Category: Baseball

The optimism that surrounded the Orioles a few years ago was the result of a well-stocked farm system that had already begun producing big league talent. Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson debuted in 2022 on an Orioles team that over-performed expectations. The 2023 campaign brought the debut of Jordan Westburg, a Cy Young-calber season from Kyle Bradish, and 101 wins for the Orioles. The upward trajectory of the franchise was clear. But something has been off since the second half of 2024, and that includes a stunting of the team’s homegrown players.

These struggles are not specific to any one player. Rutschman was bad at the plate for a stretch that lasted an entire season and then some. Henderson has been a below-average hitter throughout 2026. Jackson Holliday has had flashes, though is yet to look like the former top overall prospect that he was. Colton Cowser may be the streakiest player in baseball with the deepest troughs and electric peaks. But there may be no player that has fans more divided than Coby Mayo.

Unlike many of his highly-regarded peers that came up through the Orioles system, Mayo was not an especially high draft pick. The O’s plucked him out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida with their fourth-round selection in 2020, though he did get a signing bonus more aligned with that of a second-round pick. There were warts on his profile that had many scouts worried about his unconventional swing and lack of an obvious defensive position, plus a belief that he was destined for college. The Orioles were able to talk him out of that committment.

Mayo mashed in the minors, including a .973 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. That success catapulted him up the prospecting ranking charts. Heading into the 2024 season he was considered a top 30 prospect by each of Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, and MLB Pipeline. It seemed as though the Orioles had their next star on deck.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out that way. Mayo debuted in Baltimore at the tail end of the 2024 season, but struggled mightily. Over 17 games he hit .098/.196/.098. He returned in 2025, this time often as a first baseman. There was progress. Mayo hit .217/.299/.388 with 11 home runs overall and really seemed to be turning a corner late in the season when he had a .941 OPS in September.

Whatever was working for Mayo at the end of 2025 hasn’t really carried into ’26. He has been on the big league squad all year, mostly at third base in place of an injured Westburg. But he hasn’t exactly taken the position as his own. On the year, Mayo has an underwhelming .190/.260/.376 batting line with 10 home runs. That unevenness at the plate has often driven manager Craig Albernaz to rotate other members of the roster onto the hot corner.

Defense has also been an issue for Mayo this year. No matter which stat you look at, glovework is not Mayo’s specialty. He has been worth -4 outs above average overall, according to Baseball Savant, which is near the bottom of the league. FanGraphs lists Mayo has worth -8 defensive runs saved. But he wasn’t exactly set up to succeed in that regard.

It seemed like Mayo had almost entirely made the transition to being a first baseman in 2025. He played 605.1 major league defensive innings last year; 586.1 of them were played at first base. Then, the Orioles went and signed Pete Alonso in the offseason and held onto Mayo. Overnight, he was back to being a third baseman, a position that had already struggled with and where most scouts have long said he didn’t fit.

You can understand the Orioles perspective on this. They wanted to upgrade the lineup and inject power. Positional fit was secondary, and it’s not as if Mayo had done enough to become a player worth carving out an everyday spot for. The decision to sign Alonso is one that the Orioles front office can be proud of. He is one of the few members of the lineup that has continually carried his own weight. It’s up to Mayo to perform and prove himself. That hasn’t happened, at least not on an everyday basis.

An area where Mayo has shown quite well is facing left-handed pitching. Among players with at least 60 plate appearances against southpaws this year, Mayo’s 196 wRC+ ranks third in MLB, and he is tied for sixth in home runs (seven). When the Orioles do face a lefty, Albernaz is often pushing Mayo higher up in the order, and it usually works out.

The ability to mash left-handed pitching to that level is enough to keep Mayo in the big leagues for a long time. But the glove is not going to work at third base in any capacity, perhaps beyond the occasional fill in. Maybe the Orioles can keep working with him on positioning and footwork, but there was a reason they moved him off the position last year, and the only reason he is back is because Westburg is hurt and there are seemingly no suitable replacements.

A move to right field, as many prospects folks have long speculated, probably does make the most sense. And it could fit for the future Orioles too. The team seems likely to have some outfield innings up for grabs going int0 2027. Taylor Ward and Leody Taveras will be free agents. Tyler O’Neill, who is signed through next season, is on pace to have himself and his .552 OPS this year released early. Heston Kjerstad probably needs to have something click this year, or move on to another organization. Mayo could fit as a platoon bat in right with the left-handed hitting Dylan Beavers while still mixing in the occasional game on the infield or DH, or being deployed in pinch hit spots late in games.

A change like that is unlikely to happen in-season unless the Orioles fall completely out of contention. At that point, they may as well try something. The idea that Mayo is an attractive trade chip to land the Orioles some sort of big league contributor is probably over. He does have plenty of team control since he won’t hit free agency until after the 2031 season, and many organizations would be open to getting his talent through their doors. But he has also seen his many flaws exposed on the big league stage. Potential trade partners will understand that risk and any sort of return is likely to be underwhelming.

Nothing caps off misery even better than immediately wheeling your approach around to something completely different to try to win a series, only to get destroyed by bloop hits, swinging bunts, and your own defensive miscues. I won’t dwell on it.

This is not a great week for me, so I’ll probably do stuff like this for the weekdays. I have a big thing about what specifically killed the team’s offense in June and it’s somewhat complicated, but it’ll take me a bit to get that into useful shape because the biweekly recap will need to happen after tomorrow, too.

Do you think the Braves are tired of it all, too?

Welcome to week 14 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!

1. Milwaukee Brewers (50-31); 4-2 this week; 97.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)

The Brewers went 4-2 this week, sweeping the Reds before dropping two of three to the Cubs in Milwaukee over the weekend.

William Contreras slugged a pair of homers as part of a six-hit week for the Brewers, while Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang had seven hits each. Sal Frelick added a four-hit week, and Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, and Gary Sánchez each added a homer.

Brandon Woodruff totaled 11 2/3 scoreless innings over his two starts, striking out 16, though he had no wins to show for it. Brandon Sproat went six scoreless with 10 strikeouts, while Jacob Misiorowski went six innings with one run allowed, and Kyle Harrison went five innings with two runs allowed. Shane Drohan also worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his start. Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe both had solid weeks for the bullpen, totaling 8 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.

Milwaukee plays host to the Reds for the second matchup between the two teams in as many weeks, and they’ll then head to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks over the weekend.

2. Chicago Cubs (46-38); 6-1 this week; 66.8% chance to make postseason

The Cubs enjoyed a strong bounce-back week, sweeping the Mets in four games before taking two of three from the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Dansby Swanson had a huge week (primarily in New York), with seven hits, including three homers, driving in 15. Seiya Suzuki added a pair of homers, while Michael Busch, Michael Conforto, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ian Happ added a homer apiece. Nico Hoerner led the team with nine hits, including five doubles.

Matthew Boyd had a scoreless outing in his return to the mound, tossing 4 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Colin Rea and David Peterson also turned in solid outings, while Tyler Ferguson, Caleb Thielbar, Trent Thornton, Vince Velasquez, Jacob Webb, Jordan Wicks, and Bryse Wilson combined for 19 1/3 scoreless innings in a strong week for the bullpen.

Chicago now returns to Wrigley, where they’ll host the Padres and Cardinals this week.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (43-38); 2-4 this week; 33.3% chance to make postseason

The Cardinals had a bit of a down week, as they lost two of three to both the D-backs and Marlins in St. Louis, with their finale against the Diamondbacks scheduled for Thursday postponed until late July.

José Fermín and Bryan Torres had the Cards’ only homers this week, while Lars Nootbaar and JJ Wetherholt set the pace with six hits apiece in what was a down week overall for St. Louis offensively.

Michael McGreevy continues to impress, as he went six scoreless innings with four strikeouts in his start this week. Kyle Leahy made a pair of solid starts, totaling 11 1/3 innings with one run allowed and eight strikeouts. Riley O’Brien was a perfect 2-for-2 in save chances, and JoJo Romero added 3 1/3 scoreless innings across three appearances.

The Cardinals now head on the road, as they’ll visit the Braves and Cubs this holiday weekend.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates (42-42); 3-3 this week; 35.5% chance to make postseason

The Pirates continue to stay afloat with .500 baseball, as they took two of three against the Mariners but dropped two of three against the Reds over the weekend.

Esmerlyn Valdez set the pace offensively for Pittsburgh, as he went 8-for-15 with three homers, two doubles, and five RBIs. Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn added two homers each, with O’Hearn leading the team with 10 hits and nine RBIs. Nick Gonzales added seven hits, while Jake Mangum and Bryan Reynolds had six hits each.

Braxton Ashcraft turned in a quality start, allowing one run over six innings with 10 strikeouts, while Bubba Chandler allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. Dennis Santana, Yohan Ramírez, Carmen Mlodzinski, Isaac Mattson, and Brandan Bidois combined for 14 2/3 scoreless innings for the bullpen, striking out 15.

Pittsburgh now heads across the state to face the Phillies for four games this week before they head to D.C. to take on the Nationals over the weekend.

5. Cincinnati Reds (39-43); 2-4 this week; 4.8% chance to make postseason

The Reds were swept at the hands of the Brewers this week, but they bounced back to take two of three in Pittsburgh over the weekend.

Eugenio Suárez, Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer, and Noelvi Marte each homered this week for Cincy, with Stewart also leading the offense with seven hits over 25 at-bats. Tyler Stephenson added five hits in just 11 at-bats (.455 batting average), and Jose Trevino went 4-for-8 in what was a strong week for the Reds’ backstops.

Nick Lodolo had a shortened start as he was hit by a comebacker against the Brewers, but he worked a solid four innings with no runs allowed and six strikeouts before his exit. Brock Burke and Tejay Antone led the bullpen, combining for seven scoreless innings over eight appearances, striking out eight.

Cincinnati ends their road trip in Milwaukee with four games against the Brewers before they return home to host the Orioles this weekend.

Three close games, none with more than eight runs scored total.

That is how last week’s series in Detroit between the Yankees and Tigers went—it is almost as if the Tigers were a better team than their incredibly poor record would indicate, and that the Yankees were not at full strength, given current key absences. Now at home, the Yankees get a second crack at imposing their superiority over one of the worst teams in the American League in a more aggressive manner than narrowly taking two out of three as they previously did. More than anything else though, they’ll be looking to put the memories of this past weekend behind them, as the Yankees haven’t won since beating the Tigers on Wednesday, dropping four in a row to a Red Sox team that entered Thursday with the worst record in the American League. Brutal.

Back on the subject of Detroit however, since my colleague Sam nicely summarized the Tigers’ offense just last week, we can just refresh some facts to give you the skinny:

They’re currently missing two All-Stars from their 2026 club, Javier Báez and old friend Gleyber Torres, who are both on the IL. But rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle is back on track in June with an .852 OPS following a bumpy second month in the big leagues. Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler are building their own cases for the Midsummer Classic, too. Detroit can absolutely punch a team in the nose, so the Yankees must be on their guard.

Monday: Ryan Weathers vs. Casey Mize (7:05 pm ET)

For a pitcher who recently beat Tarik Skubal, getting the better of Casey Mize might feel like a cakewalk (though he was a 2025 All-Star as well). As much as we’d like to believe that, the reality is not nearly as simple, so Ryan Weathers will look to avoid the usual pitfalls when facing the same lineup in back-to-back performances. The left-hander last pitched against this same Detroit team on Wednesday, covering six innings of two-run ball in a 4-2 win for the Yankees—that game that put an end to a losing streak of four games for the Yankees when Weathers was on the mound.

As effective as he was, Weathers probably got away with one there, given the sheer number of line drives the left-hander allowed: 10 total, more than he had allowed in his previous three starts combined. The Tigers’ quality of contact warranted a better output than the two runs they managed off Weathers, who now looks to accumulate three quality starts in a row for the first time this season;

Since Detroit is momentarily rolling with a six-man rotation, the specific matchups of last week’s series won’t be repeated, but Casey Mize will be facing the Yanks for a second time. In his last start, Mize’s 17 induced whiffs were for naught as a go-ahead two-run shot by Jazz Chisholm Jr. led the Yankees to a 4-3 win. Bittersweet performances have been the norm as few pitchers know the cruel nature of a starter’s record as well as Mize, whose 2-5 campaign is a testament to his offense’s failings, considering the former number one pick has a sub-3.00 ERA.

Tuesday: Cam Schlittler vs. Tarik Skubal (7:05 pm ET)

Pinch me now because I want to know if this is for real or not. The entire baseball world should turn its attention to Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night as the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner will square off against the cross-your-fingers future AL Cy Young winner as Tarik Skubal and Cam Schlittler square off. Whatever individual accomplishments may or may not come, this represents as magnificent a pitching matchup as one could hope for; the only shame is that the Tigers’ disappointing campaign works slightly against the appeal of it.

What the Yankees achieved the last time they faced Skubal was of such rarity that no team had ever accomplished it since his last start of the 2021 season: to hit not one, not two, but three home runs against the talented southpaw. And even then, four hits on six innings with no walks and nine strikeouts tell you just how dominant Skubal is. On a broader look, the home runs allowed to the Yankees weren’t necessarily an isolated incident—Skubal comes into this game having allowed at least one long ball in each of his last four starts (three of which came after his “Skubal scope” elbow procedure), the longest sequence he’s had since starting this run in which he’s won two AL Cy Young awards.

Cam Schlittler reached 100 innings this season in his last start but didn’t have a lot to celebrate beyond that. Four unearned runs scored by the Red Sox in a single inning led to a Yankees loss in the opening game of that best-forgotten four-game set against Boston.

Wednesday: Will Warren vs. Troy Melton (1:35 pm ET)

The only one of the three pitching matchups with no repeat performers from last week’s series, this duel between Will Warren and Troy Melton pits a pair of young arms against each other, both in different stages of truly establishing themselves as important pieces of these rotations. Melton is only about to make his seventh start of the season, but up until this point, the Tigers could not have asked any more from the 25-year-old righty. In fact, Melton has only allowed three hits in his past two starts, totaling 12 innings and a pair of quality starts against the Red Sox and, most recently, the Astros.

Particularly in contrast with Warren, what Melton did against the Red Sox looks even better considering Boston just handed the Yankees’ starter his second straight blowup outing, elevating his ERA to 3.75—a number that would be even higher if not for four of the six runs he allowed against the Reds being unearned. Back to Melton, though, as effective as he has been throughout this short sample, the home runs have still been a bit of a bother, and much like with Skubal, if the Yankees are going to get to the young righty, it is most likely via the long ball. Melton has allowed at least one homer in each of his previous four starts.

Meet the Mets

The Mets lost two of three to Philadelphia over the weekend, but have no fear, things will surely get better when they head to Toronto and Atlanta this week.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post

On Sunday morning, Clay Holmes was throwing off of flat ground at Citi Field, which is nice if nothing else.

In less active news, for Francisco Lindor, Sunday was a day off all around.

With the last bit of injury recovery news, Jorge Polanco feels stronger than before on this rehab assignment and is confident, for now, that he should be able to return to the big league squad.

Kodai Senga looked better than usual coming out of the bullpen, but looking solid for one afternoon won’t guarantee him his old spot in the rotation.

Knicks’ tipping hero OG Anunoby visited Citi Field and threw out the first pitch to childhood hero Jose Reyes and he didn’t bounce it.

On Twitter, Steve Cohen said that he will be addressing fans and media “soon” as a failed season moves past its halfway point.

With Andy Green taking the role of Mets manager strictly on an interim basis, former Cubs manager David Ross wouldn’t mind being the permanent holder of the title.

Around the National League East

Luis Garcia Jr. hit a pair of home runs and drove in five of the Nationals’ six runs as they handed Pete Alonso’s Orioles a 6-4 loss.

In the minor leagues since 2015, Cardinals’ Bryan Torres is now living the major league dream, including hitting a go-ahead home run to beat the Marlins, 2-1.

Chris Sale lowered his ERA to an even 2.10 and struck out 10 as the Braves somehow lost once again to the trouble Giants, 3-2.

Kyle Schwarber became the first player in baseball this season to hit 30 home runs and the fastest Phillie in history to reach that mark, too.

Around Major League Baseball

Thank you to Ump Cam technology for once again giving us what appears to be a photo of Jazz Chisholm Jr. angrily looking at you through a Ring doorbell camera.

In an incredibly smart move, the Mariners acquired Buddy Kennedy who, in 2025, played for both teams who would go on to play in the World Series.

Josh Naylor’s return to Cleveland didn’t end very well as Austin Hedges took the time to tell him loudly and in front of cameras that nobody even likes him.

For the third time in four games, the Red Sox held the Yankees hitless for the first half of the game and for the fourth time in four games, they beat the Yankees at Fenway Park.

This weekend, Pete Alonso crossed the threshold of 500 consecutive games played.

The surging Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to get Teoscar Hernandez back off the injured list and into their lineup today.

Having a bad Sunday, the Reds will remain without Eugenio Suarez who was hit by a pitch on his left hand, but still have Elly De La Cruz around despite an ankle sprain.

This Date in Mets History

Happy 38th birthday to Brooks Raley

The Mets open a three-game series against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Monday night at 7:07 on SNY.

---

Mets Notes

• A.J. Ewing is hitting .325/.398/.519 (.917 OPS) with three homers, six doubles, and four stolen bases in 88 plate appearances over his last 23 games dating back to June 3. 
• Juan Soto is leading the National League with a .972 OPS
• Luke Weaver hasn't allowed a run since April 30. In 23.0 innings over 21 appearances since then, he has given up just 10 hits while walking five and striking out 31

---

Today's Lineups

---

I don’t know if I have a point to my post. I just want to say that upfront. I saw something interesting happening online, and while online isn’t representative of everyone, I see no reason to see a much different response from the offline folks. Ideally, I would have some sort of intention with writing this article. But I don’t. I merely want to point something out.

Let’s talk about John Mozeliak getting hired by the Los Angeles Angels as the interim general manager. I honestly didn’t expect him to continue being involved with baseball, but as I and everyone reading this are huge baseball fans, I think we can all understand why he’s back in the game so soon. If I could work in baseball, I would absolutely work in baseball for as long as I could.

I also think we can all agree that it was time for John Mozeliak to leave. The Cardinals were stuck in a middle ground and couldn’t seemingly get out of it. I probably have a different opinion than most about this. I think Mozeliak is a very good scapegoat, or public punching bag, or whatever you want to label it, but that ultimately Bill Dewitt cut payroll and certainly strongly approved of the cuts going from the unseen parts of the organization. Should Mozeliak have pushed back on this? Certainly. May have been that he just knew Dewitt too long and too well, and implicitly understood what he wanted. And it was just more comfortable to not push back.

In regards to Chaim Bloom, I think he had very good timing. I think the evidence was mounting that things needed to change and he had the right kind of leverage and message to change the direction of the franchise. I just personally believe the three seasons of missing the playoffs were to some extent needed to make Dewitt go “yeah okay, something different needs to happen.” Again perhaps a hot take, but luckily we all benefit.

But my comparison to Bloom and Mozeliak, and the reason I chose to write about this is because, when Bloom was hired, it was a near universal positive response to what he had to say. He was a breath of fresh air. He was saying different things than his predecessor. He did back it up, at least so far, with what appear to be the right kind of moves.

I got deja vu reading the responses to John Mozeliak from Angels fans. I’m not even kidding, they are very similar to how Cardinals fans responded to Bloom. I think Cardinals fans trust Dewitt a hell of a lot more than Angels fans trust Arte Moreno, and understandably so, so there was some hedging and mistrust still. But it had nothing to do with Mozeliak. The Mozeliak start to the Angels has been a 100 percent success.

John Mozeliak saying that he’s going to be “making sure [Arte] understands what our direction is.”

Doesn’t sound like someone that’s gonna be a pushover. 👀 pic.twitter.com/YZdgkP4d4M

— BTH (@BeyondTheHalo) June 28, 2026

As a negative nancy on this franchise, I actually like the direction today between Jolly / Mozeliak

Mozeliak is the right man for the draft, Jolly seemingly has more autonomy.

May not last forever but the next 6ish months should be handled better than the last 5 years were

— Dish (@D1SCHER) June 28, 2026

John Mozeliak on new boss Arte Moreno.

this is the most honest and interesting thing an Angels FO person has said… ever? and if that's indicative of how he's gonna operate, that's great for them. pic.twitter.com/zLdEAQEAaT

— Ric Sanchez (@ricsanchez) June 28, 2026

To make a direct comparison, now you know what it feels like to be a Boston Red Sox fan when they hear any of us talk about Chaim Bloom. And weirdly, I think everyone might be right. Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery.

If Bloom did what he did in Boston in St. Louis, we would not be Chaim Bloom fans. The general ‘we,’ there are exceptions of course. I would probably defend him like I am defending John Mozeliak. Cardinals fans are also right to be optimistic about Bloom as POBO. He learned from his experience at Boston, made sure to set demands before he was hired, and well free agent signings go sideways a lot, so let’s hope that goes better this time around.

In a similar fashion, Cardinals fans are right to think Mozeliak needed to leave. I think fans go too far when talking about his tenure of course. I think this is a good move for the Angels. Fans talk about Mozeliak like he was Dave Littlefield, leaving five prospects unprotected in the Rule 5 draft.

No, he can build a team. Hell, he built most of this current team. And yes I’m aware improved development is helping this team. I’m just pointing out he was in charge when most of this team was acquired. He also presumably had a hand in Bloom coming here and was involved partially with the increased emphasis on development and coaches, something he will probably take with him in his new role with the Angels.

And I don’t know if he’s staying past December. I’m guessing it has a lot to do with Moreno. If he feels like he’ll have the freedom to do things the way they need to be done, he might be the new POBO then. If he starts seeing why it’s hard to be general manager for the Angels, he’ll pick his replacement and leave.

Anyway, I don’t really have a point to my article so much as it’s just kind of funny how a new face can seem refreshing given the right circumstance. I listened to Mozeliak’s interview with the broadcast booth during the game. To me, he sounded the same as he sounded here, but I didn’t also fly into a blinding rage when I heard that man talk, which I understand happens to some fans.

I’ve never heard Perry Minasian, so it’s possible Mozeliak only sounds good because that guy sounded like he was going to steal my lunch money whenever he talked, I don’t know. But I’m guessing Minasian didn’t sound THAT bad to an outside ear if you’ve never heard him talk, and I’m guessing if you’re tired of a guy, there’s almost nothing they can say that you will like.

At the very least, the Angels haven’t had a winning record since 2015 and haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, and Mozeliak can at least set that organization up for better than that. Not a high bar, but also not as easy as it sounds either.

Blaze Jordan

I missed Saturday and most of yesterday’s game, but I feel like I blinked and suddenly Jordan has an 80 wRC+. He’ll get more run obviously, and his defense has been a pleasant surprise, so if you would have told me he had an 80 wRC+, I’d have expected him to be below replacement level a month ago.

Nonetheless, I honestly think his bat will have a bit of a learning curve. He reminds me so much of Alec Burleson, for better or worse, and if he follows Burleson’s trajectory, it’s going to be a while. Now, if he’s actually good on defense, that makes it easier. I am skeptical he’s actually good. He has been upgraded to playable, which is actually a big upgrade from what I thought before, but if you think I’m buying his numbers because of 101 innings at 3B, you don’t know me at all.

Anyway, it got me thinking… Nolan Gorman might rise from the dead. The opportunity might be there. Yesterday, Gorman went 1 for 3 with a HR and a BB. And no strikeouts. It’s already his second homer in 5 games in Memphis. And yes he has struck out a ton so far, but not striking out yesterday lowered his K rate 10 percentage points. He’s also walked four times in 5 games. It’s really not hard to imagine him quickly having good, promotable numbers in Memphis.

To be clear, this is Nolan Gorman’s last chance, but when I say it’s his last chance, the entire year is his last chance. And also Gorman does have to actually start mashing in Memphis. Like this is a hypothetical right now. But it’s hard to give up on a player who has quite literally hit 27 homers per 600 PAs in his career. Yeah like it’s easy to say he only hit 27 homers once, but his career average is actually 27 homers per 600 PAs. Even with not hitting many homers this year. He’s also 26 right now.

I’m merely presenting the fact that Blaze Jordan may head back down to Memphis, probably after 100 PAs or so – clearly Gorman is a good week or more away from this even being a possibility. To take it back to my Burleson comparison, Burly was a bad hitter in his first 400 PAs – even if they do make the swap and Gorman is still bad, that’s fine, because we got to get 100 Blaze Jordan development plate appearances out of the process. We try this again later this year, and we know Gorman is burnt toast with the Cardinals.

And yes, I know Jordan is still hitting better than Gorman was. I totally get that. I’m not giving up on Jordan. But he wouldn’t be the first player who struggled in his first MLB season and he won’t be the last and considering the goals of the season, I truly think they want to exhaust Nolan Gorman as a possibility. Hell, part of the reason Gorman might come back is because he’s out of time. Jordan has plenty of time.

Good morning, baseball fans!

A new week of San Francisco Giants baseball is upon us, which means it’s time to see what’s on deck for the week.

First up, the Giants head to the desert to begin a three-game series against Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. They have Thursday off, then they keep moving to begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Normally, there is no chance in hell that I’m picking a series against the Rockies at Coors Field as the series I’m most interested in. But given the way things have been unraveling, I’m morbidly fascinated to see how the Giants pitching staff fares against the MLB hellmouth. So I guess I’m picking that series.

Which series are you most interested in this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants head to Phoenix to begin their three-game road trip against the Diamondbacks tonight at 6:40 p.m. PT.

The Royals were happy to salvage the series on Sunday, writes Jaylon Thompson.

“They have a good offense and have been on a roll,” Quatraro said. “It was our bullpen that did the job.”

KC finishes with a 3-4 road trip. The club split a four-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays and picked up a win on Sunday.

“I don’t think it’s a bad road trip considering the teams that we are playing,” Thomas said.

Jac Caglianone was scratched from Sunday’s game, writes Anne Rogers.

Manager Matt Quatraro said Caglianone woke up Sunday with soreness and it didn’t improve when he got to the field after treatment. It also didn’t subside when he tried to get it to loosen up through some pregame work. His status off the bench was unclear, and the next steps will be determined based on how he feels throughout the day, when the Royals get back to Kansas City on Sunday night and throughout Monday’s team off-day.

“They’re going to reevaluate,” Quatraro said. “Obviously, we’re going home tonight. We’ll see how it feels and see if we have to do any further testing or anything.”

Carter Jensen extended his hitting streak to 19-games, setting a Royals rookie record.

“It means a lot, for sure,” Jensen said of his hit streak. “I think it’s a testament to hard work from me, hitting coaches, a bunch of people who have helped me along the way. It definitely means a lot to me. But I think just trying to get some wins across is the most important thing for me, honestly.”

Cole Ragans will have surgery this week.

After determining last week that Cole Ragans needs elbow surgery, the left-hander has a date set and will undergo the procedure this coming Wednesday, July 1, but we won’t know the full extent and severity of the surgery until the doctors begin to operate.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery on Ragans next week.

“They’ve read the MRI, but I think they’re not going to be clear on the extent of [the surgery] until they get in there and understand what they see,” manager Matt Quatraro said.

Michael Wacha reached the 1,500 career strikeout mark.

Kris Bubic threw two scoreless innings in a rehab start for Omaha.

The Red Sox complete a four-game sweep of the Yankees.

Junior Caminero hits his seventh home run in the last six games.

Kyle Schwarber becomes the first player to reach 30 home runs this season.

Former teammates Josh Naylor and Austin Hedges have a heated argument.

The Braves sign first baseman Carlos Santana to a minor league deal.

Could Albert Pujols become the next manager of the Mets?

The Mariners are looking for bullpen help and a right-handed bat.

Would a new Angels GM trade Mike Trout?

The mediocre American League will define this year’s trade deadline.

Austria and Algeria deliver a thriller in Kansas City.

The Warriors are pursuing Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

What did Americans eat in 1776?

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is sparking renewed interest in the Classics.

Alan Jackson performs his final concert.

Your song of the day is Moby featuring Gwen Stefani with South Side.

Good morning.

• The Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza. Former Padres manager Andy Green will take over on an interim basis for the rest of the season. And yes, getting swept by the Cubs was the last straw for management. Or maybe making six errors in one game against the Cubs was the final straw.
• Jake Mintz thinks that the firing of Mendoza had little to do with Mendoza.
• Will Sammon talks to Mets players anonymously and concludes that the problems with the Mets go far beyond Carlos Mendoza. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Sammon also calls the firing the Mets’ “white flag” for 2026. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Dayn Perry agrees and looks forward to what the Mets might do to right the ship in 2027.
• Jorge Castillo and David Schoenfield also look at what’s gone wrong in Queens and what the next steps are.
• Mark Feinsand gets the official line from the Mets front office that firing Mendoza and trading David Peterson are not signs that the Mets are approaching a fire sale for this year.
• Mr. Met seems happy Mendoza is gone.

Read the damn room, Mr. Met pic.twitter.com/Fejr0dot24

— The Mets Newsletter (@metsnewsletter) June 26, 2026

• Gabe Lacques looks at the candidates to be the new Mets manager.
• Mike Axisa looks at candidates to be the new Mets manager.
• Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal look at the candidates to be the new Mets manager.
• Another disappointing team also found a scapegoat fired someone. The Angels fired general manager Perry Minasian after six disappointing years. Former Cardinals GM John Mozeliak will take over on an interim basis.
• Molly Knight explains that Angels owner Arte Moreno fired Minasian because he can’t fire himself.
• Sam Blum writes that Minasian left a big mess to clean up. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Dayn Perry and Mike Axisa look at what’s next for the Angels, including a possible trade of Mike Trout.
• So far, Giants team president and manager Tony Vitello have jobs. But Julian McWilliams examines how San Francisco’s season has gone south in a hurry.
• Mark Feinsand thinks that the Tigers could control the trade deadline.
• Thomas Harrington has ten intriguing trade candidates from teams that might not be selling.
• Orioles president Mike Elias insists that the Orioles will be buyers at the Trade Deadline.
• Russell Dorsey argues that the mediocre American League will control the Trade Deadline.
• Chandler Rome looks at the Astros approach to the Trade Deadline and if they’ll have to chose between pitchers and outfielders. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Jordan Schusterman has eight draft prospects who stood out at the Draft Combine.
• Mike Axisa has yet another mock draft.
• David Schoenfield looks back some of the great draft debates in history and whether the teams make the right pick.
• Sarah Langs has ten wild stats from the past week.
• Jayson Stark has his weird and wild stuff from June. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Mike Petriello looks at how Paul Goldschmidt is having a career renaissance this year.
• Ben Clemens writes that Tigers’ catcher Dillon Dingler is the new best catcher in baseball.
• A quick detour to softball, where the AUSL’s Jocelyn Erickson is a left-handed catcher.
• Paul Casella looks at Phillies sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper and the paths to 400 career home runs.
• Royals rookie Carter Jensen has a 19-game hitting streak, which is a team rookie record.
• Tyler Kepner profiles Cardinals catcher Riley O’Brien and how he’s building on the legacy of his grandfather and great-uncle (The Athletic sub. req.), both major league pitchers. His great-uncle is in Ball Four, which makes him a legend in my mind.

This door behind the visitor’s dugout here at The Trop has seen its share of frustration from players over the years. pic.twitter.com/dA3T6kGcPv

— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) June 28, 2026

Before the game today, @BrookeFletcher interviewed her dad, Scott Fletcher, about this amazing weekend.

And got her own surprise at the end 🥹 pic.twitter.com/XVoyBaY0fY

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) June 27, 2026

• Tom Hawthorn has a feature piece on the interesting 75-year history of Vancouver’s Nat Bailey Stadium.
• And finally, former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski met with Pope Leo XIV and gifted him the ball from Game 1 of the 2005 World Series that the Pope attended. The Pontiff was honored to receive the memorabilia, but he also mentioned he was at Game 2 as well but no one knew that because he wasn’t caught on camera.

An incredible honor to meet @Pontifex and give him the ball that was the last out in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. @whitesoxpic.twitter.com/81aT5UTOSs

— A.J. Pierzynski (@ajpierzynski12) June 25, 2026

In mid-May, I made an All-Star case for Mickey Moniak. On June 1, I made an All-Star case for Antonio Senzatela. With All-Star voting closing on Thursday, it’s time to make the case for Hunter Goodman making his second-straight All-Star game.

Goodman took 2025 by the horns and never looked back.

He made his MLB debut in August 2023, and then bounced around the diamond in 2023 and 2024. Ahead of the 2025 season, he was informed that he would be catching full time, and he made the most of his opportunity. Not only was he named to the Opening Day roster, but he was also named the Opening Day catcher ahead of veteran Jacob Stallings (who was eventually DFA’d in June). 

In 144 games in 2025, Goodman set career highs in just about every statistical category. But he also led the Rockies in numerous categories, leading to him being selected to the All-Star game and winning a Silver Slugger. He also ranked first in our Ranking the Rockies series. 

In 2026, it’s quite possible he will break his own records from 2025 (if he hasn’t already), and he could be the Rockies’ first back-to-back All-Star since Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story all went in 2018 and 2019.

Here’s how he ranks among qualified NL and MLB leaders so far in 2026 (all stats current through the June 27):

Stat	Number	NL Rank	MLB Rank	NL C Rank	Rockies Rank
Runs Scored	52	T-5th	T-5th	1st	1st
Home Runs	25	2nd	2nd	1st	1st
RBI	47	11th	T-10th	3rd	1st
SLG	.537	4th	5th	1st	1st
Total Bases	159	T-5th	T-5th	1st	1st
AB/HR	11.84	2nd	2nd	1st	1st

In addition to the above stats, Goodman logged his first three-homer game on Saturday night. For those calling “Coors,” 18 of his 25 homers have come on the road, which is the most pre-All-Star break by a Rockie all time. The player who most closely trails him? Hall of Famer Larry Walker, who recorded 16 home runs in his MVP 1997 season. He is also the first Rockie to hit 25 homers before the All-Star Break since Carlos González did it in 2013, but Walker holds the record of 27 in 2001. 

While Goodman sits in good Rockies company, he also sits in good baseball company.

With his three homers on Saturday night, he became the fourth primary catcher to log at least 25 homers before the All-Star Break (since 1933). He joined Cal Raleigh (38, 2025), Iván Rodríguez (26, 2000) and Johnny Bench (28, 1970). All three went on to be All-Stars that year. Could that bode well for Goodman?

Goodman vs. The Field

The catching field is not nearly as crowded as some of the other positions, but Goodman was ranked fifth after the latest voting update was released on Monday. He sits behind Drake Baldwin (ATL), Will Smith (LAD), J.T. Realmuto (PHI), and William Contreras (MIL).

Baldwin leads all catchers, but Smith was also named a finalist despite currently being on the 10-day IL with neck inflammation. Goodman is in the mix with mostly Contreras and Baldwin, but has a sizable lead over Smith in games played (78 to Smith’s 52), runs scored (52 to 23), home runs (25 to 6), RBI (47 to 23), SLG (.535 to .382), total bases (159 to 66) and at-bats per home run (11.84 to 28.83). 

Here is how Goodman stacks up against the NL catching field:

Stat	Number	NL C Rank	Next Number	Player
Runs Scored	52	1st	46	William Contreras (MIL)
Home Runs	25	1st	14	Drake Baldwin (ATL)
RBI	47	3rd	50	William Contreras (MIL)
SLG	.537	1st	.472	Liam Hicks (MIA)
Total Bases	159	1st	128	William Contreras (MIL)
AB/HR	11.84	1st	16.21	Drake Baldwin (ATL)

Goodman vs. The Rockies

When Mickey Moniak went on the 10-day IL with ankle tendinitis, Goodman was able to overtake him in many statistical categories. And not only does he lead the team in numerous categories now, but he leads by a wide margin in many cases:

Stat	Number	Rockies Rank	Next Number	Player
Runs Scored	52	1st	37	Willi Castro
Home Runs	25	1st	12	TJ Rumfield, Mickey Moniak
RBI	47	1st	45	TJ Rumfield
SLG	.537	1st	.493	TJ Rumfield
Total Bases	159	1st	142	TJ Rumfield
AB/HR	11.84	1st	24.00	TJ Rumfield

Goodman (2026) vs. Goodman (2025)

All stats through the last Saturday in June in both 2025 and 2026.

Interestingly, Goodman is on pace for what he did in 2025 in a lot of categories. He took a dip in doubles and triples, but has made up for it in home runs. In 2025, he had 34 extra-base hits through June 28th; so far in 2026, he has 37 (and counting). His average has also dipped, but he didn’t really turn things on until June. 12 of Goodman’s 25 home runs have come in the month of June, and his June OPS is 1.035 – ranking him third in the National League behind Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani.

The strikeouts have decreased, the power has increased, and Goodman is making an All-Star case at the right time.

Stat	2026	2025
Games	77	75
Doubles	12	17
Triples	0	3
Home Runs	25	14
Runs Scored	52	40
RBI	47	48
AVG	.246	.287
OPS	.854	.844
wRC+	114	119

Final Thoughts

The obvious choice for the Rockies’ All-Star representative at this point is Hunter Goodman. He is peaking at the right time and is on pace to shatter many of the records he set in 2025. If Moniak or Senzatela could join him, that would be a bonus. But at this point, all signs point to Hunter Goodman as the 2026 Rockies All-Star.

(And if there’s any justice in the universe, he should be the National League’s starting catcher.)

---

On the Farm

Triple-A:Albuquerque Isotopes 11, Salt Lake Bees 5

It was homer-palooza in Albuquerque against the Salt Lake Bees (Angels). The Isotopes scored in five of the first six innings, and put up multiple runs in five of them. Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) swatted his 13th homer of the season to get things going in the first. Not to be outdone, Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) swatted a solo homer of his own in the second. He hit a three-run homer in his next at-bat one inning later, racking up the score 6-2.

Nic Kent joined the homer party in the fifth to score Condon, and then Chad Stevens homered in the sixth to finalize the Topes’ scoring at 11. They gave up two more runs in the ninth, but stopped the Bees at 5. In total, the Isotopes had five homers on the evening.

Double-A:Portland Sea Dogs 6, Hartford Yard Goats 0

The Yard Goats were baffled by the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox). They mustered just two hits en route to a shutout loss. Jack Mahoney gave up three runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts. One of the runs was a solo homer in the first by Sea Dogs’ right fielder Miguel Bleis. The other two came on a wild pitch in the third and an RBI single by shortstop Franklin Arias in the fifth.

The majority of the damage came in the ninth, when Sam Weatherly gave up three more runs on back-to-back home runs — a two-run shot to third baseman Jack Winnay and a solo shot to left fielder Matt Fraizer.

High-A:Spokane Indians 3, Tri-City Dust Devils 2

It was a back-and-forth affair for the Indians against the Dust Devils (Angels), but they were able to walk it off for the victory. Lebarron Johnson Jr. pitched six innings and allowed just one run on one hit (a solo homer) while recording one walk and six strikeouts. Nathan Blasick gave up one run on three hits over three innings, which ended up blowing his fifth save. However, Hunter Mann put up a scoreless/hitless 10th to record the win.

Jack O’Dowd recorded the Indians’ first two runs with an RBI single in the first and an RBI double in the third, scoring Tommy Hopfe both times. Roynier Hernandez was the hero of the night, though, with his single in the 10th to score Kelvin Hidalgo and secure the victory.

Low-A:Lake Elsinore Storm 6, Fresno Grizzlies 4

The Grizzlies got off to a hot 4-0 start in the first over the Storm (Padres), thanks to Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP), Wilder Dalis (No. 24 PuRP) and Matt Klein. Brito doubled to score Cam Nelson; Dalis doubled to score Brito and Ashly Andujar (No. 26 PuRP); and Klein doubled to score Dalis. Unfortunately, though, the pitching could not hold Brady Parker’s incredible start.

Parker threw six innings, allowing just one hit while walking two and striking out eight. Yanzel Correa allowed three runs on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts to put the Storm within a run. And then things really unraveled for Dylan Crooke, who gave up three more runs on five hits in just one third of an inning. He didn’t walk anyone, but also didn’t strike out anyone. Seth Clausen recorded the final two outs without giving up a hit, a run or a walk (he struck out two), but the damage was done.

---

Rumfield reunites with coach who taught him the lessons that have made him a ROY candidate | MLB.com

Hunter Goodman may be the Rockies best hitter right now, but TJ Rumfield is not far behind him. He’s also making a case for NL Rookie of the Year. In Minnesota, he reconnected with his Triple-A hitting coach, Trevor Amicone, who is now the Twins assistant hitting coach.

Rockies pitchers deal with mental challenges of Tommy John surgery rehab | Denver Gazette ($)

Earlier this year, Renee Dechert wrote about RJ Petit’s journey back from Tommy John surgery in spring training. Kevin Henry followed up with Jeff Criswell and Jaden Hill, as well as the Rockies’ training staff, to discuss what the entire process is like from diagnosis through rehab to returning to the mound.

---

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

Triple-A: Durham Bulls 7, Norfolk Tides 0 (F/7)

Norfolk’s Nestor German allowed four runs in the game’s first two innings, and since the Orioles got one-hit by three Durham pitchers, this added up to a loss. Cameron Weston allowed three runs in 1.2 innings of work, and José Espada pitched 1.1 scoreless. The only Tides hit: a Ryan Noda double.

Box Score

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 2, Durham Bulls (TBR) 1 (F/7)

Runs were scarce in the bottom half of the doubleheader, but the Tides came out on top. In the first inning, Enrique Bradfield singled, stole second, and took third on a bad throw by the Bulls’ catcher. Call it an EBJ triple. A sac fly brought him home. Bradfield also doubled later in the game, but Heston Kjerstad lined into an unlucky double play, so there’d be no run. The Tides did scratch across a second run in the sixth inning, through as Bryan Ramos singled, EBJ bunted him over, and Kjerstad singled him home.

Four Tides pitchers combined to shutout Durham until the final frame: Yaqui Rivera (2.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB), Dietrich Enns (W, 2.1 IP, 0 H, 3 K) and Nick Raquet (1 IP, 0 H, 1 K).

Box Score

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox vs. Harrisburg Senators (WSH) – PPD (rain)

Lots of rain this weekend. The Baysox’s Sunday scheduled game will be made on a date TBD.

High-A: Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS) 4, Frederick Keys 2

The Keys dropped the series finale on Sunday as a tie game in the seventh became a 4-2 loss courtesy of a bases-loaded walk and an RBI groundout off Frederick’s Tyson Neighbors.

Wilmington had struck first with a two-RBI single in the first inning off Carson Dorsey, but the Keys cut the deficit in half at 2-1 off an RBI from Leandro Arias in the third, then tied it in the top of the seventh on Yamil Bucce’s fourth homer of the season. Ike Irish doubled, and Wehiwa Aloy finished 2-for-3 with a walk.

Box Score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 11, Fayetteville Woodpeckers (HOU) 4

This was a 0-0 game into the fourth and then the Shorebirds exploded for a five-run inning. Three home runs—by Braylon Whitaker, DJ Layton, and Joshua Liranzo—helped. They added two more in the fifth when Miguel Rodriguez hit a two-run single. Then they rallied for four more runs in the seventh on a parade of singles: four in that inning alone, plus two steals.

Whatever this was, it wasn’t a banner day for Fayetteville pitching. Every Shorebird had a hit or more on a day they racked up 15. Whitaker finished 1-for-3 with that homer and a pair of walks. Stiven Martinez went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. DJ Layton had two hits, including a homer, plus two walks.

The pitching barely mattered, but starter Stephen Still, a May free agent signing, pitched five one-run innings with eight strikeouts. Michael Caldon allowed Fayetteville to get closer, with a three-run homer allowed, but J.D. Hennen and Zac Lampton turned in good outings in relief.

Box Score

Monday’s Schedule

There are no scheduled games for today.

Have you seen Dune: Part Two?

Excellent picture; that and its predecessor are both well worth your time. I feel like I’m a bit of a Dune fraud since I haven’t read the books, but Denis Villeneuve’s series has been awesome so far. I digress.

In the sequel, without giving too much away, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) takes some cool ass liquid and begins to gain the power to clearly identify countless outcomes to future events. That clairvoyance makes him realize that while his odds of victory (again, to keep things general) are slim, there is one pathway that he and his allies can take to achieve their goals.

In other news, the Yankees suck.

It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.

………They couldn’t possibly, right?

The 2026 Boston Red Sox season has been catastrophic from the word “go.” The won the very first game of the season in Cincinnati, dropped the second game of the opening series against the Reds to drop back down to .500, and then proceeded to fail to get back to .500 from game number three on. Guys have gotten hurt, fired, called up, sent down, and straight up roasted by some members of the fan base during that entire time, all while Boston’s gap from .500 remains double-digits as we begin the week of this nation’s 250th birthday.

Throughout that time, there’s been one refrain that Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has continued to share with the media, fans, and anyone else that would continue to listen to him. His idea is that all these Red Sox have to do – the team with statistically one of the worst offenses in the league (though a really good pitching staff, to keep everything fair) while playing half of its game at a hitter’s paradise, the team that experienced about 25 hours above .500 this season (not a typo; I did the math on it) is going to go on a run. The illusive, wonderful, dare I say mythical run is the thing that can fix all of this. The roster, he believes, is still good enough to compete in spite of the record; he thinks it’s just a matter of getting the motor up and running (or whatever platitude you wanna use).

I’m sure you’ve seen those comments made by Breslow in recent weeks, but just in case you need the proof: instances of The Magical Run being referenced can be found here, here, here, and here.

In recent weeks, the more I’ve heard or read these types of comments from Breslow, the more and more I’ve felt like I’ve been taking crazy pills.

I think he might need to take a cognitive test https://t.co/uIDUpeYfYI

— Fitzy Mo Peña (@FitzyMoPena) June 24, 2026

Granted, I tweeted that before we went on to sweep the Yanks in four games at Fenway this weekend. The situation’s still bad, but here comes that nasty ol’ friend named Hope coming back to try and sneak into the home they were properly evicted out of a while ago.

One part of me understands that as the leader of the front office, Mista Breslow is sorta required to say stuff like that to a certain extent. Regardless of how far fetched it may seem to say you still believe in a team that is setting up shop with the rest of MLB’s basement dwellers, your directive as a CBO likely includes putting up the image of a united front, trying to portray an environment where everyone is rowing in the same direction, all that fun stuff. The other part of me sees that facade fall apart when I remember that only six clubs have as many or fewer wins than the Red Sox do as of this morning. Enough said.

To quote The X-Files, though: I want to believe. I want to see the narrow path forward for this Red Sox season. I want a reason to continue to watch this team other than the fact that I write for OTM! I want to stay locked in during the summer! In spite of what I’d call a (rightfully) pessimistic mood (maybe even apathetic) I’ve had in these articles as of late, I want an excuse to stay optimistic. I want some hope, as dull as any light of hope may be right now.

And to be fair to Breslow, you can squint and see a possibility (not sure if you can tell that I’m trying to add qualifiers wherever possible) where maybe the Sox can crawl their way back into at least being in the conversation in this dogshit American League that we’re seeing in 2026. Prior to the start of play on Sunday, we were the only Junior Circuit team with a positive run differential that could not lay claim to a playoff spot. The pitching is still quite encouraging… just don’t ask me about the consistency of the bats. I’m still gonna go ahead and say that the campaign remains on life support, but the flat line hasn’t fully kicked in yet. Sunday night’s win might’ve been the best of the season. To fight back after that brutal half-hour stretch in the ninth and tenth inning takes something that this club has lacked just about all year: character.

All of that is to say this: if the Red Sox are gonna go on this season-saving run that Breslow keeps going on about, it’s gotta start – or continue, I suppose, following the weekend at Fenway – right here this week. I reserve the right to start believing in something beyond the trade deadline if they can keep this momentum going, because sustained momentum would be a novel concept for the 2026 Red Sox. The opportunity is there, but I think this might be the last legit one before the trade deadline–and therefore, it could be the last chance for Breslow’s team to make good on his “we just gotta get hot” claims before he’s shown the door. After all: I had said that Breslow was officially driving the boat after April’s house clearing. If he’s so convinced that the only thing his roster needs is a hot stretch, now would be the time to see it through.

To me, it’s quite simple: this so-called “run” the CBO’s been on about has to happen leading up to the All-Star Break.

The Nationals, who are hovering right around .500 and score about as many runs as they let up, are coming into town for three games starting tonight. We then head out on the road prior to the holiday to take on one of the only teams in the league that are undoubtedly worse than us: the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States of North America of the Western Hemisphere of Earth. From there, a trip to the South Side of Chicago to take on the Pale Hose marks the toughest matchup on paper leading up to the Midsummer Classic. We finish up the first half of the season in Queens to face another team in crisis in the Mets. One team is legally obligated to win those games on any given night, believe it or not.

Within that group, I see one solid team, one OK team, and two awful teams in that stretch of 12 games. One could certainly call us awful, too, and we did just drop two out of three games to arguably the most inept organization in the sport before giving the Yankees the business. But that’s not the point.

The point is that now might be the last chance in 2026 to go on that run that could change the perception of the season before we reach a point of no return. I’m not saying Boston has to run the table here–hell, I don’t even know what a successful record in that stretch specifically looks like. Maybe it’s 8-4, or does it have to be 9-3 or better considering the hole we’ve already dug ourselves in? Let me know what you think below in the comments.

And just to be clear here: even if the Red Sox enter the break on a heater, they’re still very likely to be behind the eight ball in the grand scheme of things. One fantastic two-week stretch does not automatically save the season nor erase any of the problems that we had prior to the hot stretch. At the very least, though, it could–key word could, before you all yell at me–change the dynamic by the time the ASG begins in Philly.

If the Red Sox don’t take advantage of these next two weeks, it’s back to our regularly scheduled programming filled with “Fire Breslow” and the like. If they do strike now, perhaps the tune we take on is drastically different. This feels like the last chance for them to realistically do so, though.

To bring it back to Dune……..

“Our enemies are all around us and in so many futures they prevail. But I do see a way. There is a narrow way through.”

Last call for “The Run,” Craig. Bar’s closing.

Song of the Week: “Lost Boys” by Phoebe Bridgers

The queen is back.

Same time and same place next week, friends. Enjoy your holiday and go Sox!

June cannot end soon enough for the Atlanta Braves.

It was another miserable week for the Braves, as Sunday was just the latest disappointing performance despite another awesome effort from ace Chris Sale. It truly has been an entire month of struggles for the Braves, who know see that the NL East division lead is down to three games over the Phillies. However, neither Walt Weiss or the Braves seem to concerned about anyone else but themselves. The focus remains on righting the ship as the calendar turns to July.

Braves News

AJ Smith-Shawver, on his way back from last year’s Tommy John Surgery, will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday.

Tate Southisene produced his first home run for Rome over the weekend.

Mark Bowman highlights how Chris Sale continues to look highly impressive in his starts but also how the lack of support remains a concern.

MLB News

The Boston Red Sox decided to show a bit of life with a 4-game sweep of the Yankees.

The Rangers placed outfielder Wyatt Langford on the IL due to a hamstring strain.

The Feed

And for a bit of positivity, Eric Hartman once again went deep on Sunday.

Cardinals History By The Numbers

I’m going to attempt to jog your memory. A few years back there was a guy who made a few notable plays for the Cardinals during his collegiate career. While his legs were often the focus or talk of the town, his arm was equally impressive, and he slung the ball around the field with ease more times than I can even recall. While most are aware of his accomplishments, there may be a few fans here and there that have since forgotten about the records of the young man who took the field from 2015 to 2017. I believe his name was….Jackson. Lamar Jackson.

The Heisman trophy winning QB from Florida certainly made a mark on the program, and in doing so hung 69 career passing touchdowns on the record books, a Top 10 ranking in program history even though it was only three seasons long, and included another 50 touchdowns on the ground. It would be cool to watch all 119 touchdowns wouldn’t it? Well, here is a video I’ve watched more times than I care to publicly announce. Enjoy.