Category: Baseball

The Detroit Tigers opened up their three-game series against the New York Yankees in the Bronx with a 7-3 win on Monday night. Casey Mize tossed an absolute gem and the offense, powered by two-hit efforts from Kevin McGonigle, Hao-Yu Lee and Zach McKinstry, had no trouble producing runs to take Game 1.

On Tuesday, the Motor City Kitties can clinch the road series behind left-hander Tarik Skubal, who will make his fourth start since returning from cutting-edge nanoscope surgery to clean up his elbow. In his three games since coming back, the 29-year-old has struggled to the tune of an uncharacteristically high 4.96 ERA and 5.85 FIP over 16 1/3 innings of work, surrendering a whopping six home runs over that stretch — four more than he allowed in the 43 1/3 frames he threw before his IL stint.

Skubal’s last start also came against the Bronx Bombers, in which he allowed four runs on four hits (three home runs) and no walks while striking out nine over six innings for his fourth loss of the season in a 4-2 final at Comerica Park. The two-time Cy Young Award winner had not allowed three dingers in a game since 2021, when it happened five times.

For the Yankees, right-handed ace Cam Schlittler will take the mound amidst a Cy Young-worthy season of his own this summer. The 25-year-old second-year hurler has posted a microscopic 0.76 ERA and a tidy 2.46 FIP over his last four games, though his most recent outing saw him surrender four unearned runs to the Boston Red Sox for his fourth loss of 2026 in a 6-3 final.

Here is a look at how the two top-tier pitchers match up on Tuesday night.

Detroit Tigers (26-49) vs. New York Yankees (48-36)

Time (ET): 7:05 p.m.
Place: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
SB Nation Site:Pinstripe Alley
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 86: LHP Tarik Skubal (3-4, 3.32 ERA) vs. RHP Cam Schlittler (8-4, 1.62 ERA)

SKUBAL

SCHLITTLER

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday (but it didn’t stop the injury bug that’s crushed the majors to hit them, too; recently-promoted and red-hot Garrett Martin hit the IL with an undisclosed injury)

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday

Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 5-2 at FCL Blue Jays

3B Richard Matic 2-5, 2 K
DH Wilberson De Pena 3-5, HR, 2 RBI, K — just keeps raking, 12th homer and 1.051 OPS in 39 games (.352/.407/.667)
C Queni Pineda 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI
2B Leni Done 0-4, 2 K
CF Jose Castro 1-3, BB, K, 2 SB
LF Francisco Vilorio 0-4, 2 K
SS Dexters Peralta 0-4, 3 K
RF Estivenzon Montero 0-4, K
1B Justin Capellan 0-3, K, HBP

Jerson Alejandro 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K, balk — only his third appearance of the season (first was in May) after missing 2025 with an injury
Anthony Mena 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K
Edinzo Marquez 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K — very nice (win)
Alexander Almonte 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 12-4 vs. DSL Twins

SS Stiven Marinez 0-4, BB, K — one of just two Yanks without a ribbie yesterday
CF Yostin Pena 0-1, 4 BB, RBI, SB, CS — walk-a-palooza
2B Juan Torres 2-4, 3 RBI, K, SF
C Juan Martinez 2-5, 2B, RBI, throwing error — RBI knock to tie it in third after Twins’ early 4-0 lead
1B Cesar Lopez 1-3, 2 BB, RBI, SB
DH Manuel Aguilar 0-4, RBI, 2 K, GIDP, HBP
3B Abrahan Pichardo 0-1, 3 BB, RBI, SF, SB — another walk-a-palooza (10 total for Yanks)
RF Eliezer Adames 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, K
LF Kendry Diaz 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, CS — go-ahead double in the fourth

Hector Moreno 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 1 K, HR, WP
Fredy Penuelas 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K (win) — picked up Moreno’s tough day was outstanding long relief
Luis Rodriguez 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 4-15 at DSL Colorado

CF Alfiery Matos 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB, HBP — leadoff dinger was first career pro homer
2B Carlos Bello 0-4, RBI, 2 K, SF, throwing error
C Alessandro Rodriguez 1-2, 2 BB, picked off
RF David Carrera 1-2, RBI, K, SF
RF Sebastian Pinto 0-1
SS Germayhoni Beltre 1-3, BB
DH Poly Ojeda 1-2
PH-DH John Rosillo 0-2, 2 K
1B Stalen Ramirez 1-2, 2B
PH-1B Jesus Guerrero 0-1, K, HBP
3B Adrian Feliz 0-2, 2 BB, K, CS
LF Eddison Charles 1-4, 2B, 2 K, SB, 2 fielding errors and a throwing error — bad day in the field

Randy Angomas 1.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, HBP (loss) — ’twas not a day for Bombers pitching
Diego Carrillo 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 4 K, HBP
Andre Avila 1.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, HR
Josue Silvestre 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

The worst-kept secret about the Yankees right now is that they’re hurting for some offensive fireworks. With Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham, and Ryan McMahon all on the IL right now, over a third of the starting lineup is missing and the consequences can be felt in their five-game losing streak. They’ve been on no-hit alert in back-to-back nights now, and in general the lineup has failed to get much of anything going on a consistent basis. Nearly everyone in the lineup is slumping, and as a result they haven’t scored more than four runs in a game in over a week. That just won’t do.

So there’s been many culprits responsible for the offense’s cold streak, but who can pull them out of the doldrums? In an ideal world there would be several hitters getting close to finding their form again, but sometimes you just need one guy to get on a heater to take the pressure off the rest of the team. It doesn’t matter who does it, but someone’s gotta step up and be the one to put the lineup on their back for at least a little bit. Let’s go over some candidates, shall we?

Ben Rice has been the 1B to Aaron Judge’s 1A in the lineup for the majority of the year, but with Judge now out Rice unfortunately entered a pretty big slump regressing back to the mean a bit. His June’s been rough, but he still stacks up as the team’s best hitter this year and thus stands the best chance of carrying the load with some timely homers if he gets back on track. The lack of protection might be a contributing factor to Rice’s slump, but right now there’s no guarantee of any protection coming up and they simply need somebody to get the torch lit.

Aside from Rice, the next best hitter would be Cody Bellinger, and he’s in the right place to find his groove. Bellinger’s got some of the most egregious home/away splits you could ask for going on this season, hitting to a 207 wRC+ in Yankee Stadium while hitting for a 64 wRC+ anywhere else. That latter mark is quite concerning, but seeing as the Yankees are at the start of a homestand as we speak, there’s no harm in keeping the pattern going for another week.

It’s been a major surprise just how well Paul Goldschmidt’s done this year, but the long-time veteran has fit into his role exceptionally since taking on a small one-year deal to return to the Yankees. He’s gotten more playing time than originally expected with Stanton’s injury, and that has only expanded with Judge also out now, but they’ve never needed him more than now with the rest of the offense struggling. He’s been arguably the most successful of the bunch during June, encapsulated by his two-homer day against Tarik Skubal last week, but if he could fully turn on the 2022 Matt Carpenter magic for a bit his Yankees stint could quickly rise to legendary status.

Perhaps though, the answer simply doesn’t lay with the lineup as is. Perhaps the return of Grisham and/or McMahon will be the catalyst that turns things around, and they’re both nearing that point. Grisham could be back during this homestand, with a short rehab stint that could last as long as a single game being all that stands between him and his name being penciled back into the lineup. McMahon is due back shortly after him, and while he hasn’t been as impactful with the bat overall he’s had his moments and could certainly ingratiate himself by slapping a clutch home run to bail out the rest of the position players.

Whoever the answer is, the Yankees would love it if they got to work immediately as they’ve got another game in front of them. Before we get to their attempt to even up this series though, let’s run through what’s in store here first: Jeff considers what Minnesota could have to offer as our trade partner series kicks off, Peter covers the Roundup, Kento honors Jerry Kenney’s time with the Yankees on his birthday, Michael goes through the past week’s action down on the farm, and Andrés examines Henry Lalane’s resurgence and how it could position him as a trade chip this season.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers

Time: 7:10 p.m. EST

TV: Amazon Prime Video, Detroit SportsNet, TBS

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

NBC Sports: In case you missed it, Jazz Chisholm Jr. exited Monday’s game against the Tigers early. While tracking a fly ball, he collided with Jasson Domínguez, taking the outfielder’s arm straight to the head. According to Aaron Boone, he has not been diagnosed with a concussion, but he is in concussion protocol.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: The Yankees have not looked good of late, including getting swept in a four-game series at the hands of the rival Red Sox over the weekend. Despite the recent losing streak, the Yankees’ record is right near the top of the American League, and was the best in the AL until the recent defeats. Considering the Yankees’ roster makeup, it’s probably best for them to go all in at the Trade Deadline, with the likes of Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole currently in their 30s.

ESPN | Jorge Castillo: Two of the players whose injury recoveries are most important to the Yankees’ chances are Max Fried and Giancarlo Stanton. In some hopeful news, the two are set to face off in a live batting practice session on Tuesday. Stanton’s timeline is still largely unclear, but if all goes well for Fried he could begin a rehab assignment shortly after this session.

CBS Sports | Matt Snyder: While the Yankees have gotten stinkers out of the rotation, bullpen, and defense of late, the major reason for the recent struggles have been due to a slumping offense. There are several reasons for that, but they’re ones the Yankees are going to have change quickly if they do want to make a run in October. Some of their stars (including their biggest one) are injured, sure, but the supporting cast just hasn’t done much supporting at all during this stretch or for the season at large and that’s a concern that won’t go away easily.

Lastly, the Yankees will have a fresh arm in their bullpen tonight after needing to use six arms to record 22 outs in relief of an ineffective Ryan Weathers yesterday. Yerry de los Santos threw two innings after Weathers left the game, and he’ll now head back to Triple-A. The RailRiders were off yesterday, so the Yankees will have their pick of the litter.

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Another slugfest is expected tonight at Sutter Health Park when the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers face the Athletics in Game 2 of their three-game series.

The Dodgers are overpriced tonight (-144), and my Dodgers vs. Athletics predictions and MLB picks are expecting a bounce-back victory for the highly undervalued A’s (+138) on Tuesday, June 30. 

Who will win Dodgers vs A's today: Athletics moneyline (+134)

The market is flat-out wrong, pricing the Los Angeles Dodgers as road favorites tonight based on their uber-pristine surface stats.

Justin Wrobleski is the ultimate regression candidate; his 2.71 ERA is a mirage masked by a fraudulent 4.32 xERA and a bottom-tier 17.8% whiff rate.

Conversely, Jeffrey Springs is dynamically unlucky. His bloated 5.52 ERA hides a much sharper 4.41 xERA and a strong .244 xBA, while his 20.6 % strikeout rate provides a true missing-bat floor.

Take the Athletics to +115 tonight.

COVERS INTEL: The Athletics are batting .261 with a .789 OPS with runners in scoring position.

Dodgers vs A's Over/Under pick:  Over 10.5 (-121)

The elements align perfectly for a high-scoring dog fight tonight.

With 90-degree heat and the wind blowing out at Sutter Health Park, flyball tendencies will be heavily penalized.

Wrobleski lacks a solid bat-missing floor (17.8% Whiff%), while Springs possesses an extreme flyball profile (13th percentile groundball rate).

Combined with an Athletics bullpen surrendering a massive 2.55 HR/9 over the last two weeks, routine flyballs turn into cheap home runs in that bandbox.

These two clubs light up the scoreboard whenever they meet and are 9-1 to the Over in their past 10 meetings.

Hammer the Over to 11 runs and -130.

Dodgers vs A's weather

Hot, humid weather and winds gusting to 10.9 mph make this an ideal night for hitting for the Dodgers and Athletics. 

Dodgers vs A's odds

• Moneyline: Dodgers -144 | A's +138
• Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (+108) | A's +1.5 (-113)
• Over/Under: Over 10.5 (-113) | Under 10.5 (+108)

Dodgers vs A's trend

The Over is 9-1 in their last 10 H2H meetings. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. A's.

How to watch Dodgers vs A's and game info

Dodgers vs A's latest injuries

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.

SACRAMENTO –– Dodgers manager Dave Roberts smirked on Monday afternoon when asked for his thoughts on Sutter Health Park.

“I’m not saying it’s Denver,” he quipped, “but the ball does carry.”

Indeed, in the Dodgers’ first visit to the Sacramento Triple-A stadium masquerading as the Athletics’ temporary big-league home, the ball flew … and bounced … and ricocheted … all over the place in a 9-4 win to start a three-game series.

There were 17 hits and three lead changes through the first 3 ½ innings.

There were four home runs and 33 total baserunners by the end of the night.

The Dodgers got one rally started when the ball got lost in the sun in the second inning, as a Kyle Tucker pop fly dropped between two Athletics outfielders to fuel a two-run rally. 

The Athletics answered in the bottom half of the inning when Max Muncy (the Athletics’ young third baseman) hit a single past Max Muncy (the Dodgers’ veteran slugger) on a ground ball that kicked off the bag and hopped into shallow left.

On and on the night went, with weird bounces and unusual moments thrilling a crowd of 12,394 in MLB’s most unconventional setting.

Finally, however, the Dodgers (55-30) began to pull away.

Two home runs in the fourth inning negated the early 3-2 deficit, with Muncy tying the game with his 17th of the year before Andy Pages put them in front with a two-run blast for his 16th of the season.

Then, in the sixth, Shohei Ohtani provided the biggest highlight of the night, clobbering a three-run homer that would’ve been gone in any of MLB’s 30 ballparks, flying an estimated 432 feet for the second-longest of his team-leading 18 big flies this season.

“Shohei has been on a heater,” Roberts said of Ohtani, who is hitting .361 with 12 home runs since May 12. “The last six weeks, he’s been the best player in baseball.”

Along the way, Dodgers starter Eric Lauer finally brought some calm, bouncing back from the three-run second from the Athletics (40-45) by stranding the bases loaded in the third, then retiring 10 of his final 12 en route to a strong six-inning start.

And after that, the Dodgers bullpen got through the final three innings –– including Kyle Hurt striking out the heart of the A’s lineup in order in the seventh –– with any more theatrics in a ballpark built for them.

What it means

In a perfect world, Roberts would secure his 1,000th career win at Chavez Ravine in front of a home crowd.

But after Monday’s win, he is now on the verge of doing it here in Sacramento this week.

At 999 career victories, Roberts is not only on the doorstep of joining the 1,000-win club, but also becoming the fastest manager in MLB history to get there. 

With one more win, he will become the fourth Dodgers manager to ever reach the milestone, joining Tommy Lasorda, Walter Alston and Wilbert Robinson.

Who’s hot

There were plenty of big performances Monday from the Dodgers’ lineup, which saw eight of nine starters record at least two hits.

No one’s contributions were as refreshing, however, as Teoscar Hernández, who went 2-for-5 (albeit with three strikeouts) in his return from a month-long absence with a hamstring strain.

Hernández tested out his hamstring immediately by legging out an infield single in the second. He then came back up in the third and singled again, this time on a 103 mph line drive to right. 

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Before the game, Hernández joked that “I don’t think they really need me in the lineup,” given how well the club had played without him. Still, keeping Hernández healthy and productive the rest of the way will be important, especially after he struggled following a groin strain last year.

“I never really got hurt before last year, so you learn from that,” Hernández said. “Last year, I tried to come back a little quicker. I think it messed up my timing, my hitting … This time, I talked to the team. I said, ‘I want to take some extra at-bats, so I can feel better, so I can feel like my timing is in place to come back and keep helping the team.'”

Who’s not

Tyler Glasnow, at least not entirely.

The good news is that the injured Dodgers starter has resumed a throwing program, after repeated setbacks in a battle with back spasms that has sidelined him for almost two months now.

However, Roberts said the team is still “being very cautious right now” with his progression, trying to avoid any further setbacks in an injury that has already dragged on far longer than expected.

Up next

Roberts will go for career win No. 1,000 on Tuesday, when Justin Wrobleski (9-2, 2.71 ERA) will take the mound for the Dodgers against Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-7, 5.52 ERA).

The Mariners dominated the Angels in a bounce back 6-2 win on Monday.

That’s really it. This game was quick. It was simple. And it was necessary after Sunday’s disastrous, hard-feelings loss in Cleveland. George Kirby was great. He had a few hiccups early, mostly limited to Zach Neto, and then worked through eight innings with vintage efficiency. The Mariners offense backed him up with some timely hits and a trio of homers, including two from Cole Young. With the win, the Mariners are back to .500, beginning a crucial four-series stretch ahead of the All-Star Break.

“Quick wins are always good wins,” Dan Wilson said postgame, clearly pleased with his team’s bounce back performance.

For as great as this game ultimately turned out, it felt a bit familiar through the first two-plus innings. The Angels jumped on Kirby quickly. Neto led off the first by lacing a double into the gap, and he quickly scored on a one hopper from Denzer Guzman. The Angels got Neto back to the plate by the third, and he made it 2-0 with a solo homer. It was early, but it certainly didn’t feel after the Mariners’ lineup had gone went six up, six down against Angels’ starter Ryan Johnson, with a bunch of weak contact to boot.

Then Young stepped to the plate to lead off the third. He watched the first five pitches of the at bat to work the count full. Then Johnson returned with a middle-middle sinker, and Young took his hack, cutting the deficit in half with a laser to right.

The Mariners lineup got right back to it in the fourth. Julio led off with a single. Dominic Canzone followed with a ground into a double a double play — at 103.6 mph, it was by far the hardest batted ball of the inning. But the pressure was on, and Johnson looked vulnerable. Randy Arozarena took a hit by pitch. Josh Naylor hit a 46 mph squibber to third, that spun under Guzman’s glove and leaked into left field, moving Arozarena to third and Naylor to second. 

That brought up the slumping Cal Raleigh, who was candid about his and the team’s struggles with runners in scoring position after Sunday’s loss. Johnson got a quick called strike then threw the cutter low and in. Cal took a hack of sorts, getting handcuffed but muscling a flare into no-man’s land in left field. It dropped and plated a scoring a pair of runs to give the Mariners a 3-2 lead.

“I think he hit the nail on the head yesterday,” Wilson said of Raleigh’s comments on Sunday. “Today, he didn’t want to try to do too much. He got a pitch he could handle, it got in on him a little bit, but he was able to hit it to left field and get that ball in and pick up those two runs. That’s the approach – not getting too big where you swing and miss on that pitch, or taking a swing where you’re out front, but he stayed on it, stayed through it, and was able to get it in left field and give us the lead, which I think was obviously the big turning point in the ball game.”

The Mariners broke it open in the sixth against lefty reliever Mitch Farris. Canzone quickly fell behind, but fought and fought and eventually got a middle-middle fastball. He crushed it 428 feet to right center.

Josh Naylor then drew a walk, putting a runner on for Young. He saw one pitch, and obliterated it off the facing of the Hit-It-Here Café. His second homer of the day gave the Mariners a 6-2 lead after six. 

The Mariners, of course, have struggled mightily against lefties this year. They simply don’t have many quality righty batters and are now forced to take a number of left-on-left at bats. Young said the key to improving against them going forward is to keep things simple.

“The biggest thing is not thinking too much about it It’s not, ‘Oh, he’s a lefty, it’s gonna be so much different.’ It’s more, ‘All right, let’s create an approach against this guy, and let’s stick to it, not try to do too much and just stick to the approach and hit it hard somewhere.'”

Kirby cruised after his early issues with Neto. He got a double play to work around base runners in the fourth. He struck out the side in the fifth. Then he set down the side in order in each the sixth and seventh with limited labor. The defense behind him was excellent, highlighted by this slick play from J.P. Crawford at third.

A game that looked a bit iffy early saw Kirby at just 79 pitches after seven innings, with a chance to get through eight for the first time since early April. Was there any question about whether he’d go back out for the eighth? 

“Yeah we were kind of on the fence about what to do there,” Wilson said with a grin. 

Now, the eighth wasn’t perfect for Kirby. Josh Lowe led off with a double, and Neto remained a pest, drawing a one-out walk. But Kirby then had two of my favorite at bats of his season. He threw four straight straight sweepers to start Guzman out 2-2, then a 98-mph dot on the low-and-away corner (or at least close enough) , freezing Guzman.

That brought up Nolan Schanuel, who fouled off several pitches. Kirby then got him to chase way out of the zone on a curveball in the dirt. It was his 17th whiff and seventh strikeout of the day. Kirby stormed off the mound, fired up as the furious George of old, only to enter the dugout through a hand-tunnel from his teammates (which he kindly demonstrated for the press corps). He could be seen in the dugout not long after with a wide grin on his face. It was a good day.

“There was something in him tonight that was a little bit different – the look in his eye – and he was really able to shut them down,” Wilson said. 

For Kirby, it was nice to see him not let the game get away after early struggles and an up-and-down season to this point.

“You just gotta tip your cap sometimes, and if that stuff happens early, it doesn’t mean the game’s over,” Kirby said. “I just have to keep going, and I feel like I’ve been doing a lot better job of that. Some stuff happens early on, just keep my head down, just keep going, and get the win for the team.”

Perhaps the Mariners might take something from that as well. 

PHOENIX — It would be inaccurate to describe the Diamondbacks as kryptonite to these Giants, if only because that would imply they had some kind of superpowers.

More than halfway into the season, it’s clear that’s not the case.

If anything, these Giants are super bad.

One thing’s for sure: They don’t have an answer for this Arizona team, which got to Tyler Mahle in the fifth inning and never let the Giants catch up Monday to begin a three-game series.

Final score: 5-4.

It was the seventh time the teams have played this season with the same result. They hadn’t lost seven in a row against one foe to start a season since going 0-7 against the Padres in 2010.

Besides the leadoff homer Mahle surrendered to Ketel Marte that put Arizona up 1-0, things started off positively enough for the Giants. Mahle kept the Diamondbacks quiet, and they tied things up by giving them some of their own small-ball medicine on a squeeze bunt that scored Victor Bericoto.

For a cherry on top, Jonah Cox even beat out the bunt and swiped second.

But Cox didn’t make it past third base, and Mahle didn’t make it out of the next inning.

He walked the leadoff man, allowed the No. 9 hitter to poke a single and loaded the bases with another free pass. That brought up Geraldo Perdomo, who subsequently unloaded them with a bases-clearing double into the left-field corner that Bericoto allowed to bounce around.

Manager Tony Vitello didn’t leave Mahle in to face the damage: He opted for left-hander Sam Hentges to force the switch-hitting Perdomo to bat right-handed with the bases loaded.

The decision was sound, with Perdomo performing substantially worse from the right side this season despite even career splits, but it backfired anyway.

Turns out, the mistake came before the game, when nobody told Mahle he was operating on a pitch count. He said he would have pitched differently to his last hitter, Ketel Marte, the recipient of his second walk, had he been aware it was his final batter.

“I didn’t realize I was on a pitch limit of like 85, so Ketel was up there and he’s done well against me, so I was like, OK, I’m not gonna give him anything to hit,” Mahle said. “Then I got taken out. … I didn’t know I was on a pitch count, or else I would’ve gone about that at-bat differently.”

That’s just how this season has gone for the Giants, who fell back to 14 games below .500. The Diamondbacks are single-handedly responsible for half that margin.

Speaking of ownage, there’s Nolan Arenado, who’s in an entirely different orbit.

Arenado’s 36th career home run against the Giants, a no-doubter to left off JT Brubaker, added to Arizona’s lead in the sixth and proved to be the difference. He also drew the walk that started the rally in the fifth.

Heliot Ramos, in his second game back from a month-and-a-half absence, golfed a slider from closer Paul Sewald over the center field fence to lead off the ninth, and pinch-hitter Drew Cavanaugh singled home Bryce Eldridge to cut the margin to one run.

But Drew Gilbert and Matt Chapman popped out to end the loss.

What it means

Whatever positive inertia was built over the Giants’ 4-2 homestand and a series win over the MLB-best Braves was apparently lost when they ran into the buzzsaw that is the third-place Diamondbacks, who had lost seven of 10 and just been swept by the Rays.

The loss also wrapped up the season series in favor of Arizona for the fifth year in a row, ever since the Giants’ 17-2 campaign during their 107-win 2021 season.

If the results so far were flipped, well, the Giants would be a .500 ball club. They would also be tied with Arizona for third place in the NL West, instead of 14 below .500 and in a seven-game hole.

Who’s hot

The pair of homers from Marte and Arenado represented the first time since June 13 that Giants pitchers have allowed opponents to take them deep more than once in a game.

Marte’s leadoff shot was the first home run any Giants pitcher had allowed in five games, dating back to Max Muncy’s solo shot off Dylan Smith in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the A’s, ending a run of 37 straight innings without a home run.

Giants starters had kept opposing batters in the park for even longer, going eight straight games without surrendering a home run since Kyle Stowers hit one against Logan Webb last Sunday.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the fastball Marte punished was the third-slowest of the 37 four-seamers thrown by Mahle. He averaged 93.5 mph, topping out at 95.5 mph.

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That’s a 1.5-mph increase from Mahle’s average fastball velocity in 11 starts before spending a month on the injured list with a hamstring strain — and would represent his hardest velocity since he averaged 94 mph in 2021.

Who’s not

Giants baserunners have, on multiple occasions already, been doubled off after forgetting the number of outs. Before scoring their first run on a good read from third base, Bericoto managed to make an out in a new fashion even for one of the majors’ worst base running teams.

He confirmed after the game that he didn’t know what the count was when he got caught meandering between first and second after Eric Haase swung through strike two in the second inning.

Catcher Gabriel Moreno fired to first and made Bericoto the third out of the inning after a brief run down, snuffing out a minor rally with two runners on and two outs.

“I don’t want to use the excuse of everything that’s happening back home, but you know, the situation in Venezuela has me rattled up,” said Bericoto, whose brother lost his girlfriend in the powerful earthquakes that struck his home country last week. “It’s not an excuse. I have to do better at my job. But I shouldn’t have made that mistake.”

The young outfielder said he was greeted by “words of encouragement” from his teammates in the dugout, and he made up for the error after doubling in his next at-bat and scoring on Cox’s bunt.

“The conversations were overdone, if anything, in the dugout,” Vitello said. “So it was time to move on, and it was a much better trip around the bases for him. Overall, he played great.”

Up next

Landen Roupp will try to get the Giants in the win column against the Diamondbacks for the first time this season Tuesday in the second game of the series. Arizona plans to call up Brandon Pfaadt from Triple-A.

TORONTO — Marcus Semien’s absence from the Mets will be an extended one.

The Post’s Jon Heyman reported Monday that the veteran second baseman, who was placed on the injured list in recent days with a left hip flexor strain, will miss four to six weeks, minimum.

Semien’s injury was a Grade 3 strain; he tried to play through it before it severely limited his movement.

“He’s got a little bit of time before he’s back on the field with us,” interim manager Andy Green said before the Mets fell 2-1 to the Blue Jays.

Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty are the second base options in Semien’s absence.

Luis Robert Jr. is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Syracuse.

The veteran outfielder has been on the injured list since April 27 with a lumbar disc spine herniation.

Tobias Myers was optioned to Syracuse and Joey Gerber recalled to give the Mets a fresh arm in the bullpen. Myers, who owns a 14.54 ERA this month, allowed three earned runs over three innings against the Phillies on Sunday — a fourth straight shaky appearance.

Green said rather than stretch out Myers as a starter in the minors, the goal is to “stack innings” before he returns.

“He has the ability to win south of the strike zone and he struggled to get pitches down there [Sunday],” Green said. “If he does that, he will pitch meaningful innings for us, and whether that’s in starting capacity or relief is not determined yet.”

Gerber pitched a scoreless eighth Monday night with a pair of strikeouts.

The Mets have Nolan McLean and Freddy Peralta lined up to start the final two games of this series before Thursday’s off day.

The rookie McLean was tagged for six earned runs over six innings last week against the Cubs, but Green said he is not concerned about the right-hander, who has pitched to a 4.03 ERA this season.

“He did a lot of good things and he paid the price for long balls,” Green said. “He was one pitch away of being through six innings of three-run baseball with nine punch-outs; he left a pitch up and it got hit. That’s the nature of the game and I think he takes that personally.”

Out-homering their opponents three-to-one, the Dodgers beat the A’s 9-4 and are now 1-0 all-time in games at Sutter Health Park. Already on their first visit to the A’s temporary home, the Dodgers gave their fans a taste of this park’s propensity for an elevated number of runs by thoroughly dismantling Gage Jump and the A’s bullpen with an incredible eight multi-hit performances. On the Dodgers’ pitching side, Eric Lauer did exactly what this team wanted from him when they acquired him a little over a month ago, navigating a troublesome outing with a respectable line and saving up the bullpen.

Early on, though, a similar fate seemed to be in store for both starters. After avoiding damage in the first inning, both quickly caved, allowing multiple runs in the second, two for the Dodgers and three for the A’s. The Dodgers caught a bit of a break in their first rally, as a Kyle Tucker fly ball was lost in the sun and dropped in for a hit—Tucker would eventually come around to score on a Dalton Rushing single.

Nearly as quickly as the Dodgers relinquished the lead in the bottom of the second—with the A’s scoring three against Lauer—they came back to take it again in the fourth, this time relying on the long ball. In the battle of namesakes, the Dodgers’ Max Muncy proved to be the more impactful hitter. Muncy added to his RBI single that opened the scoring in the second with a solo shot to tie things up at 3-3.

Only a few batters later, Andy Pages handed the visiting team the lead with a two-run bomb to make it 5-3. This was only Pages’ fourth home run against lefties this season, going against his career splits and performing better versus right-handed pitchers.

While all of this damage forced the Athletics starter, who by the way hadn’t yet allowed a homer this season, to leave the mound, the ball didn’t stop leaving the yard. Already in his fourth at-bat by the time the sixth inning rolled around, Shohei Ohtani decided to get in on the fun, hitting a three-run bomb that firmly put the game out of hand.

Because neither starter necessarily struggled with command, the window was there for either of them to remain in the game if they were eventually able to settle down. While Jump was unable to, Lauer did exactly that, squeezing in a quality start out of a game in which he allowed seven hits in the first three innings. In doing so, the veteran left-hander helped save a couple of innings from the bullpen, and by the time he was removed, a five-run lead gave the Dodgers plenty of security to see this one out.

Just one more win in a long regular season to give the Dodgers a 55-30 record; this one puts Dave Roberts one shy of 1.000 career victories as a manager, quite the achievement coming up for the three-time World Series winner.

Game particulars

• Home runs: Max Muncy (17), Andy Pages (16), Shohei Ohtani (18), Colby Thomas (3)
• WP— Eric Lauer (4-5): 6 IP, 9 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
• LP— Gage Jump (3-2): 4.2 IP, 11 hits, 5 runs, 5 strikeouts

Up next

Another game, another battle of left-handed starters. On Tuesday, it will be the turn of Justin Wrobleski and the veteran Jeffrey Springs squaring off with the same start time (6:40 p.m. PT).

Teoscar Hernández was back from a hamstring injury, and a little bit humble. He was about to play his first game in a month for the Dodgers.

“I don’t think they really need me in the lineup,” he said, with a hint of a smile.

Hernández hit 58 home runs over his first two seasons with the Dodgers, each of which ended in a World Series championship, so of course they need him. But, in his absence, the Dodgers had more than doubled their National League West lead.

Hernández is back, but Will Smith and Kiké Hernández still are out. So are Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Edwin Díaz.

No matter: The Dodgers boosted their division lead to 11 games Monday with a 9-4 victory over the Athletics. Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy and Andy Pages homered to highlight a 17-hit attack.

Read more:Mookie Betts is 'back' for Dodgers: Offensive takeaways from series win over Padres

The Dodgers are on pace to win the NL West by 21 games. They boast the best record in the major leagues at 55-30, and Ohtani and the Traveling All-Stars remain baseball’s best road show.

Before the game, a guy setting up one of the merchandise stands here pointed to all the Dodgers gear for sale. He wore a Dodgers cap. He said he wished he had more Dodgers stuff to sell, because the crowd would be overwhelmingly in favor of the Dodgers.

And so it was, one day after San Diego fans complained of all the Dodgers partisans at Petco Park. In Sacramento, where the wandering home team wears a Sacramento patch on one jersey sleeve and a Las Vegas patch on the other sleeve, there were loud cheers for Ohtani and Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, and loud chants of “Let’s go, Dodgers!”

Every Dodger in the starting lineup had two hits except for Betts, who had one.

Eric Lauer, imported to fortify a starting rotation without Glasnow and Snell, worked six innings to record the victory. He gave up three runs and four hits in the second inning, no runs and five hits over the other five.

He is 3-0 with 2.88 earned-run average in six starts for the Dodgers, the last three of them classified as quality starts.

“He’s been nothing but impressive for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Glasnow and Snell are weeks away from returning, and maybe more, but Roberts said they would not lose their job because of injury.

“Eric coming over here knew that this was the deal, right?” said Roberts, who posted his 999th career win. “Until they get back. We just don’t know when. He’s just got to stay focused on doing his job. Then when that time comes we’ll see what happens.”

In the top of the second, the Dodgers bunched four hits, all singles — the first by Hernández, beating out an infield single in his first at-bat since the hamstring injury — to take a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the A’s also bunched four hits, including a Colby Thomas home run, to take a 3-2 lead.

The rest of the Dodgers’ scoring: a solo homer by Muncy and a two-run homer by Pages in the fourth, a three-run homer by Ohtani in the sixth, and an RBI single by Freeman in the eighth. The A’s scored the final run on a wild pitch in the ninth.

And, speaking of wild, each team had a Max Muncy playing third base and batting seventh.

“It’s a strange feeling standing at third base and they’re announcing that you’re hitting and it’s not you,” Muncy (the Dodgers one) said.

Miguel Rojas said the Dodgers have flourished in the wake of significant injuries because the organization places a priority on developing players and giving them a fair shot at playing time, citing Pages, infielder Alex Freeland and pitchers Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan, as well as wise trades for supplementary players, including infielder-outfielder Tommy Edman and outfielder Alex Call.

“It’s not living with the narrative of ‘We’re buying championships and spending money,’” Rojas said. “Yeah, we’re spending money to get good players. But we’re not really basing our success just on that.

“The front office does quality work on getting the right players and putting the puzzle together. I feel that’s the reason why we can afford losing a couple guys in the middle of the year, because we have a full team that is ready to step up.”

Still, Rojas conceded none of that would matter without Ohtani, Freeman, Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. And, yes, Rojas said, the Dodgers do have an irreplaceable player.

“It’s going to be really hard if we lose Shohei,” Rojas said. “It’s going to be a little bit different than losing another player. Having Shohei at the top of the lineup every single day and doing both sides of the ball has been really helpful.”

Ohtani gave the Sacramento crowd what it wanted to see: a majestic 432-foot home run, with a supercharged, 112-mph exit velocity. On Wednesday, the last day of the Dodgers’ only scheduled visit here before the A’s move to Las Vegas in 2028, he’ll take the mound to give the people more of what they want to see.

“I think we got market share tonight,” Roberts said. “It was fun. A lot of people don’t get a chance to see us play. So people up here in this area, Northern California, get to see us, get to see Shohei put on a show.”

Ohtani, two-way All-Star?

Roberts said no decision has been made about whether Ohtani will pitch in the All-Star Game. Ohtani already has been elected as the starting designated hitter for the National League.

If Ohtani is not the starting pitcher, he will not pitch.

In the 2021 All-Star Game, Ohtani was the starting pitcher and designated hitter for the American League. It would be impractical for Ohtani to warm up to pitch in the middle of an exhibition game in which he is the DH.

The Dodgers closely manage Ohtani’s workload on the mound, which could lead to a decision that he skip pitching in the game. The most likely candidates for NL starting pitcher: Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cristopher Sanchez of the host Philadelphia Phillies, with Yamamoto also worthy of consideration.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

They’re the reigning champions for a reason. The Athletics dropped their first game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night, losing 9-4 in Sacramento against the team with the best record in the sport. The team is now on a three-game losing streak and will wrap June with a losing record. A tough one to swallow and the A’s are now 40-45 and now three games back and in fourth place in the AL West.

The A’s had rookie lefty Gage Jump on the mound this evening, hoping he could continue his strong start to his career and tame the mighty Dodgers lineup.

After a scoreless top of the second the Dodgers got to work against Jump. Using four singles they put up the game’s first two runs of the night.

The A’s answered back and then some in the bottom half of the frame against LA starter Eric Lauer. First it was left fielder Colby Thomas getting things started with a solo home run, his third long ball of the season:

Expect to see much more of Thomas in the lineup while regular Tyler Soderstrom is out.

They weren’t done there either. Singles from Max Muncy (ours) and Alika Williams brought up tonight’s second baseman, rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. Ranked highly in the Athletics’ farm system, Kuroda-Grauer was making his big league debut and came up in a big spot for the A’s. And how did he respond to his first career at bat as a major leaguer? With a base knock the other way to plate Muncy and tie this game up at 2:

Definitely the first of many to come from the young infielder.

Next up was another rookie in center fielder Henry Bolte. While he didn’t get a base knock to keep the line going, his wheels did allow him to avoid a double play, allowing the Athletics’ third run of the frame to come home and score:

We love productive outs, and now the A’s had a lead. A slim on, but one nonetheless.

At least, for a few frames. While Jump came back with a scoreless top of the third, the Dodgers’ vaunted lineup could not be held down tonight. A pair of home runs, a solo blast and a two-run shot, gave LA the lead back, one they would not relinquish the rest of the evening. Jump ended up pitching into the fifth but couldn’t complete five full frames, departing at 91 pitches and down 5-3.

• Gage Jump: 4 2/3 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR, 91 pitches

Not a great outing from the young left-hander tonight as his ERA rises to 2.93. The Dodgers are a feared lineup for this exact reason, and plenty of other more experienced arms have gotten beat up by them. Jump can learn from tonight though. He’ll try to bounce back next time out, which lines up to be against the Miami Marlins this coming weekend.

Lefty Matt Krook followed Jump out of the bullpen tonight and got Ohtani’d. The Dodgers’ super mega star swatted a 3-run home run to bust this game wide open for the Dodgers. At this point it was just about getting to the end of the game. Justin Stener provided an inning of work and then Kade Morris was tasked with cleanup duty, pitching three innings and allowing just one insurance run for the Dodgers in the eighth.

The bats meanwhile couldn’t manage much of any sort of fight after that second inning. The A’s ended tonight with 11 hits, with three of those coming off the bat of Kuroda-Grauer. Other than a final run in the bottom of the ninth the A’s went quietly, securing the team’s 45th loss.

Not a great night but Kuroda-Grauer had a memorable night and will likely be back in the lineup tomorrow. He’s the first rookie to get multiple hits in their big league debut since Mark Canha way back in 2015. Jump got knocked around by the Dodgers but that’s what they do. Thomas’ homer was nice but the lineup is clearly missing Soderstrom, Wilson, Gelof, and Rooker. The A’s need to get healthy and quickly or else fall lower and lower in the standings.

The series continues tomorrow night, same time same place. For the Athletics, they’ll have left-hander Jeffrey Springs on the mound looking for a strong start to help snap this losing streak. The veteran has had a tough go of things here in June with a 9.97 ERA this month. He did bounce back in his most recent outing though when he pitched into the sixth and only allowed three runs to the Giants in an A’s win. Overall on the year he’s sporting a 5.52 ERA in 17 starts.

The Dodgers will counter Springs with their own left-hander in 25-year-old Justin Wrobleski. The young arm has been fantastic for the Dodgers in his first extended stint in the starting rotation this season. The third-year pitcher has a 2.71 ERA this season and has put together back-to-back strong starts. The A’s will have their hands full yet again.

Hunter Goodman hit his 26th homer of the season, setting the new all-time Rockies record for most homers before July 1, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a brutal outing from the Colorado bullpen as the Rockies dropped the first game of the series to the Marlins on Monday night.

Goodman’s solo shot in the seventh increased the catcher’s June total to 12 homers. He will now try to break Todd Helton’s Rockies record of 27 home runs before the All-Star Break. Despite the loss, Goodman continued to prove he should be an All-Star (and participate in the Home Run Derby, too).

“Goody just keeps going. He’s a great player, and he’s having a heck of a first half,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Twenty-six homers before the All-Star Break is a rare accomplishment … He is a force at the plate.”

Victor Vodnik gave up a three-run homer that squandered the Rockies lead in the fifth inning (two runs were charged to starter Sean Sullivan). Vodnik took the loss, but it was the four runs that Antonio Senzatela allowed in the sixth that doomed the Rockies. It was Senzatela’s worst outing of an otherwise remarkable season where he’s posted an 8-0 record and 3.07 ERA in 44 innings over 25 appearances.

The Rockies tried to mount a ninth-inning rally when Eduardo Julien singled and Jake McCarthy doubled. Mickey Moniak hit a sac grounder to score Julien, but the lone run resulted in Colorado falling short.

Sullivan’s up-and-down start

Sean Sullivan’s fourth MLB start began well with three up and three down in the first, including a strikeout. The Marlins struck back in the second when Heriberto Hernández and Leonardo Jiménez doubled, while Kyle Stowers was hit by a pitch in between, to put Miami up 2-0.

After the Rockies claimed a 3-2 lead, Sullivan overcame a leadoff double in the third and a single in the fourth to maintain Colorado’s lead. Then came the fifth and the downward spiral.

Otto Lopez led off with a homer to trim Colorado’s lead to 5-3. Sullivan sandwiched two outs with a single and a walk to Stowers, which forced Schaeffer to end Sullivan’s night.

Schaeffer said Sullivan had some bright moments in the start, despite not getting ahead in enough counts.

“He got behind some, and when he got behind, he got hurt, but he battled through it. He got into the fifth inning to the third time through the order, and he gave us a chance to win,” Schaeffer said. “The walk to Stowers there was a big one in the fifth inning, but I thought he competed well, even though he wasn’t ahead in a lot of counts.”

He left the game with a young career-high five strikeouts, two walks, one HBP, six hits and three earned runs in 4.2 innings. However, those three runs jumped to five when the two runners he left on base came around to score in the next at-bat.

Bullpen blues

The Marlins attacked Vodnik from the jump as pitch-hitter Griffin Conine crushed his second pitch to the upper deck in right field and quickly flipped a 5-3 Colorado lead to a 6-5 Miami advantage. Vodnik ended the inning and posted a scoreless sixth, but the damage was done.

It got worse when Senzatela entered in the seventh and gave up a single, double and walk before Javier Sanoja hit a base-clearing triple to make it 9-6. Joe Mack followed with an infield single to give Miami double-digit scoring.

Schaeffer blamed one bad changeup that Vodnik left too high and also said Senzatela nearly escaped the jam.

“Senza was one pitch away from putting up a zero there,” he said. “Senza’s throwing the ball fine. He’s just going through a very, very small period here where they are getting some barrels against him. No wavering confidence in Senzatela at all. He’s still one of the best relievers in the league.”

Zach Agnos then came in, getting out of the seventh, and then closed the game with scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth.

On the board early

The Rockies jumped on Sandy Alcantara early, connecting for six hits, including three doubles, in the second and third innings to take a 5-2 lead. The second-inning rally started when TJ Rumfield hit a leadoff, first-pitch single to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.

Cole Carrigg followed with a single, and after Troy Johnson flied out, Kyle Karros singled to load the bases. Ezequiel Tovar hit a sac fly to put the Rockies on the board and cut Miami’s lead to 2-1. Julien followed with a walk and McCarthy took advantage with the first double of the night to put the Rockies up 3-2.

The Rockies added some cushion in the third when Goodman led off with a double and Rumfield joined him on base by drawing a walk. Carrigg hit into a fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners with one out, but then the Rockies took a risk that didn’t pay off.

Carrigg got caught between first and second trying to steal, but it also seemed like he slowed down after the ball was thrown. A pickle ensued, and Goodman tried to go home, but got thrown out.

“We were trying to steal a run there on a Cy Young pitcher, trying to extend the lead and it just didn’t go our way,” Schaeffer said.

Instantly, a promising rally seemed in jeopardy with just Carrigg at second with two outs. But the Rockies caught a break when Johnston got a free pass from Alcantara — one of five he issued on the night — and Karros doubled in Carrigg and Johnston to increase the Rockies lead to 5-2.

Moniak and Tovar combined to go 0-for-8 and never got on base, but each drove in a run. The Rockies only struck out five times, while the Rockies pitching staff combined to strike out six Marlins.

Up Next

The Rockies will host Miami for the second of four games on Tuesday night. RHP Tanner Gordon (0-1, 6.37 ERA), who returns to the roster after being placed on the 15-day IL on June 5 with a right hip impingement, will get the start for the Rockies. Eury Pérez (3-6, 4.41 ERA) will be on the bump for the Marlins.

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