, thanks to Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, and Sal Stewart, and Liberatore has been snake-bitten by 10 homers in just 62 innings.

Giants vs Cubs: Cubs (-133)

Cubs win probability: 56%

I'd be tempted to take the underdog San Francisco Giants here if I were confident in Landen Roupp's health entering play. He dealt with back discomfort in his most recent outing, when he was rocked for eight runs on eight hits and five walks over four innings.

He felt good after a bullpen session, but I'll fade the punchless Giants offense against Chicago Cubs righty Ben Brown in tandem with uncertainty about Roupp.

Orioles vs Blue Jays: Orioles (+108)

Orioles win probability: 47%

The Toronto Blue Jays haven't announced a starter, but we know that it won't be Trey Yesavage (pitching Friday), Kevin Gausman (pitching Sunday), or Dylan Cease (still injured).

Baltimore Orioles starter Kyle Bradish has seemingly turned a corner from his early-season struggles, allowing two runs or fewer in four straight starts, including an excellent seven-inning performance against Toronto last time out.

White Sox vs Phillies: White Sox (+117)

White Sox win probability: 46%

I'm fading Philadelphia Phillies rookie Andrew Painter until he can show more consistency on the mound. Even with Munetaka Murakami sidelined, the Chicago White Sox have continued to win, going 7-3 in their last 10 entering Friday.

Painter has surrendered nine home runs in 53 1/3 innings, and Murakami's absence won't kneecap Chicago's power profile, as Colson Montgomery, Andrew Benintendi, and Miguel Vargas have combined to hit 25 home runs off right-handed pitching this season.

Pirates vs Braves: Braves (-122)

Braves win probability: 55%

The Atlanta Braves need to be considerably shorter, probably around -150, before I consider fading them in this matchup.

That's not to shade Pittsburgh Pirates starter Braxton Aschcraft, who's making it clear that prospect hounds maybe should have propped him up over Bubba Chandler in that system, but I am favoring a) the best offense in baseball and b) Spencer Strider, who has an easier task ahead of him, even if Ashcraft has been better/comparable in 2026.

Rays vs Marlins: Rays (-133)

Rays win probability: 56%

Shane McClanahan has allowed one or zero runs in six of his last seven starts. The Tampa Bay Rays lefty doesn't pitch deep into his starts (finishing the sixth only once in that span), but he's found success by limiting home runs.

The Miami Marlins are terrible against lefties, but they also aren't showcasing a ton of over-the-fence pop in those matchups, either. 

A's vs Astros: A's (+113)

A's win probability: 47%

Even if Tatsuya Imai has emerged through the fog of his early-season struggles, he still doesn't inspire much confidence.

This pick isn't exactly an endorsement of A's starter Kade Morris, who's making his MLB debut, though. He doesn't miss bats and has back-end rotation innings-eater written all over him. But if Nick Kurtz and the offense can show off some patience, they can chase Imai early en route to a high-scoring win.

I'd rather take the better number with the underdog here. 

Nationals vs Diamondbacks: Diamondbacks (-150)

Diamondbacks win probability: 60%

The Washington Nationals have arguably the best offense in baseball. They also have the dirt-worst pitching staff. While taking them at +144 is certainly tempting, Zack Littell is simply not a starter with whom I wish to put my confidence.

He ranks in the 15th percentile or worse in xERA, xBA, fastball velocity, average exit velocity, whiff rate, strikeout rate, barrell rate, hard-hit rate, and ground ball rate. Basically, he throws very hittable pitches in the zone that opponents are taking advantage of.

If anything, he's fortunate that his 5.01 ERA isn't a fair bit higher.

Red Sox vs Yankees: Red Sox (+117)

Red Sox win probability: 46%

Aaron Judge's absence looms large, and Will Warren comes back down to earth as the Boston Red Sox take one from the New York Yankees in the Bronx.

Ranger Suarez toeing the rubber also helps, as I don't have as much confidence in New York's lineup vs. lefties without Judge.

Guardians vs Rangers: Guardians (-104)

Guardians win probability: 51%

The Cleveland Guardians entered play on Friday at 36-28, leading the AL Central. Tanner Bibee is 0-7. Go figure. That will not last forever, even if he's been middling at best.

I like Cleveland's bats against Texas Rangers righty Jack Leiter enough to back Bibee & Co.

Brewers vs Rockies: Brewers (-233)

Brewers win probability: 70%

Maybe Jacob Misiorowski falls victim to Coors Field here, but sometimes you can't just roll the dice on maybes.

The Colorado Rockies strike out fourth-most in MLB, and no one punches people out quite like The Miz. 

Angels vs Dodgers: Dodgers (-257)

Dodgers win probability: 72%

The Los Angeles Angels remain pathetic. They have the worst record in baseball and don't deserve our endorsement, especially against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

Mets vs Padres: Mets (-104)

Mets win probability: 51%

Yeah, I know, Nolan McLean hit the skids a bit recently, but most of his struggles can be boiled down to two starts where he allowed 16 runs (13 earned) over nine innings.

Because they came in back-to-back appearances, the warning bells may have sounded a little louder than they otherwise might have.

The New York Mets aren't good, but the San Diego Padres are struggling hard, and Griffin Canning can't get anyone out.

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Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in his top right rib. He will undergo imaging on the area in four to six weeks. When imaging shows the bone has healed, Judge can restart baseball activities. The Yankees expect he will return this year. Simple. Straightforward. Entirely uncomplicated.

And yet, nothing about the way the Yankees came to this conclusion – which they announced late Thursday night in an uncharacteristic update emailed to media – was simple or straightforward. Friday, after days of waiting for specialists fueled the kind of speculation they would normally try to avoid, Judge, manager Aaron Boone, and GM Brian Cashman did their best to explain how they got here.

Judge came first, explaining to reporters that he believes he first suffered an injury while diving and trying to avoid Jazz Chisholm Jr. during an April 26 game in Houston. He said he played through the injury in the weeks since then, and that he was able to do so well enough that he felt no need to inform Boone that anything was bothering him beyond normal in-season wear and tear.

Judge’s numbers – an .805 OPS in May with a .194 ISO, both of which are drastically below his career norms – suggested the injury was affecting his play. And Boone admitted later that in hindsight, those effects were obvious, even though the problem causing them did not become so until last weekend in the Yankees’ series against the Athletics.

“I noticed it getting worse by Sacramento. Like, I noticed it,” Boone said. “And that’s when I kind of first said something to him. And I got him out of the game. So it’s tough to say whether it’s something that worsened over the weeks. I think there was that couple week stretch leading up to the other day where it was affecting him a little bit.”

Judge said Friday that by last weekend, he was limiting his swings before the game and his swings during the game were clearly compromised.

“I was kind of feeling the symptoms the past month, and we kind of did everything we could to make sure we could be out there,” Judge said. “Sacramento just kind of got worse. Fought it as long as I could.”

Cashman, meanwhile, said he did not know anything was wrong until Monday, when trainer Mike Schuk called with an unexpected message: Judge’s shoulder was hurting and needed imaging. He admitted he was “caught off guard” by the call, because until that point, Judge had not put the injury on anyone’s radar.

“We turn the clock back and try to figure out, did it happen on this play or that play. I do remember the play in Houston. That dive, along with a couple of collisions with walls along the way as well as diving plays thereafter,” Cashman said. “… Speculatively, that was a traumatic play. But none of the shared feelings from [Judge] at that time leveled up to anything. So in terms of us having any action items to deal with, it really didn’t occur until after the Sacramento series.”

Once the problem did become an action item, Cashman said, Yankees doctor Christopher Ahmad expressed concerns about the initial diagnosis of a bone bruise in the front of Judge’s shoulder. Ahmad knew Judge had injured a rib in a similar place in 2020, so he recommended the Yankees rule out some kind of correlation.

“Intuition was telling him to dig even deeper,” Cashman said.

So Judge underwent more testing and the Yankees consulted Dr. Gregory Pearl, a rib specialist, in Texas. Pearl’s website says he “has made significant contributions to vascular surgery education and clinical practice, particularly in complex vascular procedures and thoracic outlet syndrome management in high-performance athletes.”

That information naturally fueled speculation that Judge might be dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome, which players often describe as feeling in their shoulder even though the issue is not orthopedic. Compared to thoracic outlet syndrome, a mere stress fracture of his rib felt like it would be a relief. But Judge said thoracic outlet syndrome was never something he or the Yankees were worried about.

“I don’t think thoracic was ever involved in this at all. You go to a specialist who is a rib specialist just to see, take a look at this. I don’t know where thoracic got thrown around. It was never thoracic outlet. I don’t know where that came from,” Judge said. “But yeah, I think the worst thing I had in my eyes was a fractured rib, which is what we got.”

As for what comes next, both Cashman and Boone said they are intentionally avoiding identifying a target date for Judge’s return.

“We just have to let the thing heal,” Cashman said. Boone added that as soon as imaging shows the bone is healed, Judge will be able to start ramping back up. Judge, meanwhile, would not touch questions about when he might return.

“I don’t like talking timetables,” he said. “That stuff’s all made up.”

Even so, the Yankees do seem to have a few mile markers in mind when considering his return. First of all, they expect him back this year. When asked if there is a situation in which Judge might not return this year, Boone could cite only existential reasons.

“None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, so there’s always a scenario, he said. “The expectation is that he will be.”

The Yankees are so confident that Judge will return, in fact, that Cashman admitted he is not planning to add anything new to his trade deadline wishlist because of the injury.

“I guess it’s a good question because it’s something I didn’t consider,” Cashman said. “But if we expect him back, which we do, I don’t see why now would impact something for the deadline. We just have to hold the fort.”

Still, when the dust around the diagnosis settled, the consensus seemed to be that Judge’s injury is worse than they had feared, but not necessarily catastrophic. Judge said he was “very disappointed.” Cashman admitted he hoped the problem would be fixed with a minimum injured list stint and would be “less severe.” But both pointed to the Yankees stalwart starting rotation and the emergence of Ben Rice – who homered in his first at-bat after Judge was put on the injured list Friday – as reasons to believe they can survive without him.

“We’ve got a good club regardless,” Cashman said. “It’s obviously not as good without Aaron Judge, but still good enough.”

For the second game in a row, the Royals won with ninth-inning runs. Tonight, perhaps they can make things a little bit easier on those of us who already suffer from various heart, blood pressure, or anxiety diseases.

Michael Wacha will take the mound for KC. His last start, against Texas, didn’t go so great. He allowed 6 runs in only 5 innings. He didn’t face the Twins in their earlier series this year, but he faced them three times last year. Unfortunately, those numbers weren’t great, either. He pitched a total of 16 innings and allowed 7 runs with 6 walks and only 10 strikeouts. His final start wasn’t bad, though, allowing only a single run in 5.2 innings.

He will be countered by Zebby Matthews of the Twins. Zebby has a career 5.71 ERA, and he’s having his best big league season yet with a 4.63 ERA, though he’s giving up almost 2 home runs per 9 innings. He spent the beginning of the season in the minors, but returned to the bigs in May and will be making his sixth start tonight.

Zebby throws six pitches, and 5 of them at least 8% of the time. It all comes down to his slider, though, the only truly effective pitch he has to offer. That single pitch has a 41.7% chase rate and 41% whiff rate, both of which are elite. Oddly, he still chooses to throw it only 18.1% of the time, but throws his four-seam fastball more than twice as often at 39.9% of the time. The fastball is almost never missed when swung at, and it can get hit hard. So the Royals should probably be focusing there.

Lineups

The Royals will continue using Carter Jensen in the leadoff spot. He hasn’t been particularly good there, but the team has actually been scoring runs since the adjustment was made. Maikel Garcia is still out of the starting lineup. He pinch hit last night, but didn’t look great doing it and once he took the walk, he was immediately lifted for a pinch runner.

As for the Twins, they have a lineup full of nobodies and Royal killers. Byron Buxton is good against everyone but saves some of his best work for KC. Kody Clemens has hit more than 1/5 of his career home runs against KC including two last night. Luke Keaschall looked like he was going to be a super star late last summer against KC but has been something less than mediocre to start the year. Austin Martin would be a below-average hitter if he hadn’t been able face the Royals a few times.

Still, when your lineup has Orlando Arcia batting fifth, it’s not a good lineup. Hopefully Michael Wacha will make it look just that easy tonight.

After a much-needed day off, the St. Louis Cardinals open another home series Friday night versus the Cincinnati Reds. Kyle Leahy will make the start for the Cardinals while the Reds are scheduled to send Brady Singer to the mound. First pitch scheduled for 7:15pm central time at Busch Stadium. Broadcast being handled by Cardinals.tv. Note that JJ Wetherholt is not in the lineup as reports say he’s dealing with lower body soreness.

The Colorado Rockies (24-39) are back at Coors Field tonight to open a weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers (37-23), coming off a Thursday off-day, just like they did last week.

That off-day started one of the stranger six-game stretches a team can have.

The Rockies played three at home against the reeling San Francisco Giants, then three on the road against the last-place Los Angeles Angels. They finished that stretch with a -6 run differential, lost the third game of each series by a combined 30-10, and still went 4-2 while winning both series.

I’m not sure what all of that means, but Renee Dechert’s line from the Angels series feels about right: “When two very bad baseball teams play a series, the stage is set for weirdness.”

The Brewers, however, are not the Giants or Angels. They are a decidedly good baseball team.

Milwaukee comes to Coors Field leading the National League Central. They are not a power-heavy offense — they rank 30th in home runs — but they create pressure, ranking third in on-base percentage, second in stolen bases, and sixth in runs scored.

They also pitch. Milwaukee’s starters rank third in ERA, fourth in WHIP, and first in K/9, while the bullpen ranks sixth in ERA and 10th in K/9.

For Colorado, Ryan Feltner makes his seventh start of the season and his second since returning from the injured list.

His first start back was excellent: 6.0 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K on 63 pitches, 41 for strikes against San Francisco. It was an efficient return, but the overall profile is still finding its footing.

For the season, Feltner is 2-1 with a 4.85 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 26 innings. The home split has been better: 3.79 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in four starts at Coors Field.

Feltner has a deep six-pitch mix and solid velocity, with the four-seamer and sinker sitting around 95 mph. The concern is the contact on those two pitches, with opponents slugging .724 against the four-seamer and .571 against the sinker. The changeup has been the standout by expected results, with a .136 xBA, .194 xwOBA, and 55.9% whiff rate, but he does not throw it often to right-handed hitters.

Milwaukee will counter with Brandon Sproat, who enters at 1-4 with a 6.24 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 49 innings. The velocity is real, but Sproat has walked 27, allowed 10 home runs, and is still sorting through a mix that now includes a cutter.

Houston tagged him for five runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings in his last start, when Sproat threw his four-seamer, sinker, and cutter for 78% of his 95 pitches. The four-seamer and sinker both averaged 96.1 mph, while the cutter averaged 92.2.

There is not much head-to-head history between the Rockies and Sproat, so the Friday splits are worth noting: Hunter Goodman is hitting .412 with three home runs and a 1.194 OPS in nine Friday games, while Ezequiel Tovar is hitting .333 with two homers and a .924 OPS in 10 Friday games. Both of Tovar’s Friday homers came in last Friday’s walk-off.

So, for this Friday, can the Rockies be patient, cash in, and keep it close long enough for a little Coors Field weirdness to matter?

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 6:40 pm MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

BrewersSB Nation Site: Brew Crew Ball

Lineups:

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TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (28-36) will continue their nine-game homestand tonight as they open a three-game series against the Athletics (30-32) at Daikin Park.

RHP Peter Lambert (4-4, 3.77 ERA) will make his ninth start of the year for the Astros tonight opposite the A’s and RHP Jack Perkins (2-2, 5.46 ERA), who’s making his first start of the season after beginning the year in the bullpen.

DRIVING THE LAMBO: Tonight’s Astros starter RHP Peter Lambert has been solid in his eight starts for the Astros, going 4-4 with a 3.77 ERA (19ER/45.1IP) with 43 strikeouts and a .207 opponent average.

Lambert pitched last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 strikeouts in 23 appearances in Japan.

He began this season at Triple A Sugar Land (1.84 ERA in three appearances) before being called up to join the rotation on April 17.

VS. THE A’S: The Astros are hosting the A’s in Houston for their first series in the Bayou City since last July.

The Astros are 1-2 vs. the A’s in 2026 and are looking to reverse their luck vs. the A’s this season after going 5-8 against them in 2025. That marked the Astros first season series loss to the A’s since the 2020 season (3-7).

FROM THE TRAINER’S ROOM: The Astros have 10 players on the Major League Injured List

• RHP Ronel Blanco (rt. elbow surgery) and RHP Hayden Wesneski (rt. elbow surgery) are continuing with their live BP progressions in West Palm Beach.

• RHP Hunter Brown (rt. shoulder sprain) made his third rehab start last night working 4.1 innings on 57 pitches for Triple A Sugar Land at El Paso (SD). He allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts.

• RHP Cristian Javier (rt. shoulder strain) made his first rehab start on Wednesday night for Double A Corpus Christi vs. Arkansas (SEA) tossing 0.2 of an inning on 28 pitches.

• RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (rt. shoulder inflammation) and LHP Bennett Sousa (lt. elbow inflammation) continue to advance in their throwing progressions.

• LHP Brandon Walter (lt. elbow surgery) continues his throwing progression in West Palm Beach.

• C Yainer Diaz (lt. oblique strain) continues baseball activity, including hitting BP on the field.

• IF Braden Shewmake (rt. adductor strain) is in West Palm Beach beginning therapeutic exercises.

ON THE LEADER BOARD: DH Yordan Alvarez leads MLB in OPS (1.077), SLG (.649), and total bases (148), and leads the AL lead in batting average (.316) and HR (21).

Also in the AL, he ranks tied for first in extra-base hits (34), second in hits (72), second in OBP (.428), and tied for second in RBI (44).

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 tied for sixth in the AL in homers (16).

Walker also has not committed an error in 63 games.

FIRE STARTER: SS Jeremy Peña is batting .328 (20×61) with three home runs, 10 RBI and an .874 OPS in 16 games since being activated from the IL on May 18. The Astros are 9-7 since his return.

SEÑOR CIEN: 3B Isaac Paredes hit his 100th career homer last night becoming just the fourth Mexican-born player in MLB history to the reach milestone, joining Vinny Castilla (320), Jorge Orta (130), and Aurelio Rodriguez (124).

Paredes just reached another milestone on Sunday, becoming the 10th Mexican player to reach 500 career hits.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1969 – The Astros select RHP James Rodney Richard with the second overall pick in the draft (Jeff Burroughs was selected first by the Washington Senators).

J.R. Richard would go on to post a 107-71 record in his 10 seasons in Houston and is the only pitcher in club history with two 300-strikeout seasons (1978-79).

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, June 5, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network, SCHN2 (Spanish)

Streaming: SCHN+

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

CHICAGO — It would be hard to say life is grand for the Giants, who still reside far closer to the Rockies in the standings than any other team, but it has begun to feel like it at times lately.

For the second time in as many games, the Giants loaded the bases and cleared them with one swing. A grand slam from Matt Chapman was the biggest blow delivered by San Francisco in an early-round knockout of the reeling Cubs, but it was hardly their only punch thrown in an 18-3 romp Friday to open the final leg of a three-city, 10-game road trip.

Building on a 1-0 win behind Logan Webb on Wednesday, the Giants have exploded for 30 runs and 39 hits their past two games. That has been more than enough to match their season-long winning streak of only three games.

Eric Haase’s grand slam was one of two homers the Giants slugged in the final game of their series against the Brewers, and they left the yard seven more times Friday — twice against a position player once the score was out of hand in the ninth.

Two came off the bat of Willy Adames, including one that left the Friendly Confines entirely, Chapman added a three-run shot to finish with eight RBIs, Jonah Cox got the first of his career against Carson Kelly, who also served up Casey Schmitt’s second of the game to increase his team-leading total to 15.

What it means

Chapman’s grand slam was the Giants’ sixth of the season, tied with the Angels for the major-league lead. Remarkably, every one of them has come since Harrison Bader’s against the A’s in Sacramento on May 17.

Entering this road trip, the Giants ranked near the top of the league in batting average but had converted those base knocks into the fewest runs in the majors.

The results have started to square themselves with three double-digit outputs on the scoreboard in eight games on this road trip. Putting aside their 19-6 win at Coors Field on Sunday, the 30 runs the Giants have scored their past two games are their most in any two-game span since 1944 — 14 years before the team moved to San Francisco.

Who’s hot

Adames began the barrage with one of the purest swings from a Giants batter this season on a knee-high, two-strike fastball from Cubs starter Edward Cabrera. The ball left his bat at 107 mph and didn’t come down until it cleared the left field bleachers, eventually finding the pavement of Waveland Avenue, 427 feet away.

Chapman, who had one home run in his first 245 plate appearances of the season, has gone yard twice in his past 20 trips to the plate. Likewise, Adames has four on this road trip after entering it with only seven through his first 57 games.

As the left side of their infield has improved, so too has the rest of the Giants’ offense.

Since ending April in last place or close to it in practically every meaningful offensive statistic, the Giants have quietly been one of the majors’ better lineups.

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Since the start of May, the Giants have scored the seventh-most runs in the majors; their 116 wRC+ ranks fifth. And, safe to say, no team has hit more grand slams.

There was nothing quiet about their series opener against the Cubs.

Who’s not

For the fifth start in a row, Robbie Ray’s pitch count reached the 90s in the fifth inning.

But, for the first time in any of them, it didn’t prevent him from being the pitcher of record.

Ray’s command problems persisted with five walks, but the Cubs failed to cash in any of them.

Up next

Who knows what’s in store next for these juggernaut Giants.

They will, at least, face a bit more of a challenge in Ben Brown, the Cubs’ scheduled starter, who has a 1.92 ERA in 17 games (five starts) this season. He’ll be opposed by Landen Roupp, who battled his lower back tightening up on him the last time he took the mound.

I thought about it, I really did — just posting the final score here and tomorrow’s pitchers and that’s it.

So, here you go: The Giants crushed the Cubs 18-3 Friday afternoon in a rain-delayed contest at Wrigley Field.

There was some history made here, and I wanted to tell you about that, plus show you one play that might have ignited this rout.

First, that play. It happened in the fourth inning with the Cubs down just 2-0 and Giants runners on first and second with one out.

Bryce Eldridge hit a ball up the middle [VIDEO].

If Cabrera lets that ball go through, it probably goes right to Dansby Swanson, who’s in a position to turn an easy inning-ending double play. The score would have still been 2-0 going to the bottom of the fourth.

Instead, the bases are loaded. Matt Chapman was the next hitter. Could that have rattled Cabrera? Maybe, because two pitches later Chapman hit a grand slam and it’s 6-0 and you know the Cubs aren’t coming back from that.

About the slam, from BCB’s JohnW53:

The grand slam by Matt Chapman was just the second surrendered by the Cubs this season. The first was off Jameson Taillon, by Brandon Lowe of the Pirates, on April 12 — 49 games ago. That slam made the score 5-0 in the second inning. The Cubs won, 7-6, on Carson Kelly’s one-out, bases-loaded single in the ninth.

Unlike that day, the Cubs did not win this game.

Cabrera wound up serving up another homer in that inning, a two-run job, the third homer he allowed on the afternoon, to make it 8-0. After that and another single, he was removed for Phil Maton. Cabrera’s return to action, then, was not successful.

Maton managed to get through the fifth allowing just one run, but Hoby Milner got absolutely hammered by Giants hitters, allowing five hits and six runs, including a home run. Ethan Roberts relieved him and served up yet another homer, if you’re counting, it’s five. Milner’s season ERA went from 2.28 to 4.18 in this one outing.

Thus it’s 16-0 Giants going into the bottom of the sixth, and the Cubs have just two hits. They managed a run in the sixth when Seiya Suzuki walked (his third of the game). Ian Happ singled Suzuki to third and Carson Kelly drove him in [VIDEO].

So, no shutout for the Giants. Caleb Thielbar threw a scoreless eighth, and the Cubs put two up in the bottom of the inning. The first was on a solo homer by Suzuki, his ninth [VIDEO].

After that Pedro Ramirez singled and two outs later Miguel Amaya drove him in [VIDEO].

Giants manager Tony Vitello, a former college coach with no sense of occasion, lifted both Chapman and Willy Adames, both of whom had homered twice, before they had a chance for a third home run. There has never been a game with two players hitting three home runs. Could have at least had that history.

Chapman did have eight RBI. That matches the Wrigley Field record for anyone. Three visiting players had done it before Chapman: Orlando Cepeda of the Giants in 1961, Mike Schmidt of the Phillies in 1976 and Andre Dawson, when he was with the Expos, in 1985.

For some entertainment value, Kelly pitched the ninth inning. His first two pitches were deposited in the bleachers.

Pitch one [VIDEO].

Pitch two [VIDEO].

Kelly then got the next three hitters, two on infield popups, the third on a comebacker [VIDEO].

If you’ve lost count, that’s seven home runs hit by the Giants, one short of the franchise record. More from John:

This was the 12th game since 1901 in which the Cubs gave up at least seven home runs. It was the eighth since 2000.

The previous one was a 10-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on May 20, 2022. The two before that were against the Reds, 14-3 in 2010 and 12-7 in 2008. All three of those game were at home.

The Cubs served up eight homers twice, in an 11-inning, 13-12 loss to the Braves on May 28, 2006, and a 12-3 loss to the Tigers just three weeks later, on June 18.

It was also the most runs scored by the Giants at Wrigley Field since the first game of a doubleheader July 4, 1961. That was the game where Cepeda had eight RBI; he went 5-for-5. The 1961 Cubs were a horrid team that was in the first year of the awful College of Coaches experiment. They went 60-94. This year’s Cubs are, supposedly, better.

The home runs are more than just a concern. That’s 95 homers allowed by Cubs pitching in just 64 games, passing the Nationals (90 entering today) for the most in MLB. That would be 240 homers allowed for a full season, The franchise record is 235, set in 2021, and you know how bad a season that was. Let’s hope we’re not headed that way.

All you can do is pick up and try to win the next day’s game. Ben Brown will start for the Cubs and Landen Roupp will go for the Giants. Game time is again 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Cleveland Guardians @ Texas Rangers

Friday, June 5, 2026, 7:15 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Apple TV)

The Shed

LHP Parker Messick vs. RHP Kumar Rocker

Go Rangers!

Last night, the Athletics were three outs away from completing their first sweep of the Chicago Cubs since interleague play began in 2004. Instead, the team’s bullpen melted down yet again. The Cubs scored four runs in the ninth inning, rallying for a walk-off victory to salvage the series finale.

If the A’s had held on, they would have returned to .500 and gained ground in the division, as both the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers were off. After the game, the A’s traveled to Houston, where they will begin a three-game series against the Astros tonight.

However, right-handed reliever Joel Kuhnel will not be part of the roster. In the wake of yesterday’s poor performance, the A’s designated him for assignment and recalled right-hander Elvis Alvarado from Triple-A Las Vegas. Alvarado had been pitching well in the minors, though command remains the key question as he returns to the majors.

Right-hander Jack Perkins will make his first start of the season to kickstart the series. Since his promotion from Triple-A, the 26-year-old has pitched out of the bullpen, accumulating a 2-2 record with a 5.46 ERA, three saves and 33 strikeouts over 17 relief appearances. A’s manager Mark Kotsay moved Perkins, who started four MLB games last year, into the rotation following a series of injuries and ineffective performances among the club’s other starting pitchers. His performance will determine whether this is a one-time spot start or the beginning of a permanent role in the rotation.

Perkins has not pitched more than 4 2/3 innings this season, with his longest outing coming against the Mariners on May 25. Because he is not fully stretched out, the right-hander is unlikely to work much deeper than five innings, even if he pitches effectively.

On Monday, the A’s promoted right-handers Kade Morris and Mason Barnett from Triple-A Las Vegas, providing additional pitching depth for this road trip. With Morris slated to start tomorrow, Barnett could see action tonight in relief of Perkins.

The Athletics’ lineup for this evening’s matchup shakes out like this:

The A’s lineup remains relatively unchanged, led by leadoff hitter right fielder Carlos Cortes. With left fielder Tyler Soderstrom’s bat showing signs of life, the team needs more production from designated hitter Brent Rooker and second baseman Jeff McNeil.

Lawrence Butler continues to struggle offensively, and if his slump continues, the A’s may eventually have to consider a trip to Triple-A. With his current usage largely limited to pinch-hitting and defensive replacement duties, regular at-bats could be the best path to getting him back on track. For now, Cortes offers more consistency at the plate despite being a weaker defender, while Henry Bolte provides a stronger defensive option in center field.

As for the Astros, right-hander Peter Lambert will get the ball in the series opener. The 29-year-old has capitalized on an opportunity created by injuries throughout Houston’s rotation. Entering his ninth start of the season, Lambert is 4-4 with a 3.77 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings.

Lambert enters on a two-game winning streak and is coming off a strong outing against the Brewers, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings. He is relatively unfamiliar to A’s hitters, with Zack Gelof the only current Athletic to have recorded a hit against him in his career.

As a result, the A’s lineup will need to stay patient and capitalize on mistakes. The more they can get to Lambert, the sooner they can reach the Astros’ bullpen, which has been nearly as inconsistent as the A’s relief corps this season.

And Houston’s starting nine:

The Astros have been playing better baseball lately and will welcome back second baseman Jose Altuve from the injured list, further strengthening their lineup. A’s pitchers must also be careful with left fielder Yordan Alvarez, who has hit the second-most home runs in the league.

Time to shake off last night’s collapse and get this series off to a winning start. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

There might be more clarity on how Aaron Judge landed himself on the injured list with a stress fracture in his first rib.

On Friday, Judge shared that he believes he suffered the injury diving for a ball in Houston during an April 26 game.

The dive happened on a ball that Jazz Chisholm Jr. ended up catching. The following inning? Judge homered.

Judge continued to play through discomfort for over a month before the pain became overwhelming last weekend in Sacramento.

The last game Judge played was the series finale against the Athletics on Sunday. Judge didn’t notify manager Aaron Boone of his discomfort until this past weekend.

The Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day IL on Friday, and he will be shut down for the next four-to-six weeks and then be reevaluated, per the team.

The Yankees said they expect Judge to be back this season, but the best-case scenario is likely a late July return, with mid-August more feasible.

“It’s definitely not what you want to hear,” Judge said of the injury on Friday. “We’ll take a little time to get healthy and get back at it.”

With Judge out for the foreseeable future, No. 6-ranked prospect Spencer Jones was called back up. Jose Caballero and Max Schuemann filled in at right field in the series against Cleveland this week.

Despite the impact that Judge’s absence will surely bring, the team avoided the worst-case scenario. His injury does not appear season-ending, as was initially feared.

Judge was productive to start the season despite not being himself of late. He’s slashing .248/.375/.533 in his first 59 games. But since May 11, his production dipped, going 14-for-68 (.206) with just one home run, eight RBIs and 19 strikeouts.

Another Trey Day. It seems like a good day to get a win streak going. I’m hopeful.

And it is Pride Day. And the roof is open. Aall is good in the world. Or will be if the Jays win.

Apparently the Jays are moving Sean Keys up to Buffalo. He was doing great in New Hampshire, with a .285/.411/.581 with 14 home runs, 28 walks and 51 strikeouts in 49 games.

Lineups:

Go Jays Go

The Atlanta Braves are starting their weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates where it looks like they may have lucked out and not have to face Paul Skenes who pitched on Wednesday.

Martín Pérez is easily having his best season since 2022 and will be facing Mitch Keller who is having his standard low fours ERA season that he seems to have every single season without fail. Both offenses have been good this season. The Braves have scored the third most runs in MLB and the Pirates have scored only four less to place them fourth.

The key for the Braves today will be to get to the bullpen as fast as they can where the Pirates clearly are weak placing eighteenth in MLB in reliever ERA.

First pitch is at 7:15 EDT

Lineup

Preview