Category: Baseball

It’s kind of crazy the way momentum works in baseball. Normally, we equate momentum as when one teams comes from behind on another, scoring runs to take a lead and eventually emerging victorious. One could argue that both teams had some kind of momentum today coming into this game. The Phillies, of course, had several games where they were down to their last strike before demolishing a Nationals bullpen. The Mets had a different kind of momentum. They had earlier fired their manager and were looking to get off to a good start under the interim manager.

In the first inning, the Phillies capitalized on their momentum, the first three hitters reaching on hits and scoring a run. Eventually, the Mets starter Zach Thornton settled down and kept them off the board the rest of the inning to swing some mo’ back New York’s way. Carson Benge singled off of Zack Wheeler to start the Mets’ frame, bringing up Juan Soto. Soto drove a ball that looked off the bat to be a home run, but Derek Hill had other ideas.

🚨 DEREK HILL HIGHWAY ROBBERY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/0tQ2zeyn8A

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 26, 2026

That, my friends, is a dagger.

You could almost see the air going out of the Mets’ balloon after that catch, much in the way you could see Ralph Wiggum’s heart breaking with Lisa Simpson.

The rest of the game, it was Wheeler in total command of his game. He allowed a single run in the fourth when Bo Bichette doubled, moved to third on a ground ball and scored on a Jared Young single, but the rest of the game was a masterclass.

The issue? Thornton had also settled all the way in, limiting the Phillies’ offense to the lone run on seven hits. He was relieved by Huascar Brozaban in the seventh, a move on which the Phillies capitalized. Hill singled, then moved to second on a walk to Bryson Stott. Trea Turner came through with a two-out RBI single to score Hill and give the Phillies a lead.

Turn and burn pic.twitter.com/P8Ikyh1wlJ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 27, 2026

In the end, the momentum shifting catch by Hill was the difference. Without it, who knows how the Mets respond. They’d have had the lead in the first inning with no outs and the stadium loud. Instead, they allowed Wheeler to get locked in and were summarily locked up themselves.

Good.

These teams will lock horns again tomorrow afternoon, so long as the weather holds up.

Mariners 3 (obviously), Guardians 1

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Josh Naylor, -0.24 WPA
The Rock, on a roll: Luis Castillo, +0.24 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day

Payton Tolle last faced the Yankees on April 23rd, when he held them to a run on just three hits in six innings, tallying a career-high 11 strikeouts. It’s hard to think that he could improve on that outing, but he took things to another level tonight, logging one of the most dominant performances by an opposing starter the Yankees have seen in quite some time. He carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before a Spencer Jones single broke up the perfecto and no-hit bids.

By that point, the Red Sox had built a comfortable cushion off Will Warren that the Yankees never really looked like threatening. They may have played a cleaner game in the field than the series opener, but that’s not going to count for much when you manage just three hits on the day. It’s telling that the most exciting moment was a benches-clearing kerfuffle in the fifth as the Yankees sleepwalked to a 6-1 loss.

It wasn’t quite the strikeout display as his first start against the Yankees, but Tolle was nonetheless effective at inducing a whole lot of harmless contact from the Yankees early in counts. He did strike out the side in the second, but mostly it was pop ups and ground balls from the Bombers lineup. Their first baserunner came with one out in the sixth, Spencer Jones flipping a single to the opposite field. They’d muster just two more baserunners against Tolle from that point: a pair of two-out walks by Jasson Domínguez and José Caballero in the seventh, only for Jazz Chisholm Jr. to strand them in place with a routine fly out to center.

There is no doubting that this year’s version of Will Warren is much improved from his 2025 rookie campaign – evidence of his development path over the offseason. However, having watched half a season’s worth of starts from him in 2026, I think I’ve identified the three biggest things for him to continue to work on. The first we have discussed multiple times already – the need to maintain composure upon encountering adversity in a start. Warren tends to unravel with runners on, especially if they got there via an error, and I suspect the problem is down to him pitching out of the stretch instead of the windup.

The second area of improvement is to be smarter with his fastball. I feel he is a tad too brazen with his fastball in the zone – stuff-wise it’s just not good enough to beat hitters when it’s not commanded to the edges. Finally, he has seen his strikeout rate drop with each month of the season as he has really struggled to put guys away with two strikes.

Tonight, it was the latter pair of issues that really bit him. In the first, Wilyer Abreu tripled to center with two outs, and after Warren worked Willson Contreras to a 2-2 count, he made a mistake with a sinker that caught way too much of the zone and Contreras drove Abreu home with a single to left-center. Then in the second, Warren loaded the bases with no outs, giving up a bunt single to Caleb Durbin, a line drive single to Anthony Seigler, and walking Connor Wong. He then managed to induce a pair of ground balls, but the infield failed to convert the double play both times, allowing a further pair of runs to score.

The following inning, Warren once again got ahead of Contreras, 1-2, but this time hung a sweeper up and over the plate, and Contreras crushed it over the Monster and onto Lansdowne Street to make it 4-0, Boston. I don’t think for one second that this engendered any feelings of malicious intent in Warren, but Contreras certinly seemed primed for some form of retribution. He got his opportunity to fly off the handle in the fifth. After drawing a walk, Contreras jawed at Warren as he walked to first after two close pitches up and in, Contreras notorious for his hair-trigger temper given the number of times he has gotten plunked in recent years. This caused both benches to clear in a completely unnecessary brouhaha, everyone eventually filing back into the dugouts after Contreras got his moment to puff out his chest.

Boston tacked on another in the sixth as Caleb Durbin led off with a double, advanced to third on a Seigler grounder, and jogged home on a deep sac fly from Wong. At least the Yankees managed to avoid the shutout, breaking the ice in the eighth against old friend Tommy Kahnle. Anthony Volpe led off with a double, advanced to third on a Jones grounder, and scored on an Austin Wells RBI groundout. However, Boston reestablished their five-run lead in the eighth as Jarren Duran led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a Seigler grounder, and touched home on a Wong single. Domínguez collected New York’s third and final hit–an automatic double to right in the ninth with two outs–but Caballero flew out to wrap up a punchless 6-1 loss.

The Yankees still have two games to save face and split this four-game series against the last-place Red Sox. That starts tomorrow with Gerrit Cole on the mound against a third straight lefty in Jake Bennett. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm ET with the broadcast moving to ABC.

Box Score

The San Francisco Giants welcome the Atlanta Braves to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series.

As of the time this is being written, the Giants have not yet announced a starting pitcher. I assume that means that the last resort left for this season is the element of surprise. But check the comments below for more up to date information.

Whoever it ends up being will face off against Braves right-hander Reynaldo López, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.50 ERA, 4.62 FIP, with 39 strikeouts to 21 walks in 43.2 innings pitched. His last appearance was in relief in the Braves’ 9-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, in which he allowed one unearned run on one hit with three strikeouts and a walk in three innings.

Game #81

Who: San Francisco Giants (33-47) vs. Atlanta Braves (48-31)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 7:15 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

I don’t know why it took the Giants ages to announce Trevor McDonald, the guy whose turn it was all along. Sigh.

Game Summary

Impressive was the word that Steve Berthiaume kept coming back to when describing Zac Gallen’s start tonight. Can’t say many Diamondbacks fans would agree with that assessment; the ‘Pit sure wasn’t buying it. To be fair, Zac Gallen had one of his best in-game stretches of the season, setting down 15 straight at one point. Unfortunately, the first 3 batters and the last 4 batters he faced tonight pummeled him and provided more than enough to overwhelm Gallen and the Diamondbacks offense.

After starting the game with a sequence of walk, HBP, homer, Zac settled in and was extremely efficient. He was pounding the strike zone and getting the ball in play early in counts. The defense backed him up several times, snaring would be base hits all over the place, but rather than call Zac lucky, I’ll instead say that’s how this team was designed to operate. Have premium defenders around the diamond who can help the pitchers feel confident letting the ball be put in play. Regardless of whether it was luck, skill, or a little of both, Zac was rocking a 1-hitter through 5 innings and got through 6 innings while still only allowing the 3 runs from that first inning deluge. Gallen came back out for the 7th with a low pitch count and a 2-run deficit and left the 7th (and the game) with a 3-run deficit and a runner standing on 2nd base. The fact Zac had as much success tonight as he did with exactly 1 whiff (that didn’t happen until the 7th inning!) and 0 strikeouts is…impressive.

The offense, for its part, didn’t do much to support their starter. Gerry launched a rocket into the right field stands in the first inning and Corbin followed with a triple that was inches short of a homer. Then, the RISP woes struck. The Snakes went 0-8 with RISP tonight, and their first 5 attempts started with Corbin standing at third with 1 or less outs. Of those first 5 attempts, 3 ended up pop outs on the infield. The Diamondbacks outhit their competition 8 to 6, but they couldn’t string their hits together in any successful way, leading to the utter silence after Domo’s homer 2 batters into the game.

At least the DBacks didn’t burn any valuable relief pitchers so everyone will be very fresh for the next couple games. Here’s to hoping for a strong ending to the weekend.

Loss Probability and Box Score

Outside the Box Score

• Geraldo Perdomo got all of his first inning solo homer, a 421 foot shot that left the bat at 103 mph.
• Corbin Carroll now stands alone at the top of the franchise triples list after he followed up Domo’s homer with his 53rd career triple. The triple looked like it might be a home run off the bat but ended up hitting off the top of the wall and the Rays outfielders glove to let Corbin cruise into third. Unfortunately, Gabi and Arenado couldn’t cash in the runner at third with only one out when they popped out to first and second base, respectively.
• Zac Gallen gave up a moonshot homer to Junior Caminero after walking and hitting the first 2 Rays batters of the game. It looked like Zac might’ve got a strikeout a pitch earlier when he dotted the low, outside corner on Caminero, but the umpire didn’t bite and Gabi didn’t challenge and it ended up a 3-1 score the very next pitch.
• Corbin made another outstanding play on defense when he snagged a sinking lined drive leading off the second inning. The catch looked awkward, kinda reaching backward while he started sliding feet first, but he came up with the out.
• Corbin Carroll attempted a steal in the 4th after getting a leadoff single and Gabi drilled a 104mph liner through the glove of the Rays shortstop. If the defender had been able to catch it, Corbin would’ve been a dead duck. Instead, Corbin got a good read on the ball off the carom from the glove and motored into third to set up a prime scoring opportunity.
• Max Kepler nearly got himself an RBI single in his second AB with the DBacks, guiding a humpback liner toward shallow left field, but Junior Caminero made an impressive leaping catch ranging back from his shallow infield starting position and kept a run off the board. He then proceeded to hit himself in the chest and yell several times. He did the exact same thing while rounding the bases after his homer. Not sure I’m a fan of that. He’s a great talent, but I’m glad he’s not on the Diamondbacks.
• After the rough first 3 batters, Gallen started cruising, setting down the next 15 in a row. He was pounding the zone and getting early swings, evidenced by pitch counts under 10 in each of the 3rd, 4th and 5th.
• Gabi’s single in the 6th was a little bloop shot into shallow right field. The Rays RF dove but was nowhere close to catching the ball and the hit bounced back behind him 10-20 feet. Unfortunately, Gabi couldn’t stretch it into a double because he’s apparently nursing a hamstring that he’s under strict orders not to push according to the broadcast team. A pity because Arenado followed up that near-double with a single that may have been able to score Gabi from second.
• Nolan Arenado had another premier defensive play in the bottom of the 6th. After a leadoff double, Gallen gave up a a hard line drive that was between Arenado and the third base line and Arenado made an outstanding dive to catch the ball just before it bounced off the infield dirt. 5 stars!
• Late in a lopsided loss, little things help to remind me I love baseball, even if I sometimes hate the DBacks. Tonight’s treasure was Lourdes Gurriel at the plate and freaking out the home plate umpire. Lourdes was doing his customary wait until the pitch clock was about to run out and the umpire misread Lourdes intentions and called time on the batter. Lourdes was clearly confused but let it ride because it’s a blowout and it’s Lourdes. Coming out of the timeout, Lourdes stared back at the pitch clock until the last second again and the umpire couldn’t help himself and had to look back over his shoulder and see what Lourdes was staring at. Pretty funny. Or funny for a blowout loss. I do love baseball.

Comment of the Game

The GameDay Thread was lively, if not a little distracted. The GTD reached a final tally of 313 comments at time of publishing, though if I had to guess if there were more comments about the game or hippos and tortoises, I’m not sure I could confidently answer. Case in point, COTG tonight goes by popular vote to Sighborg for his this comment on, well, you just had to be there:

Coming Up

The Diamondbacks face the Rays for the second game of this 3-game set tomorrow afternoon with a 3:10pm first pitch Arizona time. Old reliable TBD is listed as the probable starter for the Rays and Jose Cabrera (0-0, 0.00 ERA) making his second big league start takes the ball for the good guys.

Red Sox starter Payton Tolle retired the first 16 straight Yankees he faced and Will Warren surrendered five runs in the first five innings as New York fell 6-1 at Fenway Park on Friday.

The Yankees have now lost two in a row and six of their last nine to fall to 48-33 on the year. The Red Sox improved to 34-46, and the AL East cellar dwellers are now 13.5 games behind the first-place Yanks.

Here are the takeaways...

- Warren got a pair of ground ball outs in the first before Wilyer Abreu drilled a fastball on the outside corner off the wall in centerfield for a triple. Willson Contreras put the Sox ahead by serving a two-strike sinker into center. He got into trouble quickly in the second as a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out, and pitching coach Matt Blake was out for a visit. Warren didn’t allow a hit, but the first two ground balls netted Boston two more runs as they were hit too slow to turn two.

The righty wasn't so lucky with one out in the third, as a 1-2 sweeper to Contreras was hammered 418 feet (111.9 mph off the bat) over the Green Monster for a solo shot. Warren allowed his third extra-base hit of the night, a two-out double off the wall in center in the fourth to Tsung-Che Cheng, his first big-league hit, but got out without further damage.

His night would come to an end in the sixth as a leadoff double, on a ball that knuckled on Spencer Jones in center, groundout and sac fly extended the Sox lead to 5-0, and after a walk, the bullpen was called upon. Warren's final line: 5.2 innings, seven hits, five runs, three walks on 90 pitches (55 strikes).

- With two down in the seventh, the Yankees finally got something cooking as Tolle appeared to show signs of tiring as he walked Jasson Dominguez and JoseCaballero. That gave Jazz Chisholm Jr. the chance to make anything happen in the five-run game, but he got under a fastball and flied out to the warning track in center.

Chisholm finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Caballero went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout, blown away by a Tolle fastball.

Dominguez scaled a ground-rule double past Pesky's Pole with two outs in the ninth. He went 1-for-3 with the walk and strikeout, waving at an offspeed pitch away against Tolle.

- With ex-Yank Tommy Kahnle on the hill in the eighth, Anthony Volpe (a strikeout victim in his first two at-bats) started things off with a double off the Monster in left-center. 

Jones, who ended Tolle’s perfect game bid with a single in the sixth, would ground out to the hole in second to finish 1-for-3. Austin Wells (pinch-hitting for Ali Sanchez) knocked in the visitor’s first run with a groundout to second on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. 

New York mustered just three hits on the night and finished 0-for-4 with RISP with four left on base.

- Paul Goldschmidt, who entered the game eating left-handed pitching, went hitless against Tolle in three times up with a strikeout swinging. He finished 0-for-4.

- Amed Rosario, who struck out swinging and flied out to center, came closest to getting anything of consequence off Tolle in the seventh with a hard drive to the warning track in right, which would have been a home run in only one big league park: Yankee Stadium. He was 0-for-3.

- Cody Bellinger was hitless  0-for-3.

- Ben Rice, who was out of the lineup, as manager Aaron Boone said before the game that he felt Rice had been “dragging a little bit this week,” grounded out to second to start the ninth.

- Ryan Yarbrough, who picked off the runner at first to end the sixth, added a scoreless seventh with a walk and a strikeout. After the lefty allowed a leadoff hit in the eighth, Yerry De Los Santos was called on, but, after a stolen base and a groundout, a two-out base hit to left tacked on another run for Boston.

- The benches cleared with two outs in the bottom of the fifth after Warren walked Contreras. The coming together, which ended without incident, began when the Sox first baseman and Yankee starter exchanged words, leading to the benches and bullpens emptying. The umpires issued a warning to both teams.

Game MVP: Payton Tolle

The big lefty (6-foot-6, 280 pounds) needed 88 pitches to get through seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out seven.

Highlights

The benches clear at Fenway Park after Will Warren throws one up and in to Willson Contreras pic.twitter.com/Nam64bgUpc

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 27, 2026

What's next

The two sides are back in action fast with a 1:10 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. 

Gerrit Cole (3.62 ERA, 1.175 WHIP in 32.1 innings) faces off against Boston lefty Jake Bennett (3.71 ERA, 1.125 WHIP in 26.2 innings).

The Mets mustered just five hits in their 2-1 loss to the Phillies on Friday night at Citi Field.

New York has lost seven in a row and is a season-low 14 games below .500. 

Here are the takeaways...

-Zach Thornton, making his second career and his first start since being recalled, worked in and out of trouble in the first. He allowed three straight hits, with Bryce Harper's single scoring Trea Turner to put the Phillies up 1-0. Thornton and the Mets bounced back, getting Alec Bohm down swinging and then Jared Young robbed Brandon Marsh of a double down the first base line with a magnificent dive to get the second out. Derek Hill ended the opening frame, striking out swinging.

After a quiet second, Thornton found himself in trouble in the third, allowing the first two runners on. He got Harper to fly out -- he just missed a three-run homer -- before Bohm lined the ball right at Young, who caught the liner and hit first base to double up Kyle Schwarber to end the threat. 

Thornton would settle down, getting through six innings, allowing just one run on five hits and one walk while striking out seven.

-The Mets bullpen, which has been great this season, faltered in the seventh. Huascar Brazoban allowed the Phillies to retake the lead after Trea Turner singled to bring home Hill. 

Cionel Perez was great after Brazoban, allowing two hits in two scoreless innings. 

-Young did more than just make a couple of stellar defensive plays. He drove in the Mets' first run, singling home Bo Bichette in the fourth. The Mets had just five hits and five baserunners. A.J. Ewing reached base twice -- finishing 1-for-2 with a walk -- but was caught stealing second twice. 

-Friday was just the 10th time Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor were in the lineup together. They went a combined 1-for-8 with a strikeout. However, Soto was close to giving the Mets an early lead. In the bottom of the first, Soto hit a bomb to center field off Zack Wheeler, but Hill made a tremendous leap and robbed Soto of a two-run shot. 

Game MVP: Derek Hill

Hill scored the go-ahead run and his catch changed the game.

Highlights

Jared Young with the unassisted double play! pic.twitter.com/F7Xr5fSvCE

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2026

Jared Young makes a run-saving diving stop pic.twitter.com/Q31qfRitp5

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2026

Jared Young ties the game with an RBI single! pic.twitter.com/VSbyg3SDkT

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2026

Zach Thornton is PUMPED after finishing the 6th 💪 pic.twitter.com/FByfbewu6o

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Phillies continue their three-game set on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m.

The Phillies will send Alan Rangel (0-0, 2.25 ERA) to the mound as their opener. The Mets have yet to announce their starter, but it's expected to be Christian Scott returning from the IL.

The Los Angeles Angels announced the firing of general manager Perry Minasian and hiring of John Mozeliak as the team's "Baseball Operations Consultant" and interim general manager.

Mozeliak replaces Minasian, joining the Angels after spending 30 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, including 18 as the head of the club's baseball operations.

He will be tasked with overseeing the day-to-day baseball operations for the team while also "refining a baseball operations strategy."

Mozeliak is not expected to be the full-time replacement as general manager but instead will help assist the team in its search for a new general manager, according to the announcement made by club president Molly Jolly.

OFFICIAL: The Angels announced that the Club appointed John Mozeliak as Baseball Operations Consultant, serving as Interim General Manager after relieving Perry Minasian of his General Manager duties. pic.twitter.com/FUmwQJTbLv

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 27, 2026

“John is one of the most accomplished and respected baseball executives with a proven track record of building a winning organization,” Jolly said in a statement. “For three decades, he constructed one of baseball’s most respected organizations, combining strong leadership with a commitment to player development and organizational excellence.”

Mozeliak had signed a contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023 that lasted through the 2025 season. The team suffered its first two losing seasons during Mozeliak's tenure, leading to him stepping down from the role as his contract expired.

Minasian had been with the Angels since 2020, following the firing of Billy Eppler. Minasian initially signed a four-year contract before signing a two-year extension in August 2024.

“Perry has been a valued leader who worked tirelessly over the last six years to strengthen our baseball operations department,” Jolly said in a statement. “I am grateful for his dedication, insight and many contributions to our organization.”

The Angels have compiled a 418-534 overall record since 2020.

The team is currently 34-48 through the first 82 games of the season, sitting in last place in the American League West standings. The Angels are seven games behind the division-leading Seattle Mariners.

There’s been a sense of frustration for a portion of the Angels’ fan base, including groups of fans who sit in the upper deck of home games shirtless, waving their shirts while asking for team owner Arte Moreno to sell the team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angels fire GM Perry Minasian, hire longtime Cardinals executive John Mozeliak

The Dodgers (52-29) battle the Padres (42-37) down south in San Diego for a three-game series. 

Roki Sasaki (3-4, 4.76 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) starts for the Dodgers in the series opener Friday night. 

Old friend Walker Buehler (4-3, 3.96 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) takes the ball for the Friars.

Lineups

Tonight’s #Dodgers lineup at Padres: pic.twitter.com/32YPsDPKx3

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 26, 2026

Enfocados.

📺: https://t.co/WtqPJHNDQYpic.twitter.com/Zxyl0rDPG5

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 26, 2026

---

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Padres
• Ballpark: Petco Park, San Diego
• Time: 6:45 p.m.
• TV: Apple TV
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The hopes of being a .500 ball club by Sunday Afternoon were blasted to smithereens like something out of the new SuperGirl movie.  Tigers 8 Astros 0.   If only MLB had adopted the mercy rule for this season.

Things would begin unraveling in the bottom of the third for Spencer Arrighetti (L, 7-4).  James Outman started things with a walk.   Kevin McGonigle followed with a single to right, sending Outman to third. McGonigle would steal second and a throwing error by Yanier Diaz, Outman would score the first of many runs.   Moments later, Kerry Carpenter would homer to right and before you could blink, it was 3-0.   

The Tigers would continue their offensive assault in the fourth.  Zach McKinstry would walk, a single by Matt Vierling moved him to third and everyone would come home when James Outman would leave the yard. 

Kevin McGonigle would walk next, steal second and come around to make it 8-0 on Dillon Dingler’s RBI single. Just like that in the span of less than 30 minutes, Arrighetti would be charged with 8 earned runs. That would be your final.  

Nate Pearson would come on in relief and stop the bleeding, pitching three scoreless innings of relief. Jake Meyers pitched a 1-2-3 8th with dominating 52 MPH stuff. 

Overall, it was a Motown K.O. that Joe Louis would’ve been proud of.   Let’s see how the Astros respond at 12:10 CDT tomorrow.    

Now this is the kind of shutout we can get behind! The Tigers beat the Astros 8-0 on Friday night.

After dropping their first game of the series against the Astros, the Tigers were looking to even things up on Friday evening. They had Keider Montero on the mound to get the job done, and he was up against Spencer Arrighetti for the Astros. Montero was sporting a special “VZ” patch on the side of his cap for the game to honor his home country of Venezuela, still reeling after suffering through multiple earthquakes earlier this week.

Montero got things going with a 1-2-3 inning. If the Tigers took anything away from their Thursday loss, hopefully it would be that they needed to pad a lead, because good pitching goes only so far, and then a few bad luck pitches can overshadow the whole thing. In the bottom of the inning, they did not do that. Instead, they went down in order.

In the second, Christian Walker reached thanks to an error from Kevin McGonigle. He was very quickly removed, however, thanks to a double play off the bat of Jose Altuve. A third out followed to quickly end the inning. Arrighetti had some lengthy at-bats in the bottom of the inning as Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry worked back-to-back walks, but they were both ultimately left stranded.

Montero got through the side in order again in the third. In the home half, James Outman took a leadoff walk. McGonigle then singled, and it was deflected by the first baseman, allowing Outman to advance to third. Dillon Dingler struck out, but then a throwing error by the catcher gave the Tigers the opening they needed to score their first run. McGonigle also stole second. Kerry Carpenter came in and hit a homer, quickly building a nice little lead for the Tigers.

wild pic.twitter.com/5qL7pRg6iw

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 26, 2026

anyone need a Carpenter??? 💣 pic.twitter.com/KtUajbB4Nd

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 26, 2026

In the fourth, Isaac Paredes got a one-out single, but that was all the Astros would manage. Things broke wide open for the Tigers in the bottom of the inning. Colt Keith got things going with a leadoff home run.

counts 💥 pic.twitter.com/nXPmiQGoWU

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 26, 2026

Zach McKinstry walked, followed by a Matt Vierling single. Then, Outman hit one outta the park for a three-run shot.

that ball is OUT MAN pic.twitter.com/9peg88brT3

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 26, 2026

McGonigle walked, and the Astros then dipped into their bullpen, with no outs. Nate Pearson came on, and McGonigle stole second. Dingler then singled a perfect little blooper behind second, scoring another run. It seems fairly clear at this point that the Tigers did, in fact, learn their lesson from last night.

Dillon Dingler is really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really good at baseball pic.twitter.com/zghLvsYl4k

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 26, 2026

A strikeout and double play ended the inning, but the Tigers were up 8-0 when all was said and done, and Montero was very well rested.

Jose Altuve hit a leadoff single in the fifth after facing a stadium-wide chorus of boos. Tigers fans certainly know how to hold a grudge. The next play was initially ruled a fielder’s choice with Altuve out at second, but the Tigers challenged the safe call at first and it was overturned, becoming an inning-ending double play. Spencer Torkelson took a leadoff walk in the home half, but was quickly eliminated in a fielder’s choice off the bat of Keith. The Tigers weren’t able to convert their baserunner, though.

In the sixth, Taylor Trammell got a one-out walk. Jeremy Peña then singled, but two outs followed to get the Tigers out of a potential jam. Minor rant… the Tigers should not wear these new orange jerseys against teams whose primary color is orange. It’s visually confusing. In the home half, McGonigle got a one-out walk. Dingler then hit into a double play to end the inning.

It was another single for Altuve in the seventh, this time after the first out of the inning. He got the second out after that. Montero was starting to lose the zone a little at this point, and gave up a double to Yanier Diaz. But he turned it around to get the final out of the inning and end the threat. That would be the end of the game for Montero, who looked good, especially through the early innings. His final line for the game was 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, on 96 pitches. After these last starts, I think Montero has more than demonstrated that he belongs in the starting rotation. Pearson was replaced in the home half by Bryan Abreu, who got the Tigers out in order.

Enmanuel De Jesus was the first Tigers’ reliever of the game, and like Montero, he was sporting the VZ on his cap for his home country. He followed right in Montero’s cleats and got the side out in order. Jake Meyers was the new reliever, and he got the Tigers out in order.

Raynel Delgado took a leadoff walk. With one out, Delgado advanced to second on defensive indifference. De Jesus then got the final two outs of the game to close out the all-Venezuelan shutout.

Final: Tigers 8, Astros 0

It's getting harder and harder to catch up to The Miz.

Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, firmly established as the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in major league history, established another high-water mark Friday, June 26, when he threw a personal best 105.5 mph pitch, breaking his own record for a starting pitcher.

Misiorowski's first-inning fastball to Chicago Cubs leadoff batter Pete Crow-Armstrong – he fouled the pitch off – tied Los Angeles Angels reliever Ben Joyce for the third-fastest pitch in the 18-year pitch-tracking era. Misiorowski's previous fastest pitch – set earlier this month against the Philadelphia Phillies – registered 104.5 mph.

Current Boston Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman owns the two fastest pitches, at 105.8 and 105.7 mph, setting the record in September 2010 with the Cincinnati Reds.

Fastest pitches in pitch-tracking era (2008)

• 1. Aroldis Chapman, Reds, Sep. 24, 2010 — 105.8 mph
• 2. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees, July 18, 2016 — 105.7 mph
• T3. Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers, June 26, 2026 — 105.5 mph
• T3. Ben Joyce, Angels, Sept. 3, 2024 — 105.5 mph
• 5. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees, July 18, 2016 — 105.4 mpg
• 6. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees, July 22, 2016 — 105.2 mph
• T7. Aroldis Chapman, Pirates, Aug. 7, 2024 — 105.1 mph
• T7. Aroldis Chapman, Cubs, Aug. 2, 2016 — 105.1 mph
• T7. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees, July 22, 2016 — 105.1 mph
• T7. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees, July 18, 2016 — 105.1 mph
• T11. Jordan Hicks, Cardinals, May 20, 2018 — 105 mph
• T11. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees, July 23, 2016 — 105 mph

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fastest pitches in MLB history: Where does Jacob Misiorowski rank?

One night after facing Walker Buehler, who got the final three outs to close out the Dodgers championship in 2024 at Yankee Stadium in New York, the Dodgers will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who got the final eight outs to close out the Dodgers championship in 2025 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, facing the Padres in the middle game of the series at Petco Park in San Diego.

Yamamoto has a 2.01 ERA in his three June starts with this game to close out his month, during which he has 17 strikeouts and only two walks in 22 1/3 innings, which included a stretch of 45 consecutive batters retired. Yamamoto struck out eight Padres and allowed only one run in seven innings in a tough-luck loss at San Diego on May 18, part of a stretch during which the right-hander allowed seven total runs over his last six starts.

Right-hander Randy Vásquez starts for the Padres.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Padres
• Ballpark: Petco Park, San Diego
• Time: 5:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Los Angeles Dodgers (52-29) at San Diego Padres (42-37), June 26, 2026, 6:45 p.m. PST

Watch: Apple TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Enfocados.

📺: https://t.co/WtqPJHNDQYpic.twitter.com/Zxyl0rDPG5

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 26, 2026

Tonight’s #Dodgers lineup at Padres: pic.twitter.com/32YPsDPKx3

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 26, 2026

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