ARLINGTON, TX - JULY 16: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians takes the field during introductions prior to the 94th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Guardians took game 2 from the Yankees last night after the Guards offense got Garrit Cole for 3 home runs, the only home runs Cole has allowed this season. Nick has the recap.
After taking the series from the Yankees in the Bronx, it is the perfect time to remind everyone to VOTE GUARDS. Yes, All-Star Voting is already here with the Midsummer Classic fast approaching. The Guardians are 9 games above .500 and there are multiple Guardians that are more than deserving to go. You can vote 5 times a day, per email here.
Luke Hill, who was recently promoted to AA Akron RubberDucks, was named the Guardians hottest hitting prospect by MLB. In his short time with the RubberDucks, Hill hit a double for his first AA RBI.
— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) June 3, 2026
Around the League
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, Christopher Sánchez had his historic streak come to a close last night. After pitching 50 and 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, the lefty gave up a game tying hit to the Padres. Sánchez takes the honor of the fifth-longest single-season streak since 1893.
The Angels gave up a home run on just about the closest thing to a double doink you can see in baseball.
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 2: Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred speaks with Richard L. Monfort, Owner/Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Rockies on the field ahead of the National League Wild Card game between the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and the Major League Player’s Association (MLBPA) that governs the business of the league as a whole is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2026 season. As always, this means that both sides have started angling to increase their slice of the pie that is the overall profits of the sport.
Both sides have exchanged their initial proposals for changes, the first official public steps towards hammering out what the next CBA will include. Most, if not all, of these proposed changes will not make it through negotiations to the final agreement in their current form.
They do, however, give us a sense of the types of changes that each side is seeking. This affords an opportunity to assess how those types of proposals would potentially impact the Rockies if a watered-down version of them does make it to the final agreement.
Creating a hard salary cap of $245.3 million per team.
Creating a hard salary floor of $171.2 million per team.
Committing to the idea that the exact value of the salary cap and floor will encompass a 50-50 split of league baseball revenue between players and ownership as that changes over time. Notably, MLB’s exact definition of “baseball revenue” is vague.
If this hard cap and floor were in place in 2026, nine teams would be forced to shed payroll to get under the cap. From the NL West, this would include the San Diego Padres ($9 million) and the Los Angeles Dodgers ($163 million). On the flip side, twelve teams would need to increase player payroll to get over the floor including the Rockies, who would need to increase their payroll by roughly $31 million.
While player payroll is not the Dodgers only advantage, the sheer amount that they would need to cut would unavoidably reduce their ability to paper over mistakes or build roster redundancy at the level they currently can. There would still be a gulf between them and the Rockies in terms of player development, talent evaluation, and attractiveness to free agents, but it would be foolhardy to say that a salary cap and floor wouldn’t somewhat reduce the differences between the two organizations.
Team revenues
Creating a centralized fund for all local media revenue to be distributed evenly between all teams.
This essentially means that teams would share money that comes in from TV and radio deals. Depending on the specifics of what exactly qualifies for this, it could be a massive overhaul to the overall revenue structures for all teams. Smaller market clubs would suddenly get a huge influx of money that they did not previously have access to.
Under this proposal, the factors that would differentiate spending capacity between clubs would be ticket sales, merchandise, and whatever other commercial interests they have (such as ballpark-adjacent real estate like the Rockies have with McGregor Square).
The Rockies, who have had historically good attendance despite comparatively non-valuable media rights, would theoretically see some of the largest benefits from this change of any team in the league.
The MLBPA's proposal maintains the game's current financial structure with significant changes. The revenue-sharing proposal aims to increase money given to lower-revenue teams but forces them to direct that money to the major league team. Many more dollars going to players, too.
If we pool the clauses with similar goals in mind together, we can think through the potential impact on the Rockies specifically.
Team salaries
Raising the existing Competitive Balance Tax threshold from $244 million up to $300 million.
Removing all existing non-financial penalties (such as draft pick forfeiture) for surpassing the CBT threshold.
Creating a Competitive Integrity Tax that would penalize teams that did not spend at least $150 million on player payroll.
This likely would not change the status quo for the Rockies as a franchise. In seven of the past nine seasons, their payroll would have fit between these two bands as far as the league calculates taxable payroll. It’s a similar story for every other non-Dodgers team in the division. It is possible that teams like the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks would spend a bit more if the tax threshold were increased, but not enough to fundamentally change the competitive dynamics of the division.
Minimum player salaries
Increasing the minimum player salary (currently $775,000) in installments starting at $1.5 million in 2027 and up to $2.2 million in 2031.
On paper, this seems like it would impact teams in the middle of a rebuild more than others (because they lean on pre-arbitration and marginal free agents). But looking through the payroll breakdowns of the NL West this season, that doesn’t appear to actually be true.
So far in 2026, the Rockies have nine players slated to make less than this proposed new minimum salary. If this were in effect, they’d be on the hook for something north of $6 million more in payroll this season without any further promotions or signings. As it turns out, that’s a smaller increase than every other team in the division other than the Diamondbacks, who currently have five such players.
This would be a big deal for the individual players, but does not seem to have specific competitive implications for the Rockies.
The Draft
Increasing the size of the draft lottery to include the first eight picks instead of just the top six.
This would marginally increase the chance that the Rockies would end up in the draft lottery in back-to-back years and thus be forced to pick outside the top ten regardless of their record the following season, as has happened for this coming draft. It could have some small effect on the front office’s attempts to plan their next competitive window but only marginally.
Pre-Arbitration
Expanding the Prospect Promotion Incentive. Currently, draft picks after the first round are awarded to teams that have eligible players who either win the Rookie of the Year or finish top 3 in Cy Young or MVP voting. In the expanded proposal, picks after rounds two and three of the draft would also be awarded to teams with eligible players that earned lower finishes in any of those three awards voting.
Increasing the pre-arbitration bonus pool from $50 million to $180 million to be awarded to the top 125 pre-arbitration players that have not signed long-term extensions.
Introducing automatic annual increases to the pre-arbitration bonus pool.
All MLB teams contribute equally to the pre-arbitration bonus pool, and thus the players are not paid directly by the team they play for. This would have no effect on the Rockies other than more of their good young players getting financially rewarded for their performance.
The expansion of the Prospect Promotion Incentive, however, could directly impact a team like the Rockies that will be looking to begin building a new core in the coming years via graduates from their farm system. Decreasing the awards voting bar required for a team to earn additional draft picks from rookie performances would incentivize more aggressive callups for teams looking to inject even more talent into their minor leagues.
Arbitration
Making player salaries from arbitration guaranteed. This would mean teams could no longer get out of paying a salary for a player that they lost the arbitration case for just by releasing him.
Introducing a minimum arbitration tender of $3 million.
Doubling the pool of “Super 2” arbitration players from 22% of those with more than two but less than three years of service time up to 44%.
Providing a one-time increase of 20% to pre-existing arbitration salaries (with a maximum of $2 million).
Similar to the minimum salary increase, this would have relatively large implications for overall league payroll, but the distribution of that increase per team is not heavily connected to their market size or competitive window.
For example, comparing the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates, one would assume the bigger-market team that always fields a winning roster would rely less on arbitration-eligible players. In fact, however, the 2026 Yankees have 11 players that were arbitration eligible this past offseason whereas the Pirates only have four.
This isn’t likely to impact the Rockies more or less than any other team.
Free Agency
Granting free agency to players that are at least age thirty once they reach five years of service time instead of the standard six.
Eliminating the qualifying offer. Teams would still receive draft picks upon losing a free agent but would no longer forfeit draft picks when signing players.
Creating a system in which teams that receive revenue sharing would be awarded draft picks for signing players at high salaries.
This section is one that could specifically benefit the Rockies, who are a revenue sharing recipient but historically have been able to spend more than most of the other teams with that designation. This combination means that the Rockies would be one of the very best-positioned teams to take advantage of a system in which spending on an occasional high-priced free agent could also net them a draft pick.
The elimination of the qualifying offer would further increase the Rockies ability to spend on free agents as they would not need to worry about losing draft picks that are especially valuable to small and mid-market teams. That being said, the same would be the case for all other teams and would not specifically benefit the Rockies much more than others.
Conclusions
It is worth reiterating that these initial proposals will not be agreed to. The league and the union will continue negotiating, making counter proposals, and publicly vying for support throughout the season and offseason. We likely will not know what portions of these proposals the sides really care about until the threat of potentially losing games in 2027 comes near. Once the two sides reach an eventual agreement, we’ll need to assess it on its own merits.
That being said, even looking through these drastic initial proposals, the thing that stuck out to me most is just how little they would practically affect an individual team like the Rockies in terms of their competitive aspirations or the fan viewing experience. The Rockies biggest problems have always been of their own making and not a factor of institutional disadvantages.
Whether the next CBA favors the players or the owners more, the Rockies fate will largely come down to how well they identify and develop talent (just like always) with potentially a small boost from the new ecosystem… assuming they are astute enough to navigate it well.
This was a wild one that went in to the tenth inning and saw the two teams combining for 28 hits, 14 walks, seven stolen bases, and five home runs.
The largest contributors to those totals on the Isotopes side were Adael Amador who was on base four times, Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) and Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) who both had two hits including driving in the go ahead and insurance runs, and Nic Kent who had three hits including a home run. Even more impressive, however, was Andrew Knizner who had a monster game in which he collected four hits, two of which were home runs. All told, it was a good night if you like offense.
On the flipside, defense was the difference in this one. Four separate Yard Goats committed an error leading to three unearned runs, without which the game would have been tied heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Each of Connor Capel, Aidan Longwell, and GJ Hill hit home runs which provided the bulk of the offense for Hartford. On the mound Connor Staine started and went four innings in which the only runs he gave up were accounted for amongst the unearned total. Davison Palermo relieved Staine and had the only clearly poor pitching performance of the night in the form of four earned runs in just a single inning pitched.
A relatively low scoring affair that was won when the Hops scored their third run in the top of the fourth, it just took a few more innings for anyone to know it. Bryson Hammer was the starter and allowed those three runs on the back of six hits and four walks but was otherwise solid through five innings. Justin Loer took over for him in the sixth and pitched three scoreless innings.
The lineup, with their nine hits and a walk, had plenty of baserunners but failed to drive them in leaving nine stranded. Both Tommy Hopfe and Jack O’Dowd had two hits, and Robert Calaz (No. 6 PuRP) hit a triple, but Max Belyeu (No. 15 PuRP) had the best offensive performance of the night in the form of three hits including two doubles.
It’s no secret that Kyle Karros has struggled at the plate to start his major league career. Thomas Harding talks to Karros and Warren Schaeffer about his early struggles and how he’s starting to see results. Between Karros’ insistence in this piece that his problems stemmed from not relaxing enough and his pre-season plan of maintaining the approach that he’d had success with in the minors, a picture of Karros as both confident and a bit stubborn may be beginning to emerge.
In comparison, Kevin Henry’s recent piece detailing Ezequiel Tovar’s struggles to start the season show a different response to failure. In the piece Tovar goes into the frustration with his performance and the constant process of making adjustments to identified issues regardless of how the results are playing out on the field.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 15: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees throws to first for an out in the third inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, May 15, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Evan Yu/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The month of May has only added more intrigue when it comes to the Yankees. With two full pages of the calendar behind us, the Bombers are still fighting to reclaim first place, with the Rays playing some good baseball to wrap up the spring.
Regardless of any team success or struggle, another month in the book means a new slate of defensive highlights to look back on. New York ranks as a roughly league-average defensive unit up to this point based on Outs Above Average, but that doesn’t mean they can’t flash the leather now and then. Here’s a look at May’s best.
In a tied game in the third inning, the Orioles began to threaten when Taylor Ward slashed a ball towards the wall in right field. With the ball tailing and carrying all the way to the wall, Aaron Judge raced back and used every bit of his 6-foot-7 frame to reach and snag the ball. His jump took him into the wall fairly hard, but he held onto the ball, and secured the second out of the inning.
Despite his flaws, which can grow tiring, Ryan McMahon’s calling card has always been his glove. Since his arrival, almost every edition of this series has featured some spectacular play by the Yankees’ third baseman, and May of ‘26 was no different. Later in the O’s series, with the Yankees leading in the seventh, Tim Hill induced a chopper down the line, which McMahon was fairly far from. This didn’t stop him from stabbing the grounder in a fully-extended dive toward foul territory planting his feet and firing a laser over to first base.
In the very first at-bat in a game against the Rangers, Brandon Nimmo swatted a ball deep into left-center, destined for extra-bases. That was before Jasson Domínguez charged all the way back to the wall, and snagged the fly ball just a beat before crashing into the fence. It was a spectacular play to kick off the game, but certainly came at a cost, as he has not seen the field since then, with a fairly significant sprain of his AC joint on this play.
This is a bit of a two-for-one from the mid-May Subway Series. First, with one out in the third inning, Cam Schlittler took a low liner off the shoe, before Anthony Volpe redirected to collect the ball and make a slick play to record the out at first. An inning later, Schlittler showed his athleticism, when he pounced off the mound to barehand a soft chopper before making a terrific fadeaway throw over to first for the out. It was an eventful few innings for the righty, but was certainly a defensive highlight of the month.
May 20th: Bellinger uses every inch of the leather
Later in the month, in a 0-0 ballgame with a the Blue Jays, the Yankees once again benefitted from some fancy glovework. With Schlittler on the mound once again, the righty induced a slicing fly ball toward the left field wall off the bat of a lefty. Cody Bellinger got a good jump and was immediately headed toward the wall, and was forced to used all of his lengthy wingspan to bring in the second out of the inning. Like some of his teammates, a month of Yankees baseball is not complete without a highlight from Bellinger.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 05: Chris Bassitt #40 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 05, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
The short-lived winning streak is over. The Orioles have a remarkable talent this year of really putting up a crushing loss right after putting something positive together for a few days. They’ve yet to win more than three games in a row this season. That will continue to be the case for at best several days more. The latest three-gamer came to an end with last night’s 8-1 loss to the Red Sox. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the game for more of the not-so-lovely totals.
The game was a return to some of the rougher parts of this season. Starting pitcher Chris Bassitt labored through three innings; there was clear concern about something to do with his health. After the game, manager Craig Albernaz indicated that Bassitt was dealing with lower back tightness. I’m sure trying to pitch through that was tough. There have also been plenty of games this year where Bassitt pitched badly and there was no indication of any kind of injury.
There was no immediate sign from the team whether that might be an ongoing concern for Bassitt. If they think he needs the injured list, they’ll probably pull the trigger on that immediately, so they can get an extra reliever for the next few days and bring up somebody who might be within the window where they can’t come back to MLB except if replacing an injured player.
Another unfortunately familiar thing about last night’s game was the downsides of playing the infielder Blaze Alexander in center field. There was at least one supremely botched play from Alexander that led to further Red Sox offense within an inning. Stop putting infielders in the outfield! It shouldn’t be hard. But the apparent fanatical devotion to trying to press the platoon advantage has continuing downsides. At least Alexander is hitting a little better lately, so he’s not a total lost cause out there, only most of one.
All of this came while the offense was facing a left-handed starting pitcher in young Red Sox starter Payton Tolle. The Orioles broke the winless curse against lefty starters a while ago, but they haven’t gotten themselves back to a good place just yet. It doesn’t feel a whole lot better with the knowledge that, unlike many of the lefties who’ve worked the O’s over this year, Tolle has actually been good. He has a 2.28 ERA following last night’s outing. Must be nice to just draft a guy like that in the second round and have him turn into a solid major leaguer within two years.
After last night’s loss, the team is 7-14 when facing a lefty starter. This is another enduring challenge for the team, represented most dramatically in the person of Tyler O’Neill. The right-handed batting O’Neill is hitting .106 against lefties this year. It’s unreal. He sits at -1.1 bWAR through 92 games as an Oriole.
As with any other loss, last night’s setback was just one game. The Orioles have a chance to make us feel better as soon as today if they can play a better game. Taking a road series by winning today in Boston would ease the sting of what happened on Wednesday. The problem with hoping for this outcome is Trevor Rogers, who has spent the 2026 season getting punished for every bit of good fortune he had in 2025. Or, more likely, he just hasn’t been pitching well. The recent improvement from much of the starting rotation has left him behind.
Don’t show up at 7 o’clock for the game. It’s a 1:35 start time in the getaway day. As of this writing, there’s no listed Red Sox starting pitcher. They may use an opener or something. I don’t know. I try not to spend unnecessary time thinking about the Red Sox.
Next step for the Orioles: Play better on the road (Steve on Baseball) The Orioles are 19-15 at home, and after last night, are 10-18. If they were .500 on the road, they’d be 33-29 instead. Things would probably feel better if they’d managed four more road wins.
In their 62nd game last year, the Orioles lost to the Athletics, 5-4, leaving their record at 25-37 for the season. Dean Kremer gave up five runs in 5.1 innings, which meant home runs by Dylan Carlson and Jackson Holliday weren’t enough. The 2026 Orioles are currently 29-33. They continue to remain four wins better than last year’s team. They’re going to need more improvement eventually or this thing will end up at 79 wins.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2009-10 pitcher Cla Meredith, 2012 pitcher J.C. Romero, 1986 infielder Ricky Jones, and 1954 infielder Billy Hunter. Hunter passed away in Lutherville last year at age 97.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: revolutionary war loser George III (1738), actor Keith David (1956), and actress Angelina Jolie (1975).
On this day in history…
In 1411, French king Charles IV granted a monopoly to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon for the process of ripening cheese in nearby caves. The legally distinct Roquefort cheese continues to exist in European Union law today.
In 1745, Prussian monarch Frederick II led his forces to victory over the Austrians in the Battle of Hohenfriedberg, part of the War of the Austrian Succession. This decisive victory was one of those that led to Frederick getting “the Great” appended to his name.
In 1919, Congress approved the Nineteenth Amendment, which would guarantee suffrage to women. The amendment was then sent to the states for approval.
In 1942, Japanese carriers began to attack an American base at Midway Island, the start of a four-day battle where the American navy sunk all four Japanese carriers.
In 1989, protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square were violently suppressed by the Chinese army, leaving as many as 10,000 dead.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 4. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 03: Michael Massey #19 of the Kansas City Royals watches his single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 03, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Nick Loftin chose a really good time to hit his first home run on the season.
The Royals found their resilience to go with a few desperately needed bullpen answers Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.
Nick Loftin belted his first home run of the season in a three-run ninth as the Royals claimed the rubber game of the three-game series with a 5-2 win over the Reds.
It was just the sixth series-finale win in 20 tries this season for the Royals, who won their first road series since sweeping the Mariners in Seattle from May 1-3.
Loftin’s home run came after Michael Massey’s 10-pitch at-bat that ended with a tiebreaking single to right, scoring pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert – who was attempting to steal third on the pitch – to make it 3-2. All three runs in the ninth came off Cincinnati fill-in closer Tony Santillan (1-3), who took the loss.
Lucas Erceg is finally being moved out of the 9th inning… somewhat
As a result, Royals skipper Matt Quatraro announced before the series finale Wednesday that he will be making a change to the closer’s role.
“I think there’s two separate answers to that. In the short term, we’re going to match up, just based on who’s available that night and where we think the best avenue for us to get the win is,” Quatraro said. “But in the long term, I do think Erceg is a guy that we’re going to use in the ninth.”
Quatraro was careful to frame Wednesday’s announcement, making it clear that he won’t hesitate using the right-hander in higher-leverage situations. It just likely won’t be in the ninth if he feels he can use him earlier in the game. Erceg is 3-3 with a 6.45 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP in 24 appearances covering 22 1/3 innings this season.
Yandel Ricardo is tearing it up in Columbia currently.
It’s telling when a player goes 1-for-23 over a seven-game stretch and still has undeniably an impressive month. That’s what happened for Ricardo with Single-A Columbia, where he ran hot from May 2-13 (.325/.372/.675) and picked up a full head of steam of late (.455/.520/.864, two homers in eight games since May 24). The switch-hitting shortstop has already doubled his career home run high with four through 45 games for the Fireflies and is gaining plenty of momentum in his age-19 season.
Also in Columbia, Kendry Chourio continues to dominate as well.
The Royals’ No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 77 overall, Chourio turned in 5 1/3 scoreless innings on Tuesday in a 3-1 win over Fayetteville at Segra Stadium. The stellar outing lowered his season ERA to 1.46.
It’s well known the Royals need to change it up in the bullpen, Kevin O’Brien of Royals Keep spoke on it.
Luinder Avila had his best MLB start on Monday, O’Brien also talked about how he may be vital for KC
The Royals got outfielder Matthew Lugo, Caleb Moody of Kings of Kauffman talked about the acquisition.
MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand talked about the Royals trade deadline intentions after the slow start
Jun 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
What else is there to say about Cristopher Sánchez at this point? The streak may have ended at 50.2 innings, but he’s still the record holder for the longest streak as a left handed pitcher and is one of five pitchers ever to have a scoreless streak of at least 50 innings. We will likely never see something like this again in our lifetimes.
Brooklyn Cyclone's JT Schwartz (3) rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam home run during game against the Hudson Valley Renegades at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls July 27, 2022. Renegades Vs Cyclones Baseball
GAME ONE: SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 6, SYRACUSE 3 / 7 (BOX)
Syracuse surrendered three in the third and three in the seventh, which put them in a tough 6-0 hole for the bottom of the seventh (and final) inning. They scored three — two on a Ben Rortvedt home run and one on a Matt Rudick single — but the six run deficit was too much to make up.
The big story of this one is that of Kodai Senga, who is continuing his rehab assignment. He was not particularly good, surrendering three runs and six hits over five. He struggled with his command, walking two, hitting two, and throwing two wild pitches. Jorge Polanco also continued his rehab, which may be coming to an end soon.
RHP Danis Correa: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
GAME TWO: SYRACUSE 13, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 2 / 7 (BOX)
Well, this game went much better for the Mets. They scratched a run home in the first on a throwing error by the RailRiders’s. Nick Morabito stole third and scored on the aforementioned throwing error. They made it 5-0 in the third, with Christian Arroyo and Andy Ibáñez drove in runs, and Ryan Clifford stole home on a double steal with runners on first and second.
The game broke open even moreso in the sixth, as they scored eight runs en route to a split double header.
CF Nick Morabito: 1-3, 2 R, BB, 2 K, SB (16)
LF Ji Hwan Bae: 1-4, 2 R, BB, K
2B Christian Arroyo: 2-3, 2 R, 2B, 4 RBI, BB, K
1B Ryan Clifford: 2-3, 2 R, BB, SB (5)
3B Andy Ibáñez: 1-3, 2 RBI, K
DH Yonny Hernández: 0-2, R, 2 BB, K, SB (6)
SS Jackson Cluff: 0-2, R, 2 BB, K
C Kevin Parada: 1-3, R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K, E (2)
RF Matt Rudick: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, BB
RHP Zach Peek: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Matt Turner: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Daniel Duarte: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Nate Lavender: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Jonathan Pintaro: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Binghamton came out firing after surrendering a run in the top of the first, going up 4-1 on RBI singles by JT Schwartz, Vincent Perozo and Wyatt Young, with a Jaylen Palmer RBI ground out for good measure. They kept in going in the second, as Schwartz, Perozo and Palmer combined to drive in five runs in the inning, making it 9-1 after two. Reading would actually come back, scoring seven over the third and fourth innings, and even took a 10-9 lead after seven.
Chris Suero would tie it at ten in the seventh, and a JT Schwartz grand slam made it 14-10. Reading would add one more in the eighth, but a two run TT Bowens home run would put the game out of reach.
DH Chris Suero: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 K
CF Jose Ramos: 0-5, 2 R, BB, 2 K, E (5)
3B Nick Lorusso: 2-4, 3 R, K
1B JT Schwartz: 3-4, 3 R, HR (6), 7 RBI, BB, K
C Vincent Perozo: 2-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI, K
LF Jaylen Palmer: 2-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K, SB (5)
SS Wyatt Young: 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, K
RF TT Bowens: 2-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 K
2B Kevin Villavicencio: 2-5, R
RHP R.J. Gordon: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP, E (1, 2)
RHP Douglas Orellana: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, H (1)
Brooklyn struck first, as Colin Houck and Trace Willhoite drove in runs with a single and double respectively, making it 2-0 Cyclones. Jersey Shore would get one back, but a Diego Mosquera sacrifice fly and Grae Kessinger double made it 4-1 in the fifth. It would fall apart from there for Brooklyn, as they surrendered three runs in the seventh to tie it, and a walk off single in the tenth to lose it.
SS Mitch Voit: 1-5
DH Grae Kessinger: 1-5, 2B, RBI, 3 K
1B Corey Collins: 0-3, BB, 2 K
C Daiverson Gutierrez: 2-4, R, 3B, K
CF John Bay: 0-4, 4 K
3B Colin Houck: 1-4, R, RBI, 2 K
LF Trace Willhoite: 2-3, R, 2 2B, RBI, BB
RF Sam Biller: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K
2B Diego Mosquera: 0-2, RBI, BB, K
RHP Jose Chirinos: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, H (4)
St. Lucie got no-hit. Clearwater used three pitchers, who surrendered two walks, no hits, and struck out 12. That about sums it all up. Oh, and Cam Tilly was pretty good and the bullpen gave up both runs.
If a no-hitter in game one was frustrating in one way, game two’s loss was frustrating in a different direction. St. Lucie took a lead after trailing 1-0 going into the fifth, with Elian Pena doubling home a run and Antonio Jimenez singling home a run. That 2-1 lead would hold until the seventh, where Clearwater put four runs on Josh Blum, handing the Mets a double header sweep.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 6-3 (7) and L, 2-13 (7) at Syracuse Mets
Game 1:
2B George Lombard Jr. 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K CF Spencer Jones 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K SS Oswaldo Cabrera 0-3, 1 RBI, throwing error DH Tyler Hardman 2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R 1B Seth Brown 3-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB C Ali Sánchez 1-4, 1 R, 1 K RF Ernesto Martinez Jr. 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K 3B Jonathan Ornelas 1-4 LF Duke Ellis 1-3, 1 R, 1 K
Rafael Montero 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K Carlos Lagrange 4 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 K (win) — stellar first outing in the ‘pen, though it was more of a bulk start Bradley Hanner 1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (hold) Peter Strzelecki 0.2 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 K, 1 HR Yerry De los Santos 0.1 IP, 0 R (save)
SS George Lombard Jr. 0-2, 1 BB CF Spencer Jones 1-3, 1 2B, 1 K RF-3B Oswaldo Cabrera 1-3, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-3, 2 K 3B-C Tyler Hardman 1-3 2B Jonathan Ornelas 1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K 1B Seth Brown 0-3 LF Kenedy Corona 0-3 C-P Edinson Duran 0-2, 1 BB, throwing error
Zach Messinger 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 4 K (loss) Eric Reyzelman 0.2 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 1 K Dylan Coleman 2 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K Danny Watson 0.1 IP, 4 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 K Edinson Duran 1 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 2 BB — if there’s a game to wind up having to punt, a doubleheader where you already won the first game ain’t the worst
May 31, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales (3) circles the bases on a two run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning/ at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
On Tuesday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates took down the Houston Astros 10-6 on the road. Third baseman Nick Gonzales was a huge part of the Bucs offensive success against Houston.
Gonzales went 3-4 with 3 hits and walked once. He has done a great job getting on base and producing in the middle of the lineup.
Gonzales leads the team with 65 hits after getting two more on Wednesday night, inlcuding a homer. He also has a batting average of .314 which is sixth in the Major Leagues. Gonzales may not show the most power, but he’s hit impressively well and held down third base this season. He now has 2 home runs and 29 RBIs, but with the high batting average and an OPS of .759,he has been a sneaky massive piece for Pittsburgh.
Players like Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, and Brandon Lowe are getting a lot of attention, but Nick Gonzales has to be the most underrated player so far. The Pirates are 33-29 and tied for second in the NL Central, and Gonzales deserves credit so far.
Gonzales recorded his second three-hit game over his last three contests and added a season-high three runs scored in the Tuesday victory. On Wednesday, he extended his hitting streak to a modest five games and is hitting .476 (10-for-21) during the stretch.
The Pirates haven’t really needed Gonzales hitting as many home runs, as their 73 home runs shows, thanks to players like Cruz, second baseman Brandon Lowe, right fielder Ryan O’Hearn, left fielder Bryan Reynolds, first baseman Spencer Horwitz and others.
Gonzales has stayed consistent with his approach at the plate, and the Pirates are good with him and his performance, which isn’t hard to understand why with his strong hitting numbers so far.
The 27 year old deserves a lot more credit for the success of the team. The Buccos’ offense is much better this year than last year’s team, and Nicky G is a big reason because of that. If the Pirates want to be a playoff team this year and snap that 11 year playoff drought, they need him to continue to produce.
Max Clark homered for the second straight day and the Hens crushed the Cubs again with a strong effort from the bullpen as well.
Troy Watson made a short start and did quite well against a pretty good Cubs lineup. He blanked them on three hits and a walk over 3.2 innings of work with four strikeouts.
Tyler Gentry opened the scoring with a solo shot in the third. Eduardo Valencia launched home run number 11 on the year to open the fifth, and it was 2-0 Hens.
In the sixth, Max Anderson led off with a walk and stole second base. Hao-Yu Lee smoked a sharp single to left that scored Anderson and took second on the play. A Trei Cruz single plated Lee for a 4-0 lead.
Ricky Vanasco took over from Watson for four outs, striking out two. Woo-Suk Go followed that up with a pair of perfect innings and three punchouts of his own. Tyler Mattison handled the eighth without allowing a baserunner either.
In the seventh, Max Clark cracked a 420 foot shot to right that left the bat at 108 mph. Yesterday he homered off a lollypop from a position player, but this was a no-doubter and over the past two weeks Clark has started pulling the ball with more authority. Good signs from the top outfield prospect in baseball.
Here’s a look at Max Clark’s solo bomb from earlier. Left his bat at 108 MPH and went 420 feet. It’s his 4th home run of the year, and his 2nd in as many days. pic.twitter.com/YbEgqXAb7E
Hao-Yu Lee doubled in Ben Malgeri and Gage Workman in the eighth. After walks to Cruz and Valencia, Jace Jung doubled in two and scored on groundout later in the inning to make it 10-0. Scott Effross allowed two runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Lee: 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B
Clark: 1-4, R, RBI, HR, BB, K
Valencia: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB
Watson: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:38 p.m. ET start on Thursday.
Kenny Serwa put together his best outing of the season, but it took a late rally for the Flying Tigers to comeback and win this one.
Serwa gave up a run in the third, but otherwise the knuckleballer was in full control. He fired five innings of one-run ball with a walk allowed against seven strikeouts. Wandisson Charles handled the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a run.
The SeaWolves had the leadoff man on repeatedly in this one, but couldn’t break through until the eighth. Bennett Lee led off the inning with a solo shot that tied the game at 1-1. Seth Stephenson followed with a single and stole second base. Brett Callahan flew out, but John Peck reached on an error and Thayron Liranzo walked to load the bases. The Dragons’ Mitch White walked Justice Bigbie to force in a run, and a Peyton Graham single made it 3-1.
Tyler Owens wild pitched in a run in the bottom of the eighth, so it was 3-2 Erie heading into the ninth. Stephenson walked with one out, and the speedy center fielder had no trouble scoring on a Callahan drive to center that got down for a double. Luke Taggart struck out three in the bottom of the ninth to earn the save, but only after allowing a pair of two-out singles that brought the go-ahead run to the plate.
Brett Callahan with a big RBI double in the 9th that puts the SeaWolves up 4-2. pic.twitter.com/9QQkCuxa7p
Ben Jacobs had a rough outing, but the Whitecaps rallied with a three-run eighth inning to win on Wednesday and even the series.
Andrew Sears started things off with a rehab start. He gave up a run in the first, but only one hit and no walks, with four strikeouts over three good innings of work. He looks close to heading back to Double-A Erie soon.
Jacobs succeeded him, allowing three runs in five innings of work with six strikeouts. Jacobs wasn’t hit hard other than a Jacob Friend solo shot, but three walks and some wildness in the fourth especially helped the Dragons out quite a bit.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Whitecaps took advantage of leadoff walks to Jackson Strong and Luke Shliger. Cristian Santana struck out, but Juan Hernandez walked as well, loading the bases. Woody Hadeen singled in Strong, while Andrew Sojka singled in Shliger and Hernandez to make it a 3-3 game.
Dayton scored one in the seventh to take a one-run lead, but in the bottom of the eighth, Hadeen and Penngton walked and Bryce Rainer strafed an opposite field doubled to score Hadeen. That tied the game, and then the Dragons couldn’t handle a Clayton Campbell pop-up and Pennington scored. A Strong ground out allowed Rainer to score and make it 6-4 where it ended. Jalen Evans tossed a perfect ninth to earn his first save with the ‘Caps.
Lakeland Flying Tigers 11, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 5 (box)
A six-run rally in the eighth blew open a close game as the Flying Tigers took down the Mighty Mussels on Wednesday.
They jumped out to an early lead in the first as Jordan Yost led off the bottom half with an opposite field single and took second on a passed ball. Jude Warwick walked, and with one-out, Edian Espinal smoked a drive into the right field corner for a two-run triple. Espinal remains a very interesting story as the Tigers teach him the catching position while he continues to rake, now holding a .915 OPS on the season. Jesus Pinto, the other fast riser in Lakeland, reached on an error as Espinal scored to make it 3-0.
Meanwhile, Cash Kuiper was crusing through three innings. In the fourth, he couldn’t quite corral a comeback from Enrique Jimenez, last seen being traded by the Tigers to the Twins for Chris Paddack. An error by Carson Rucker followed, and then Hunter Dobbins took a catchers interference call. Kuiper wasn’t hit hard, but a three-run inning for Fort Myers followed from those mistakes, including another one from right fielder Anibal Salas, tying the game. Fort Myers added one in the fifth as Kuiper’s outing came to an end.
The Flygers answered back in the bottom of the fifth. Salas singled, and Yost walked before Warwick tripled them both in to re-capture a one-run lead. Warwick got a little greedy heading down the third base line and got tagged out, but they had the lead. Jan Carabello allowed Fort Myers to tie things up again in the seventh, but in the eighth Lakeland took control for good.
Jude Warwick puts Lakeland ahead 5-4 with a sharp 2-run triple down the line, but he gets tagged out after starting too far from the base. pic.twitter.com/9MnVhVTYoL
Yost was hit by a pitch and stole second base to start the inning. Warwick singled, and Beau Ankeney doubled them both in after a pretty epic 10 pitch battle. Fort Myers went back to the pen, but the new reliever hit Espinal before striking out Pinto. Nick Dumesnil grounded out, moving both runners into scoring position, and Rucker walked. Hunter Dobbins followed with a grand slam to left center field to put this one in the bag.
Hunter Dobbins turns on this slider and crushes a grand slam to left to put Lakeland up 11-5. @AaronArnstein would have called it, but the microphone is angry at him. pic.twitter.com/sNSasex9qo
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 03: José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home running the fourth inning during the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Apologies for the old school Today on PSA, but the editing night ran into morning rather quick this time around. The Yankees gave us a classic “just out of reach the whole time” type of game, giving up a run and then clawing it back just to give up another and stay barely behind. The series might be lost, but they could still salvage the finale and get a little momentum back for their upcoming matchup with their archrivals.
We’ve got a busy morning with a matinee getaway game, so let’s get into what’s in store beforehand. Sam starts us off with a look at the best defensive plays the Bombers made in the field in May, and then comes back to go through the Rivalry Roundup as the Tigers delivered a surprise sweep of the Rays. Jeff gives Phil Linz his flowers on his birthday and remembers his infamous harmonica story, Jonathan examines Ryan McMahon’s play in the last month and where he’s managed to make improvements, and Peter has the At-Bat of the Week featuring Paul Goldschmidt.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians
Time: 1:35 p.m. EST
TV: YES Network, Guardians.TV
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Questions/Prompts:
1. Who outside of the usual top of the lineup candidates can step up with Aaron Judge out?
2. Will Big G be able to hit the ground running when he comes back, or are you expecting a slow start?
MLB.com | Jason Foster: We’re six weeks out from the 2026 All-Star Game, taking place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The official voting opened yesterday, and the Yankees feature a trio of strong candidates to start in Aaron Judge (if he’s healthy), Ben Rice, and Cody Bellinger. A desperately weak second base field may even open up a spot for Jazz Chisholm Jr., despite his own best efforts (last night notwithstanding). Pitching isn’t chosen by the fans but it’s hard to argue that the Yankees won’t have at least one starting pitcher included in the group as well.
SNY | Ben Pawlak: The course is not yet clear for the Captain. Aaron Judge will undergo further imaging on his chest and ribs to best identify the course of treatment for this bone bruise that has upended his season. Suffice to say Judge will not be in the lineup for Thursday’s finale with the Guardians, and I would put his status for this weekend’s brush with the Red Sox in doubt too.
The Athletic | Brandon Kuty ($): The Yankees announced they were moving Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen for Triple-A Scranton on Tuesday, seeming to put him on a fast track to debut with the big league club this year. With the performance of the Yankee bullpen, especially the higher-leverage arms needed to navigate the seventh or eighth innings, Lagrange’s success as a reliever becomes more of a need than a want. Camilo Doval doesn’t seem to have the consistency necessary for a high-leverage spot, and while Lagrange can hit the same velo, hopefully he can be more reliable as he gets tuned up for MLB.
Evidently, Lagrange’s 2026 bullpen debut went quite nicely.
First relief appearance of the season for Carlos Lagrange:
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: In all our Gerrit Cole excitement, it’s worth remembering that Clarke Schmidt is also rehabbing from Tommy John, and the right-hander has begun throwing bullpens at Yankee Stadium. Schmidt underwent surgery on July 11th of last year and will likely be able to face live hitters before the 12-month anniversary of the procedure. What his exact role with the Yankees will be is to be decided, but you always need more pitching.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 03: Starting pitcher Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts as he pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on June 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At the beginning of this series, Mark Grace remarked that the Diamondbacks needed to take advantage of the starting pitching matchups in the first two games because – on paper at least – they favored the D-Backs. The first game featured a resurgent Eduardo Rodriguez against youngster Emmet Sheehan while the second one pitted the reinvented Michael Soroka against journeyman Eric Lauer. Grace’s recommendation was certainly heeded in the first game when Rodriguez went six innings and allowed just one run, but Soroka wasn’t quite able to take the baton the next night even if he ended stronger than he started. Frustratingly, the script flipped on starting pitching beginning with Shohei Ohtani and his otherworldly 0.82 ERA going tonight while Justin Wrobleski and his excellent 2.87 ERA will round out the series. As expected, the D-Backs ran headlong into the buzzsaw that Ohtani has been on the bump this season while Zac Gallen labored through just five innings and gave up five runs. There were essentially no highlights for the D-Backs tonight, just lowlights. Seriously, if you’re a Diamondbacks’ fan, go read a book or talk to a friend instead.
The vibes for the night started off poorly with Ketel Marte being scratched from the lineup late with “full body fatigue” that was later clarified to be more focused on his hamstring as Torey Lovullo explained that he would prefer to give him a day off today than push him through the pain. They did not improve through the night. After a scoreless first, Mookie Betts leadoff the second inning by reaching on a slightly off-target throw from Geraldo Perdomo that was immediately cashed in on a mammoth home run from Kyle Tucker off a flat Gallen fastball that sat middle-middle. The third also started with a pair of leadoff base runners with a walk to Ohtani, a double from Andy Pages, and a two-run single from Freddie Freeman. Max Muncy would add another run on a single that somehow eluded Gallen and Perdomo to reach the outfield and allow Freeman to motor around for a fifth LA run. Brandon Pfaadt came into the game in relief and failed to provide much confidence in his role moving forward. After collecting a couple quick outs, he loaded the bases on a Muncy double, a Will Smith walk, and an Alex Call hit by pitch that was again quickly cashed in by an Alex Freeland single up the middle that once again eluded the infield defenders.
Meanwhile, the Ohtani show was in full effect tonight. He extended his no-hit streak another 3.2 IP until Gabriel Moreno broke up his no-hitter with a two-out double in the fourth – one of just two hits and three baserunners the Japanese ace allowed over six innings of work. The D-Backs would muster just two more baserunners for the remainder of the game with a two-out walk to Jose Fernandez and a fielding error on a ball Moreno put into play on the left side of the infield. They did little to generate any baserunners and continued to struggle to find any kind of offensive rhythm after their latest sweep of the Giants. The team is now just 1-5 since leaving San Francisco and looking for answers on both sides of the ball. Thankfully, regardless of how ugly a loss might be, they count the same as a a big blowout. Hopefully the boys are able to shower and relax before going for a series split tomorrow.
PHOENIX –– Shohei Ohtani isn’t supposed to be making it look this easy.
Not after a second career Tommy John surgery. Not in his first full two-way season in three years. Not with the eyes of the baseball world watching his every move, wondering exactly how long he can keep this level of dominance up.
And yet, there Ohtani was on Wednesday night at Chase Field, looking every bit the part of “the best player that’s ever walked this earth,” as catcher Will Smith put it.
Shohei Ohtani throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning. AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
In a 7-0 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers’ unicorn talent continued what has become a magical campaign thus far.
He delivered a scoreless six-inning outing on the mound that lowered his ERA to 0.74 through his first 10 starts –– third-lowest that deep into a season since earned runs first became a stat in 1913.
If that wasn’t enough, he also went 3-for-4 as a hitter while drawing two walks, pushing his batting average back above the .300 mark for the first time since opening day.
“I’m pleased with where I’m at right now,” Ohtani, understated as ever, said through an interpreter.
Ohtani runs to first base after getting a hit. AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
There’s no debating Ohtani’s status as the game’s preeminent superstar right now.
After Wednesday, the bigger question is whether he’s also baseball’s best current pitcher, as well.
Granted, he doesn’t have –– and will not finish the year with –– as many innings as some of the game’s other top arms. He is still technically below the minimum innings threshold to be considered a qualified pitcher, albeit by only one.
Still, no one is preventing runs as clinically as he is at the moment.
Ohtani leaves the mound after getting through an inning. Getty Images
At no point this season has his ERA even reached 1.00.
“I’ve noticed with Shohei, every run is a premium,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s literally trying to throw a shutout every time out there.”
He did once again on Wednesday, mowing through the Arizona lineup in a two-hit, one-walk, six-strikeout gem.
The right-hander retired the first 11 batters he faced, extending his hitless streak to 9 ⅔ innings dating back to last week’s six-inning start against the Colorado Rockies. He stranded a double that Dbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno poked down the first-base line with two outs in the fourth, in one of his rare moments of stress all night.
The Dbacks wouldn’t put another runner aboard until the sixth, when Tommy Troy walked and Geraldo Perdomo hit a single. But then, as if dialed up on command, Ohtani got Corbin Carroll to immediately hit into a double-play grounded that ended the inning.
Ohtani fist pumps after getting through another inning. Getty Images
He punctuated his pitching performance with a calm fist pump as he walked off the mound for the final time.
“He just has a really good feel for the game,” Smith said.
All that, and Ohtani also reached base five times (all three of his hits were singles) on a night the Dodgers jumped to an early five-run lead on Kyle Tucker’s two-run blast in the second and run-scoring singles from Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy in the third.
It isn’t supposed to be this easy.
Ohtani is making it look so anyway.
“I don’t throw 100, so I can’t relate or know what he goes through,” Tucker quipped. “But he’s given us everything he has every single time he goes out there, every single day. So he’s done a phenomenal job.”
Kyle Tucker celebrates his home run with Will Smith. Getty Images
What it means
The Dodgers (40-22) have won 16 of their last 20 games, and are in position for a sixth-straight series win entering Thursday’s finale of this four-game set.
Unsurprisingly, that run has coincided with Ohtani’s best stretch of the season.
For all he’s done as a pitcher, the four-time MVP has also rediscovered his swing as of late.
With Wednesday’s 3-for-4 performance, he is now hitting .435 over the team’s last 20 games with 16 RBIs, 12 extra-base hits and an OPS of 1.254.
For the season, it has raised his batting average to .301 (ninth-best in the National League) and his OPS to .941 (representing the league’s third-best mark).
“Honestly, I think his at-bats the last three weeks have just been better in total,” Roberts said.
Shohei Ohtani scores in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Who’s hot
Ohtani, obviously.
The only real question is whether that’s more true of his bat or his arm.
On the mound, Ohtani has still yet to allow more than two runs in any of his starts this year. Wednesday was the fifth time he didn’t give up any.
Even more encouraging this time was his improved command in an efficient 89-pitch outing, which was only cut short because the score had gotten so out of hand.
After eight combined walks in his three previous pitching starts, he issued only the one free pass on Wednesday.
“Today was definitely a lot better than last time,” he said.
Ohtani still didn’t even seem to be at his absolute best with his arsenal. He leaned mostly on fastballs and sweepers, and only got nine total whiffs.
No matter. With pitch speeds ranging from 100.4 mph all the way down to 68 mph, he kept the Dbacks (32-29) off-balance, out-of-rhythm and unable to do much of anything.
He might have company in the Cy Young race. But he’s already well on his way to another MVP honor.
Kyle Tucker gets showered in sunflower seeds after hitting a home run. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Who’s not
This category had belonged to Tucker over the past few days.
But after a three-hit showing Wednesday, it no longer applies for now.
Tucker’s home run in the second inning came on what he said was his best swing of the year: A 424-foot blast over the pool in deep right-center with a season-best 107.6 mph exit velocity.
“That’s kind of the swing I’ve been searching for the whole time,” he said. “It’s good to get that off and kind of carry that over for a few at-bats after that.”
Indeed, he lined a single on a low curveball in the third inning, then another on a low slider in the fifth.
It marked Tucker’s fourth three-hit game of the year, and got his average up to .243.
“I just felt he looked much more comfortable tonight,” Roberts said.
Up next
The Dodgers conclude this four-game series on Thursday, when Justin Wrobleski (7-2, 2.87 ERA) faces right-hander Ryne Nelson (2-4, 4.82 ERA).
In this week's Closer Report, Jhoan Duran continues to dominate as he's on track for his best season yet. No one has been better at run prevention than Louis Varland. And Trevor Megill appears to be back in the driver's seat for saves in Milwaukee. All that and more as we cover the last week in saves around baseball.
⚾️ Baseball is back! MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Mason Miller - San Diego Padres Cade Smith - Cleveland Guardians Jhoan Duran - Philadelphia Phillies Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox Raisel Iglesias- Atlanta Braves
Miller worked around two walks, striking out two batters while converting a four-out save against the Nationals on Friday. After giving up his only two runs of the season on April 27, he's back on a ten-game scoreless streak. His 22.5% swinging-strike rate leads the majors, well above the next best at 19.8% by Andrés Muñoz.
Smith made two appearances this week. He struck out the side against the Red Sox on Friday, then gave up one run before holding on for his 21st save against the Yankees on Wednesday. The 27-year-old right-hander holds a 2.83 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts over 28 2/3 innings.
Duran locked down three saves with perfect outings against the Dodgers and Padres. He struck out the side against the Padres on Tuesday, then struck out two more on Wednesday for his 14th save. His current 42% strikeout rate is by far a career high, topping his 33.5% in his 2022 rookie year.
Chapman didn't see any save chances this week, but made one scoreless appearance against the Guardians on Sunday, striking out two. The 38-year-old left-hander had gone ten days without pitching, with his last save coming on May 20. He owns a 0.48 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings.
Iglesias converted two saves this week, tossing scoreless innings against the Blue Jays and Reds. His only two runs of the season have come in one outing, giving him a 0.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings while converting 11 saves.
▶ Tier 2
Bryan Baker - Tampa Bay Rays Louis Varland - Toronto Blue Jays Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs Gregory Soto - Pittsburgh Pirates Paul Sewald - Arizona Diamondbacks
Two more saves for Baker this week, giving him 16 on the season with a 2.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings. There's been no doubt for a while that Baker has earned the trust to operate as the full-time closer in Tampa Bay. It's still just surprising that we have a Rays reliever well inside the top ten.
In Toronto, Varland recorded his eighth save of the season, recording four outs against the Orioles on Thursday. He then pitched the eighth against the heart of the order on Saturday before Jeff Hoffman surrendered five runs to blow the lead in the ninth. That further cements Varland as the reliever to roster on the Blue Jays. The 28-year-old right-hander has the lowest ERA among closers at 0.29 with a 1.03 WHIP and 42 strikeouts over 31 innings.
Muñoz surrendered a run to blow a save chance against the Diamondbacks on Friday, his fourth blown save of the season. He then pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Mets on Monday. The 27-year-old right-hander remains at nine saves with a 4.76 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings. At some point, we hope the results will start to fall in line with the underlying indicators. Still, Muñoz just hasn't been able to string together enough scoreless outings, making it harder to justify a top spot in the closer rankings.
Scott tossed a clean ninth inning with one strikeout on Friday for a save against the Phillies, then was hit for three runs in the eighth to blow a lead on Saturday. The three runs matched the number of runs he had allowed all season. Scott then bounced back with a scoreless ninth inning against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday for his sixth save. Edwin Díaz has started a throwing progression, but is still expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break as he recovers from surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow.
It's been a frustrating season for fantasy managers rostering Palencia. He made three scoreless appearances this week, but is still searching for his first save since May 14. He's converted just three this season despite an excellent 1.98 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings.
Soto picked up a win and two saves. The Pirates had entered the ninth inning with a six-run lead on Tuesday, and Dennis Santana was out to finish the game. Santana surrendered two runs and brought the tying run on deck before Santana stepped in and struck out the final two batters for his eighth save. Soto couldn't quite get it done on Wednesday. He was summoned with two outs and two runners on to protect a three-run lead and gave up three hits and a walk, bringing five runs in without recording an out. Still, there's no doubt about who's taking the ninth inning in Pittsburgh. Soto has enjoyed a resurgent season, posting a 2.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts over 28 1/3 innings.
Sewald made one appearance this week, tossing a clean inning against the Dodgers on Monday for his 15th save of the season. The 36-year-old right-hander has been effective for the Diamondbacks, with a 3.63 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts over 22 1/3 innings. Sewald has been a bit lucky, with a .122 BABIP and 61.4% strand rate. While those numbers aren't likely to hold up, we'll take the saves production for now.
▶ Tier 3
Josh Hader - Houston Astros Riley O'Brien - St. Louis Cardinals David Bednar - New York Yankees Devin Williams - New York Mets Jacob Latz - Texas Rangers Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers Pete Fairbanks - Miami Marlins Seranthony Domínguez - Chicago White Sox
In Houston, the Astros get their closer back, activating Hader from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday. He got his first save opportunity on Wednesday and converted, working around one walk while striking out one batter in a scoreless inning against the Pirates. The 32-year-old left-hander was sidelined with a biceps issue all season. He hadn't pitched for the team since August 8 of last year after a shoulder injury ended his 2025 campaign early. Hader steps back in as the primary closer, but will continue to carry an elevated injury risk.
O'Brien has made 27 appearances so far this season. He didn't allow a run across his first 13 outings. Over the last 14, he's given up 12 runs. He recovered with a scoreless outing on Wednesday against the Rangers to convert his 15th save to go with a 3.95 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings.
Bednar worked around two baserunners in his only outing against the Athletics on Sunday. He continues to work through a high volume of traffic on the bases, but I wouldn't expect his .368 BABIP to last all season.
Williams had a much better week despite not seeing any save chances, tossing two clean frames against the Marlins and Mariners. He had a solid stretch through May until giving up four runs on May 24. Inconsistencies have led to a 5.40 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 20 innings.
The Rangers have consistently gone to Latz for most of the team's save situations since late April. He picked up two more saves this week on back-to-back days, giving him eight with a 2.00 ERA, 0.59 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts over 27 innings.
Megill has been pitching well over the last couple of weeks, with seven straight scoreless outings. He's appeared to take back the role of primary closer in Milwaukee, picking up two saves this week. Megill has converted the last three saves for the team and is up to eight on the season. Meanwhile, Abner Uribe recorded his last save on May 19. During Megill's seven-game scoreless streak, he's struck out nine batters to zero walks while allowing just two hits.
Fairbanks gave up two runs in the tenth inning to take the loss against the Mets on Friday, then tossed a scoreless inning on Monday before locking down his seventh save on Wednesday against the Nationals. The 32-year-old right-hander is a possible trade candidate at the deadline should the Marlins slide out of contention over the next two months.
Domínguez didn't see a save chance this week, but did make back-to-back scoreless outings with a pair of clean innings. He was unavailable on Sunday, as Tyler Davis stepped in for the final two outs to record the save against the Tigers. Domíguez has converted 11 saves with a 3.97 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings.
▶ Tier 4
Rico Garcia - Baltimore Orioles Kirby Yates - Los Angeles Angels Kaleb Killian/Keaton Winn - San Francisco Giants Clayton Beeter - Washington Nationals Kyle Finnegan/Will Vest - Detroit Tigers Lucas Erceg - Kansas City Royals
Garcia made three scoreless appearances, including a clean frame with two strikeouts against the Red Sox on Tuesday for his fourth save. Garcia had been splitting save chances with Anthony Nunez, but Nunez has given up eight runs over his last six outings. Garcia is filling in for Ryan Helsley, who is progressing through his recovery from right elbow inflammation. Helsley is in the live bullpen session stage of his rehab, but will likely still need at least a couple more weeks before he's ready to return.
Yates gave up one run and took a loss against the Rockies on Monday, then tossed a scoreless ninth inning in a blowout win on Wednesday. The 39-year-old right-hander has given up four runs with a 12/4 K/BB ratio across 9 1/3 innings while converting one save.
Kilian blew the save and took the loss on Friday, giving up five runs against the Rockies in Colorado. He bounced back with a scoreless inning on Sunday, falling in line for a win. With Kilian coming off three appearances in five days, Winn handled the final five outs against the Brewers on Wednesday for his first save. Winn has been the most effective reliever in the Giants' bullpen, but it remains a situation that is unlikely to produce many saves from any one player, given the team's lack of success and Tony Vitello's matchup play in the late innings.
Beeter seemed to step back into the closer role, converting back-to-back saves against the Padres over the weekend. He then entered with two outs in the seventh on Wednesday against the Marlins. Beeter returned for the eighth and gave up two runs. He's probably the likeliest to get the most save chances in Washington, but inconsistency and some matchup-based usage make him incredibly volatile.
The Tigers lost closer Kenley Jansen to the 15-day injured list with pelvic inflammation. Finnegan figured to get the first chance to fill in for the ninth-inning role, but blew a save chance on Friday against the White Sox. Vest recorded the final five outs, giving up one run before holding on for his first save. Vest is probably the reliever to take the chance on, displaying the better underlying skills. Finnegan's -2.6% K-BB rate is nowhere near closer material. That K-BB ratio ranks last among qualified relievers.
The wheels have fallen off for Erceg as he blew two more saves this week. He's now blown a save in four of his last six outings, including three straight. If speculating for saves here, Alex Lange stepped in for the save chance on Wednesday, with Erceg likely unavailable. He struck out two, working around two baserunners to convert the save against the Reds.
▶ Tier 5
Antonio Senzatela - Colorado Rockies Tony Santillan/Sam Moll - Cincinnati Reds Yoendrys Gómez/Eric Orze - Minnesota Twins Mark Leiter Jr./Joel Kuhnel/Hogan Harris - Athletics
