Category: Baseball

The Yankees had chances, but failed to capitalize as they dropped the first game of the series against the Boston Red Sox, 5-3, on Friday night in The Bronx. 

New York (37-26) went 1-for-6 with RISP and left seven men on base. Boston (27-35) didn't tally a hit in the last four innings.

Here are the takeaways…

- SpencerJones, called up with Aaron Judge set for a long stint on the IL, singled up the middle in his first trip to the plate before he notched an RBI double, bouncing a 3-0 offering down the first baseline in the fourth for the Yankees' lone hit with a runner in scoring position on the night. The RF, who was 4-for-24 during his first stint in the big leagues, got his first career three-hit game with a two-out single in the sixth. 

- Ben Rice put the Yanks up 1-0 in the first, taking a hanging Sonny Gray curveball 377 feet to right. It was Rice's 18th homer and 45th RBI of the year. He added a smashed single to right and a walk, but struck out swinging to end the seventh, chasing ball four against lefty Danny Coulombe. He finished 2-for-3 with a walk.

- Trent Grisham, who grounded out to second his first two times up, got a sweeper in the happy zone and clocked it 424 feet into the second deck in right (108.3 mph off the bat) for a solo shot. Grisham has been swinging a better bat of late; he entered the game 15 for his last 43 (.349) with a .917 OPS. With two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth, he grounded out to first to finish 1-for-5.

- Ryan Weathers got a scare when Red Sox leadoff man Jarren Duran clubbed the game's first pitch to the warning track in left for a long out. After the six-pitch clean first, the left-hander followed with a 10-pitch second, getting around a one-out single.

Weathers was in a spot of bother with one out in the third when Connor Wong flipped a single into left, Duran singled into right on a ball that ticked off Paul Goldschmidt’s glove at first, and he walked Ceddanne Rafaela on four pitches. The righty traded a run for an out on a slow roller to short, but allowed Boston to go ahead on a WillsonContreras check-swing infield hit as the pitcher’s throw to first pulled Goldschmidt off the bag.

After picking up his second strikeout of the night, Andruw Monasterio absolutely smoked a 3-2 Weathers fastball 408 feet into left field for a solo homer in the fourth. And after getting two quick outs in the fifth, a bouncing ball just eluded Jazz Chisholm Jr. in shallow right and Weathers paid the price when Contreras clobbered a changeup at the bottom of the zone 419 feet that just stayed fair around the left-field foul pole to give the visitors a 5-2 edge.

Weathers finished his night with a 1-2-3 sixth, his final line: 6 innings, five runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts on 93 pitches (57 strikes).

- Anthony Volpe, who entered the game with two hits in his last 18 at-bats, took a cutter the other way for a single to put to aboard with one out in the second. He had a bit of bad luck to end the fourth, when his liner up the middle was snared by Monasterio, who doubled Jones off second. Volpe had more bad luck in the sixth, smashing a liner (104.8 mph) to center to end the inning. He finished 1-for-4, with a strikeout looking at three straight fastballs (the last of which went right down the middle) in the ninth.

- The lack of production from the Yanks’ third baseman and catchers was a topic of conversation before the game, and it came to be in the second as Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells failed to come through with runners on first and second, both with lazy flies to left.

McMahon would grab a basehit to right to start the seventh, finishing the day 1-for-3.

Wells, who entered the game hitless in his last 10 at-bats, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout swinging.

- Chisholm, who reached on a fielder’s choice his second time up, stole his 16th base of the season and came around to score two pitches later. He finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

- Cody Bellinger went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a walk.

- Goldschmidt was hitless in four at-bats, including an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the third.

- Out of the Yanks’ bullpen: Paul Blackburn got six straight outs, including two strikeouts in the eighth. Camilo Doval made it four consecutive 1-2-3 innings for Yankee pitchers with two strikeouts in the ninth.

- In the bottom of the ninth, Max Schuemann walked on four pitches as a pinch-hitter for Jones to lead off the ninth against Aroldis Chapman,before Amed Rosario (as a pinch hitter for McMahon) walked on four pitches with one out. José Caballero (pinch-hitting for Wells) ended that run when he flied out to right with the tying run on base.

Highlights

Ben Rice gets the Yankees on the board early! pic.twitter.com/Tqp1oAJfr0

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 5, 2026

Spencer Jones sends Jazz Chisholm Jr. home on an RBI double pic.twitter.com/hwokCZCGse

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 6, 2026

Trent Grisham homers to make it a two-run game pic.twitter.com/1iKytF5kpI

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 6, 2026

Spencer Jones is 3-3 tonight! pic.twitter.com/uyzct3tk8L

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 6, 2026

Upcoming schedule

The series continues on Saturday night with a 7:35 p.m. first pitch. 

Will Warren (3.22 ERA, 1.197 WHIP in 64.1 innings) climbs the hill for the Yanks against lefty Ranger Suarez (3.38 ERA and 1.159 WHIP in 58.2 innings).

Early today, Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer provided an update on player injuries.

• Jordan Beck (left hamstring strain) — Progressing; received a PRP injection.
• José Quintana (left elbow sprain) — Received a PRP injection and is in a brace for two weeks.
• Welinton Herrera (left elbow UCL tear) — Receiving a second opinion.
• Chase Dollander (right elbow UCL sprain) — Progressing,
• Brenton Doyle (left oblique contusion) — “Feeling a lot better”; no baseball activity.
• Mickey Moniak (right ankle tendinitis) — Progressing with baseball activities and will likely need a rehab assignment before returning to the active roster.
• Jimmy Herget (right shoulder impingement) — Throwing live BP tomorrow; Triple-A (Tacoma) next week for two appearances.
• Victor Vodnik (right ulnar nerve inflammation) Throwing live BP tomorrow; Triple-A (Tacoma) next week for two appearances.

In addition, the Rockies announced prior to the start of the game that Tanner Gordon had been placed on the 15-day IL with a right hip impingement.

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Tigers 7, Mariners 3

The effort Ryan puts into his articles: Rob Refsnyder, +0.17 WPA
The effort Ryan puts into his WPA tags: Bryan Woo, -0.17 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day

The Tigers have extended their winning streak to four, and it’s starting to look like it’s not just luck. They beat the Mariners 7-3 on Friday night.

The Tigers were back in Detroit after a very hot and cold road trip. They were still riding the high of their sweep of the Rays at the start of the week, and hoping to bring that good luck home with them. They had Gleyber Torres, who has been excellent since his return, and on the mound, they were leaning on Framber Valdez. The Mariners had Bryan Woo up, who has been great for them in a very uneven season for the M’s.

J.P Crawford got things going for the Mariners in the first with a leadoff single. Julio Rodriguez singled right behind him. Two outs followed, but then Rob Refsnyder singled, bringing Crawford home and putting the Mariners on the board first. Gleyber Torres continued his hot streak, starting the bottom of the inning with a single. Kevin McGonigle then grounded into a force out, eliminating Torres at second. Two more outs followed and the Tigers left a man stranded.

Valdez, after giving up three singles in the first, got into a much better groove in the second, getting the Mariners out in order. In the home half, Riley Greene singled to get things going. Spencer Torkelson hit a force out that initially looked like a single with Greene getting safely to first, but the Mariners challenged and the call was overturned with Greene out. Two more outs followed.

In the top of the third, Crawford was hit by a pitch to get a free bag. While he did stay in the game to run, he would later exit the game between the top and bottom of the inning. He was eliminated in a double play off the bat of Rodriguez and then one more out ended the inning. With one out in the home half, Torres singled again. McGonigle then singled, sending Torres to third. A Dillon Dingler fly ball turned into a force out, getting McGonigle out at second, putting Dingler safely at first, and scoring Torres. Then Kerry Carpenter came in to hit a home run to right. The Tigers found themselves in the lead, 3-1.

Josh Naylor and Rob Refsnyder hit back-to-back singles to start the fourth. Three outs in a row, followed though, as Valdez showed some evident frustration in himself, but pulled it together to get out of the jam. The Tigers went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

With two outs in the fifth Rodriguez walked. He then stole second. Randy Arozarena walked, and then Rodriguez stole third and Arozarena stole second. Despite having two runners in scoring position and rain falling steadily, Valdez got himself out of the inning relatively unscathed and with no runs scored. The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the home half, but the final out of the inning, a McGonigle groundout to first, resulted in McGonigle colliding with first baseman Naylor so hard Kevin’s helmet flew off. He looked okay, but it was still pretty ugly.

After a few uneven innings and an elevated pitch count, Valdez was done for the night with a final line of 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K on 102 pitches. He was replaced by Drew Anderson. The Mariners went three-up, three-down with the final out of the inning being on an incredible diving catch from Riley Greene.

Dillon Dingler got the home half going with a leadoff single. A Carpenter pop out and Greene hitting into a double play ended the inning.

With one out in the top of the seventh, Colt Emerson hit a solo home run to bring the Mariners within one. After the second out, Rodriguez doubled, but Seattle didn’t score any additional runs. In the bottom of the inning, Colt Keith got a one-out single. We then got Zach-to-Zack singles from McKinstry and Short. Woo’s game was done at that point, replaced by Eduard Bazardo. Torres doubled to right and Victor Robles misread the play, missing the catch completely, and sending two runs home.

Tyler Holton was the next pitcher out of the Tigers’ pen and he gave up a leadoff double to Naylor. After a Canzone groundout moved Naylor to third, Kerry Carpenter completely lost a routine fly ball, allowing Naylor to score. Cole Young singled, and that was all she wrote for Holton, who was replaced by Kyle Finnegan. The Tigers got to breathe a big sigh of relief as the next two outs followed, but those extra insurance runs were really coming in handy now. Alex Hoppe came in from the Mariners’ pen. With one out, Greene singled. Then Spencer Torkelson hit a home run to left.

Will Vest was in for the Tigers in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Arozarena doubled, followed by a walk to Naylor. Not ideal. Even though the drama got dialled up to eleven, Vest came through and got the final out of the inning to secure the Tigers’ win.

Final: Tigers 7, Mariners 3

The sweep at the hands of the Marlins was demoralizing, but the Nats need to bounce back. They got a day off to re-set, and now they start the first west coast trip of the series. The Nats will square off against a Diamondbacks team that sneakily is in second place in the NL West.

I have a feeling this lineup from Blake Butera will not be very popular. Curtis Mead, Jacob Young and Keibert Ruiz are all on the bench. That means Jorbit Vivas will be at third, Dylan Crews will be in center and Drew Millas will be behind the plate. Jose Tena will also be hitting third and in the DH spot. Foster Griffin will be on the mound.

The Diamondbacks have an extreme mix of youth and experience. Veterans like Corbin Carroll, Nolan Arenado, Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte are in the lineup. However, there are also rookies like Ryan Waldschmidt and the debuting LuJames Groover in the lineup. We will not see old pal Ildemaro Vargas tonight after he collided with Max Muncy yesterday. Veteran Merrill Kelly will be on the hill for the Snakes.

Game Info:

Stadium: Chase Field

Time: 9:40 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

This is a very important series for the Nats after the Marlins debacle. Will this be a June swoon or was that Marlins series just a blip on the radar. We will find out this weekend. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Roster moves

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

• Selected INF LuJames Groover (No. 16) from Triple-A Reno
• Optioned to Triple-A Reno: INF Jose Fernandez
• Designated for assignment: RHP Taylor Rashi

And right into the starting line-up at first-base tonight goes Groover. He was drafted by the D-backs in the second-round (#48 overall) of the 2023 draft, out of North Carolina State University, and is immediately one of my favorite D-backs because he shares my birthday of April 16 [S’funny, we never had a D-back born that day before this year, but there are two in tonight’s starting line-up, in Groover and Nolan Arenado] He was an Futures All-Star last season, and in 56 games this year for the Triple-A Reno Aces, has a line of .322/.421/.452 for an .893 OPS. Almost as many walks (37) as K’s (43), but only three HR – which in Reno means basically zero power.

It marks the end – for now – of the Fernandez saga. Jose had one of the all-time greatest debuts as a Diamondback, homering twice and driving in four runs on March 31st against Detroit. But it has almost all been downhill since then. Over 54 games since, he has hit .242/.278/.304 for a mere .582 OPS. However, Fernandez is still only 22 years old – almost eighteen months younger than Groover. He’ll go to Triple-A for what’s basically the first time, having played just one game there before being called up the big leagues. I’d not be at all surprised to see him back with the D-backs at some point down the line.

To make room for Groover on the 40-man roster, the team designated Rashi for assignment. To be fair, he turned 30 in January, and it’s not often 29-year-old debutants in MLB stick around. He did win his debut this year, pitching a scoreless 10th inning against Atlanta. But he got roughed up by the Orioles, leading to a quick ticket back down to Reno. His numbers there have actually been very good, with a 1.03 ERA across 26.1 innings, and just one home-run allowed. The K:BB of 26:12 isn’t so impressive though. Perhaps he’ll make it through waivers, and we’ll be able to keep him around the organization.

With the Mets starting a three-game series with the San Diego Padres on Friday night, manager Carlos Mendoza gave updates on some of his injured players.

No Jorge Polanco in San Diego

When New York began this six-game West Coast road trip on Monday, the thought was that Polanco would be ready to re-join the team when it arrived in San Diego to play the Padres. However, that day has arrived and Polanco remains on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse.

"He’s playing right now. He’s DHing in Syracuse," Mendoza said. "We just felt like he needed to get volume there. Last game he only played four-to-five innings of defense. We gotta get him to a point where [he gets] four at-bats as a DH or seven innings of defense, at least. So we won’t see him here in San Diego."

While Polanco still needs more time, Mendoza is encouraged with how he has progressed during his rehab.

"The way he’s taking his swings, the way he’s rotating, he looks more healthy," the skipper said. "When you look at the way he’s rotating and standing on that back leg, which was something that we didn’t see before he went on the IL. When we were playing the Dodgers [in late April] you could see it was affecting him. But right now he looks in a better place with the way he’s taking his swings."

Polanco went 0-for-2 with two walks as Syracuse was no-hit by Brendan Beck (7 IP) and Carson Coleman (2 IP) of the Scranton-Wilkes/Barre RailRiders.

Goal for Francisco Alvarez

Along with Polanco, Alvarez is also in Friday's starting lineup with Triple-A, his third rehab appearance since recovering from a meniscus tear in his right knee on May 13.

Originally scheduled to be out for six-to-eight weeks, Alvarez is blowing past that number and is already in contention to return from the IL when the Mets return home on Tuesday for a six-game homestand.

"Alvy’s catching right now," Mendoza said. "The goal is for him to get I think seven [innings] today. He’s gonna go back-to-back [tomorrow]. So the goal, if everything goes well there, is to have him on the next homestand."

The skipper didn't specify exactly when during New York's homestand, but it stands to reason Alvarez could be back for the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals which would put his recovery timeline at less than a month.

Alvarez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before getting pulled for Kevin Parada.

Odds and ends

Ronny Mauricio (fractured thumb) has started running, but has yet to begin hitting.

Tyrone Taylor (right hip) started running yesterday.

Mets lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. Juan Soto – LF
4. Jared Young – 1B
5. A.J. Ewing – CF
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. Brett Baty – 3B
8. MJ Melendez – DH
9. Luis Torrens – C

SP: Christian Scott – RHP

Padres lineup

1. Fernando Tatis – RF
2. Gavin Sheets – DH
3. Manny Machado – 3B
4. Ty France – 1B
5. Jackson Merrill – CF
6. Xander Bogaerts – SS
7. Bryce Johnson – LF
8. Sung-Mun Song – 2B
9. Rodolfo Duran – C

SP: Michael King – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 9:40 PM ET
TV: WPIX
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

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

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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

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

MLB moneyline picks for June 6

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

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 6-5.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for June 6

Mariners vs Tigers: Mariners (-127)

Mariners win probability: 56%

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

Royals vs Twins: Twins (-127)

Twins win probability: 56%

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

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

Reds vs Cardinals: Reds (+117)

Reds win probability: 46%

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

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

Giants vs Cubs: Cubs (-133)

Cubs win probability: 56%

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

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

Orioles vs Blue Jays: Orioles (+108)

Orioles win probability: 47%

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

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

White Sox vs Phillies: White Sox (+117)

White Sox win probability: 46%

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

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

Pirates vs Braves: Braves (-122)

Braves win probability: 55%

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

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

Rays vs Marlins: Rays (-133)

Rays win probability: 56%

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

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

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

A's win probability: 47%

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

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

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

Nationals vs Diamondbacks: Diamondbacks (-150)

Diamondbacks win probability: 60%

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

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

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

Red Sox vs Yankees: Red Sox (+117)

Red Sox win probability: 46%

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

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

Guardians vs Rangers: Guardians (-104)

Guardians win probability: 51%

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

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

Brewers vs Rockies: Brewers (-233)

Brewers win probability: 70%

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

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

Angels vs Dodgers: Dodgers (-257)

Dodgers win probability: 72%

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

Mets vs Padres: Mets (-104)

Mets win probability: 51%

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

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

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

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Discuss below!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lineups

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 6:40 pm MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

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

BrewersSB Nation Site: Brew Crew Ball

Lineups:

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