TORONTO, CANADA - JUNE 27: Josh Jung #6 of the Texas Rangers reacts on second base in front of Andrés Giménez #0 of the Toronto Blue Jays as he hits a double in the eighth inning of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 27, 2026 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 7, Blue Jays 4
And that’s a series win.
This win was much like the first two wins in the series. Texas got up early by a good amount then held on to win despite some bullpen shenanigans.
Cal Quantrill, pressed into rotational duty due to Jack Leiter going on the injured list, gave the Rangers four shutout innings. Cal Quantrill, of all people!
Robby Ahlstrom and Joe Ross then tried to make Quantrill’s work for naught, though they were unsuccessful in that regard.
Ahlstrom was asked to pitch two days in a row, and in neither of the two days did he have success, retiring just one of three batters in the previous game and just one of four batters in this game. He was replaced by Joe Ross, who fared a little better, retiring four of eight batters faced.
Two runs got put on Ahlstrom’s ledger and two on Ross’s ledger before Peyton Gray rode to the rescue.
Gray had to give up a single first, to worry us, then retired the next seven batters he faced. That ended up being good enough to get credit for the win in the game, with Tyler Alexander recording the save.
I would prefer it if the Rangers would not give up a bunch of runs in the middle or late innings to turn a big lead into a smaller lead. However, the fact that the offense is scoring enough runs that the team is still winning makes it something that is not as angst-producing as it might otherwise be.
After putting up a singleton in the first, Texas had a big five run inning in the fifth, then capped off the scoring with a Corey Seager homer in the sixth.
It was Seager’s first hit since coming off the concussion injured list. He had a Three True Outcomes game, walking once and striking out in his other three plate appearances.
Wyatt Langford was a late scratch because of hamstring tightness, with Skip Schumaker opting not to risk making the hamstring issue worse with Langford having already missed a good chunk of the season due to injury. It turned out he wasn’t needed.
Jake Burger had three hits. Alejandro Osuna, facing a likely trip back to Round Rock next week when Evan Carter returns, had a couple of hits.
I am happy to report to you that the Mariners lost, so the Rangers are just a half game back of Seattle in the American League West.
Unfortunately, the Rangers are also a game under .500 now, and being a game under .500 has almost always meant a loss as of late.
But surely that won’t continue, right? Right?
The Rangers are also in sole possession of WC3 as a result of this win.
Cal Quantrill hit 96.1 mph with his fastball. Robby Ahlstrom touched 94.6 mph with his sinker. Joe Ross maxed out at 96.7 mph with his fastball. Peyton Gray’s fastball topped out at 94.4 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastball hit 93.1 mph.
Jake Burger had a 107.7 mph single. Brandon Nimmo had a 104.3 mph fly out. Joc Pederson had a 100.9 mph fly out. Ezequiel Duran had a 100.7 mph single.
Boston, MA - June 25: Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman pitches in the ninth inning. The Boston Red Sox played the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on June 25, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
For the next few weeks we’ll be doing some theorizing on optimal returns at the trade deadline as the Red Sox look to do another tear down amidst a hopeless season. This week, we kick things off with the flamethrowing closer Aroldis Chapman.
Ah, rumors. Chris Cotillo heard it from a veteran scout this week: two prospects back for Aroldis Chapman, one of them a top-100 type. That’s only the floor. Bob Nightengale—though we can trust him as much as any bizzaro world character we can—has him rated as the top reliever on every contender’s board. With a 2.08 ERA and 14 saves (not surprising considering how many losses this squad has)— but still 378 in his long career (closing in on the all-time record), the market isn’t treating him like a rental. It’s treating him like the best available. For a 38 year old?! Ok.
The teams making headlines for Chapman are the Dodgers, Mariners, Phillies. In my opinion, there are five realistic suitors. Here’s what Breslow shudder should be targeting from each one.
Dodgers
River Ryan (RHP) + Chase Harlan (3B)
Of course the team that has all the money and continues to assemble super teams in the 2020s wants to add a flamethrower to their bullpen. The problem with the Dodgers is their best stuff is the stuff Boston doesn’t need. De Paula (#8), Hope (#17), Quintero (#34) land as their top three prospects…they’re all outfielders. The Red Sox have an outfield logjam that isn’t getting cleared any time soon between Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, the list goes on and on.
The package I’d push for snakes past all of that: River Ryan (#75, RHP) as the top-100 piece, plus Chase Harlan, an unranked third baseman quietly posting a 1.025 OPS with ten home runs through the first half. Ryan adds projectable front-end rotation depth the organization can actually use, especially in a right-hander. Harlan is the kind of raw power bat you stockpile when you don’t know who your future third baseman is (yes, I know we have Caleb Durbin, but keeping him at third feels like a giant mistake; I see him at second and slotting Mayer back to SS but that’s another piece). Do you hate trading with the new evil empire, the team that makes EVERYONE ELSE look bad? Yeah. Still, having one of the best farm systems in baseball to root from—and Boston still gets what it actually needs out of it? Fine.
The most specific package out there has Luke Stevenson at the center. I’d flip it. Make Ryan Sloan (#33 Pipeline, #7 BA) the headliner and let Stevenson come with him. Sloan is a top-35 arm, one of the better pitching prospects in the AL right now. Stevenson fills a specific gap—a left-handed bat behind the plate at a position the Sox are thin at long-term behind Carlos Narváez. Do you really trust Connor Wong and Micky Gaspar long term? I don’t think so. This package does real work: pitching depth plus positional coverage at a premium spot. If Seattle is serious about October, they know the price. They have the system to pay it. Adding in Chapman to Andres Muñoz would be a scary punch.
The Phillies puzzle me. They always seem to be one or two pieces away and never hit their marks at the deadline. Is that a Dombo issue? Who knows. What Philadelphia does have is Gage Wood—70-grade fastball, tied with Andrew Painter (who isn’t moving), power curve that gives him mid-rotation upside or a high-leverage floor depending on how he develops. Baseball Prospectus has him at 66. He’s at Single-A, so he’s a few years away but a lot of room to rise. Aroon Escobar (2B, Double-A, 21) rounds out the package. Of the five teams in this conversation, the Phillies return is the thinnest and Breslow knows that going in. They can close this deal—just at a discount. I do remember the last time the Red Sox sent pitching pieces to the Phillies at the deadline…I think it worked out better for Boston, eh? (Nick Pivetta for Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree)
Nobody’s writing about Atlanta, and they should be. The bullpen has been inconsistent all year—even with Raisel Iglesias dominating as closer—and Chapman is the kind of arm contenders acquire when they want an answer at the back of a postseason roster—not depth, a second closer who can step in at any time. Cam Caminiti (#44) is the top-100 piece: 2024 first-rounder, touched 98, six-pitch mix, front-of-the-rotation ceiling. His breaking stuff kinda blurs together but the Red Sox pitching lab might be the best place to find that differentiation point. JR Ritchie debuted in April and would have been a piece I wanted: seven pitches, 93-95 mph with two fastball shapes, control refined enough to handle high-leverage innings. Tantalizing. But off the list. Boston already has Early and Tolle as elite lefties, so Caminiti is a depth add rather than a direct need-fill. That’s fine. You can say yes to depth packages like this one.
This is the one to watch. Ethan Salas was the eighth-best prospect in baseball before a back injury wiped out his 2025. He’s at Double-A San Antonio this year slashing .320/.396/.546 with five home runs through 28 games, climbing 90 spots in the rankings since the season started. Elite defensive catcher, left-handed bat, real pop. If Boston was drawing up their ideal long-term power piece behind Contreras, this is the profile. Pair him with Kruz Schoolcraft—6-foot-8 lefty, taken 25th overall in 2025, fastball already in the high 90s—and San Diego has assembled the most compelling package in this conversation. A rebounding top-10 talent at a premium position, plus a recent first-round arm who’s going to be very good. I know I just said having a lefty in this package seems redundant with Caminiti, but Schoolcraft intrigues the hell out of me. Only way I would take him out is if the Red Sox draft Brody Bumila in this year’s draft. I also know the Padres have Mason Miller closing, but again, you need all the scary you get come October.
If Breslow is doing this to win, San Diego’s scenario is the one worth chasing hardest to me, followed by Seattle. Salas is a potential cornerstone. The Mariners package is the most balanced return—Sloan is a top-35 arm and Stevenson fills a real gap.
Breslow has the leverage here having the asset everyone seems to want. Is he smart enough to part with it and get the right value back? Less sold on that. Still, this is absolutely worth tracking in the weeks ahead in this lost season.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 27: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a three-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the sixth inning at Petco Park on June 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Two months into the season, Mookie Betts had missed over a month of time due to an oblique issue and was posting by far the worst offensive numbers of his entire career.
While sluggers at the top of the lineup like Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages have mired in a funk over the last two weeks, Mookie Betts has ascended into the same hitter that fans were used to seeing in 2022 and 2023. Betts added his third home run in as many games during the Dodgers’ nine-run sixth inning on Saturday against the San Diego Padres, and over his last 13 games he is slashing .358/.407/.698 with five home runs and nine RBI.
Betts had primarily been the no. 2 hitter in the Dodgers lineup until he was slotted to cleanup on May 26 against the Colorado Rockies and has since remained there. That spot in the Dodgers lineup has been one of the weakest so far, notes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, and with Betts and Pages headed in opposite trajectories, another mixup could be in store.
Links
Kyle Tucker was an instrumental part of the Dodgers nine-run sixth inning on Saturday, crushing a two-run home run against Randy Vásquez and finishing the game 3-5 with four RBI.
Year 1 as a Dodger has not been kind for the All-Star outfielder, who entered Saturday’s contest with just a .700 OPS on the season, but he proved himself as a viable piece in the lineup and he spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about the three-hit game.
“I didn’t love my swing tonight. The homer, I caught the ball at the right point of contact. The other ones, I got inside the ball a little bit and I got them over to left [field] over the infielder, so it just kind of works out sometimes.”
As soon as Roki Sasaki looked like he was starting to find his stride at the big league level, the ugly habits returned, as the right-hander has posted a combined 8.36 ERA over his last three starts, most recently allowing three runs and five walks against the Padres on Friday.
Sasaki acknowledged that he wasn’t able to execute his pitches in his preferred manner, and with his next start also coming against San Diego, he’ll attempt to create a more effective game plan, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“I’m not going to have it every time out, so that’s something I have to improve. And also the gameplan,” Sasaki said. “I was able to execute some of the pitches, but some of the pitches I couldn’t, so that’s something I have to go through before next start.”
Jun 26, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) celebrates hitting a two run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Hunter Goodman is having a fairly different season than he did when he was an All-Star in 2025. He’s chasing and striking out more and hitting less for average. The trade-off is that the 26-year-old catcher is obliterating baseballs at an alarming pace.
Between Friday and Saturday, Goodman hit four home runs. He hit home runs in three straight at-bats, and hit three home runs on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. He became the 21st player in Rockies history to hit three home runs in a game.
What’s more wild about Goodman’s season is that the bulk of the damage is coming away from the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field. After Saturday, his 18 home runs on the road prior to the All-Star Game are the most in franchise history. This sets him above Larry Walker, who hit 16 home runs before the break in his 1997 MVP campaign.
Goodman now has 25 home runs this season. He is the fourth catcher in Major League history to have 25 or more home runs before the All-Star Game, and the first to do it since Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1970 with 28. There are 15 games left for the Rockies to play before the break, and Goodman will have the chance to pass catchers Iván Rodríguez (26) and Bench for their pre-break home run totals. He can also become the first Rockies player in franchise history to hit 30 or more home runs before the break.
Recently we explored the idea of trading Hunter Goodman as part of the Rockies’ rebuild. However, fans were in agreement that Goodman is one to keep and build around for the future. With him proving his 31 home run season in 2025 wasn’t a fluke and performing more than adequately behind the plate–and getting excellent results from ABS challenges while doing so–Hunter Goodman might be proving a perfect piece to build around.
With that being said, here’s what our staff here at Purple Row had to say this week:
Back near the end of 2022, I praised Hunter Goodman as an unsung prospect who could even stick around as a catcher if the Rockies didn’t choose to move him to first base or the outfield. Nearly four years later, Goodman is one of the Rockies’ most valuable players and appears to be on track to become a franchise great.
Who is a prospect you ended up being right about–for better or for worse–in Rockies history? Let us know in the comments!
Jacob Misiorowski. Sheesh. Why can’t the Cubs find and develops guys with just 80 percent of his ability (because there’s no possibility of hitting 100 percent because he’s a freak (respectively)).
Kudos to Seiya Suzuki for picking out a 90 mile per hour slider and sending it over the wall. And for Colin Rea’s yeoman performance by finishing five innings of work, allowing just one run out of eight baserunners and striking out four.
But – the bullpen. Ethan Roberts blew a save (in the sixth) and Jayden Murray allowed a home run to blow the game open. These men would be used in mop-up duty in a normal Cubs bullpen, but it is what it is. They need help here as much as starting pitching.
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Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Hoby Milner to IL, Tyler Ferguson Recalled. “The Cubs have placed reliever Hoby Milner on the IL with appendicitis, which was probably caused by pitching way too often.”
Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Try to Laugh Before You Cry: Hoby Milner to the Injured List. “I know there’s an instinct to blame the Cubs training staff for the, at this point, HISTORIC volume and rate of pitching injuries this staff has sustained, but most of these things aren’t even close to something within their control.”
Albert Collins (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993) was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. He was noted for his powerful playing and his use of altered tunings and a capo. His long association with the Fender Telecaster led to the title “The Master of the Telecaster”.
Robert Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. By the age of 20, Cray had seen his heroes Albert Collins, Freddie King and Muddy Waters in concert and decided to form his own band. Two albums on HighTone Records in the mid-1980s, Bad Influence and False Accusations, were moderately successful in the United States and in Europe, where he was building a reputation as a live artist.[4] In 1985, he released the album Showdown! with his hero Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland.
John Copeland (March 27, 1937 – July 3, 1997) was an American Texas blues guitarist and singer. In 1983, he was named Blues Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation. He is the father of blues singer Shemekia Copeland. In 2017, Copeland was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 16: Tanner Banks #58 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during a game against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on June 16, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 8-2. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Let’s dive into the action!
Lehigh Valley 8, Syracuse 6
The IronPigs score six runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to take the 8-6 lead that would go onto be the final score. Kolby Allard threw 5.1 innings of 6-hit, 3-run ball. Old friend Tanner Banks struggles in his 1.1 innings of ball with 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. The offense had the long ball working with Dylan Moore (3), Bryan De La Cruz (12), Dylan Carlsson (5), and Rene Pinto (1) all mashing one. Shockingly Felix Reyes DID NOT hit one tonight, go figure.
Reading 14, Altoona 5
In one of Jean Cabrera’s best outings of the season, he goes 4 innings giving up only 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks. Progress! Like the IronPigs, the ball was flying out of the park up in Altoona with Luke Ritter (1,2), Bryan Rincon (11), Raylin Heredia (14), Alex Binelas (18) and Bryson Ware (13) all sharing in the glory.
Brooklyn 9, Jersey Shore 1
A rough one all-around for the BlueClaws as Tanner Gresham and Titan Kennedy-Hayes combine giving up 8 runs (6 earned) over 6.1 innings. Devin Saltiban was 2 for 4 on the night and Tyler Pettorini had the only extra-base hit for Jersey Shore.
Clearwater 17, Jupiter 6
Somehow the Threshers scored 17 runs and only had one homer (a two-run shot from Griffin Burkholder, his 7th). They had 7 run first inning and a 6 run 7th innings. Ryan Degges started the game on rehab, giving up 1 run in 2 innings of work. Zuher Yousuf pitched the bulk of the game with 4 innings of work, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 22: Luis Lara #89 of the Milwaukee Brewers bats during the third inning of the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on February 22, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Luis Lara looked like he had solved the biggest question surrounding his prospect profile.
Through May 6, the recently extended outfield prospect had already hit seven home runs, shattering his previous career-high of four. It looked like he’d finally unlocked his power.
Nearly two months later, he still has exactly seven home runs.
March 27–May 6: 7 HR, 4 2B, 1 3B
May 7–June 27: 0 HR, 5 2B, 1 3B
The initial surge vaulted Lara up prospect rankings. Baseball America now ranks him No. 52 in all of baseball, while MLB Pipeline has him No. 89. Yet Pipeline still grades his power as just a 40 on the 20–80 scouting scale, well behind his 70-grade defense and 60-grade arm and speed.
So which version of Lara should Brewers fans believe? Was his early-season power surge real? To answer that question, we need to look beyond the home run totals and into Lara’s underlying Statcast data.
As the Brewers saw during their recent series in Las Vegas, Triple-A environments can be considerably more favorable for hitters than major league parks. Home run totals alone don’t necessarily tell the whole story. To determine whether Lara’s early power surge represented a legitimate change in skill, we need to look beneath the results.
Thanks to the recent expansion of Statcast to Triple-A, we can do exactly that. Lara’s batted-ball data provides four useful indicators of raw power: average exit velocity, maximum exit velocity, 90th-percentile exit velocity, and hard-hit rate.
Average Exit Velocity: 80.68 mph
90th Percentile Exit Velocity: 99.4 mph
Maximum Exit Velocity: 109 mph
Hard-hit Rate: 20.72%
At first glance, Lara’s Statcast profile doesn’t scream plus raw power. His average exit velocity is below average, and his 90th-percentile exit velocity is solid rather than elite. On the other hand, his 109-mph maximum exit velocity shows the raw strength is there when he squares the ball up.
The disconnect is consistency. Lara’s 20.7% hard-hit rate is well below the roughly 33% major league average, suggesting he currently doesn’t produce loud contact often enough to project as a true power hitter.
Statcast defines a hard-hit ball as one struck at least 95 mph because that’s where offensive production begins to spike. Leaguewide, balls hit at least 95 mph produce dramatically better results than those hit below that threshold. In 2023, hitters batted .506 on hard-hit balls compared to just .221 on all other balls, which is why hard-hit rate has become one of the most useful indicators of a hitter’s ability to consistently drive the baseball.
Lara’s hard-hit rate sits at just 20.7%, well below the roughly 33% mark that represents a typical major league average. In other words, while Lara has demonstrated that he can hit the ball exceptionally hard, he simply hasn’t done so often enough for the data to suggest a meaningful change in his underlying power profile.
The ideal comparison would be Lara’s Statcast profile this season versus last season. Unfortunately, he spent all of last year in Double-A, and Statcast data from that level isn’t publicly available.
Instead, we can compare the two very different halves of Lara’s 2026 season: the six-week stretch in which he hit seven home runs and the seven-week drought that followed. That split offers the clearest window into whether anything actually changed beneath the surface.
March 27 – May 6:
Average Exit Velocity: 83 mph
90th Percentile Exit Velocity: 100.2 mph
Maximum Exit Velocity: 109 mph
Hard-hit Rate: 28.25%
May 7 – June 27:
Average Exit Velocity: 80.05 mph
90th Percentile Exit Velocity: 98.9 mph
Maximum Exit Velocity: 108.5 mph
Hard-hit Rate: 18.34%
Lara’s average, 90th-percentile, and maximum exit velocities didn’t change drastically.
What jumps out is his hard-hit rate, which dropped by roughly one-third. Combined with his average exit velocity falling nearly three mph, it suggests that while the shape of Lara’s contact remained largely unchanged, the quality of that contact declined. But why?
My first thought was that perhaps Lara’s launch angle had changed. It hadn’t. His average launch angle fell from 19 degrees before May 7 to just 18 degrees afterward — a negligible difference.
Next, I wondered whether Lara had changed his approach at the plate, sacrificing power for contact. The numbers don’t support that idea either. Through May 6, he struck out 18 times in 123 plate appearances (14.6%). Since then, he’s struck out 25 times in 172 plate appearances (14.5%). His batting average also remained remarkably consistent, dropping only from .333 to .324.
Finally, I considered whether the power outage could simply be the product of bad luck. If that were the case, one would expect fewer balls in play to fall for hits. Instead, the opposite happened. Lara’s BABIP actually increased from .347 before May 7 to .391 afterward, suggesting that balls in play were becoming hits more often, not less.
The biggest change appears to be in Lara’s approach at the plate. His first-pitch strike rate — the percentage of plate appearances that began with an 0-1 count — rose from 38.9% to 44.8%, almost exactly mirroring the increase in his overall swing rate (38.3% to 43.2%). His chase rate climbed slightly, his contact rate dipped slightly, and his in-zone swing rate jumped from 57.6% to 63.9%.
All things considered, those numbers suggest Lara became more aggressive after his power surge. Pitchers weren’t attacking the strike zone any more frequently, and aside from a modest decrease in fastballs, they weren’t pitching him that differently. Instead, Lara appears to have expanded his swing decisions. Because he’s such a good contact hitter, that added aggression didn’t translate into more strikeouts or a lower batting average. It may, however, have led him to swing at pitches he was less likely to drive.
If that’s the case, the issue isn’t that Lara’s raw power disappeared. It’s that he stopped getting to it as consistently. The underlying strength is still there; the challenge now is being selective enough to access it more often.
As I wrote about last week, even if Lara never develops into a 20-home-run hitter, extending him was still a good idea. A plus defender in center field with elite speed, excellent bat-to-ball skills, and an above-average on-base profile has plenty of value on his own.
The encouraging part is that the raw power doesn’t appear to be missing — it simply isn’t showing up consistently. Lara has already demonstrated that he can drive the baseball at 109 mph, an exit velocity that few players reach by accident. The challenge isn’t adding strength; it’s learning to produce that kind of contact more often by continuing to make quality swing decisions.
That’s one reason the extension makes sense. Milwaukee has built one of baseball’s strongest player-development systems by helping talented hitters maximize the tools they already possess. Lara already has the bat speed to produce 109-mph exit velocities. If the Brewers can help him pair that raw power with more consistent swing decisions, there’s another level for his offensive game to reach. And if they can’t, his defense, speed, and contact ability still give him the profile of an everyday major leaguer.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 26: Tommy Pham #39 of the New York Mets bats during the fifth inning of game one of a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on April 26, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Heather Khalifa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 7: Pitcher Jack Flaherty #9 of the Detroit Tigers during the second inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park on June 7, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Detroit Tigers fell short in their quest to take the lead in a four-game home series against the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon, coughing up a late lead en route to an 8-6 defeat.
Framber Valdez struggled against his old team, but the offense looked strong for the second straight game. Unfortunately, Will Vest was unable to hold on, surrendering three runs in the eighth to doom the Olde English D.
Toeing the rubber in the series finale on Sunday afternoon is right-hander Jack Flaherty, who makes his return to the mound after missing time on the injured list with abductor inflammation. The 30-year-old made one rehab start in Double-A Erie, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts across 5⅔ innings on 83 pitches.
Flaherty was on the IL when the Tigers faced the Astros in Houston last week. In his two games before being shelved, he posted a bloated 5.63 ERA but a tidy 1.85 FIP, allowing nine hits and two walks while striking out eight over eight frames of work.
For the visitors, fellow righty Hunter Brown will be making his fifth start of the season. The 27-year-old has allowed one run or less in his four appearances so far, but only made it through three innings his last time out against the Toronto Blue Jays, surrendering a solo home run along with three other hits and two walks while striking out four and hitting a pair of batters for a no-decision in a 4-2 team loss.
Brown looked sharp against the Tigers in Houston last week, throwing 5 2/3 frames of one-run ball on three hits and three walks while striking out seven for a no-decision in a 4-2 team win.
Here is a quick look at how the two match up on Sunday afternoon inside Comerica Park.
Detroit Tigers (35-48) vs. Houston Astros (41-44)
Time (ET): 1:40 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:The Crawfish Boxes Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 84: RHP Jack Flaherty (1-8, 5.35 ERA) vs. RHP Hunter Brown (1-0, 1.40 ERA)
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 3-4 at Indianapolis Indians
2B Marco Luciano 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB, K throwing error — produced half the hits and all the ribbies, but the rest of the offense didn’t do much DH Yanquiel Fernández 0-4, 2 K, GIDP C Garrett Martin 0-4, K 3B Tyler Hardman 0-3, BB, K 1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. 1-4, K SS Jonathan Ornelas 0-3, K C Payton Henry 0-3, K LF Duke Ellis 0-3, K, picked off RF Kenedy Corona 1-3, 2B
Brendan Beck 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 5 K Angel Chivilli 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K Eric Reyzelman 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K — hooboy, tough birthday for Reyzelman; the first two hits were infield singles, but he then walked a guy another hit before getting pulled Dylan Coleman 0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K — allowed a single and a walk-off walk to seal the rough loss
Marco Luciano Night ⚡️💣
The leadoff batter goes oppo 402 ft. and 105.3 mph off the bat with his SECOND homer of the game to put SWB back on top!#RepBXpic.twitter.com/TdIWiLqjEo
Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 5-6 (7) and W, 5-1 (7) at New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Game 1
RF Jackson Castillo 0-2, 2 BB, K CF Jace Avina 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI — double put Somerset ahead in the third DH DJ Gladney 0-3, BB, K 1B Nicholas Torres 1-3, BB, RBI, K 3B Coby Morales 2-3, 2B, RBI, GIDP C Tomas Frick 1-3 LF Josh Moylan 0-3, 2 K SS Kevin Verde 0-2, K PH Miguel Palma 1-1, RBI — tied game with pinch-hit single in the sixth 2B Santiago Gomez 0-0 2B-SS Connor McGinnis 1-2, 2B, BB, GIDP
Chase Hampton 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 4 K, 2 pickoff errors — not his day Chris Kean 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 3 K Trent Sellers 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 2 K (loss) — allowed walk-off double to Hedbert Perez
RF Jackson Castillo 1-4, 2B, RBI DH Jace Avina 1-4, 2 K CF DJ Gladney 0-4, 2 K 1B Nicholas Torres 0-3, K 3B Coby Morales 0-1, 2 BB C Manny Palencia 0-3, 2 K LF Josh Moylan 1-2, 2B, BB, K SS Kevin Verde 1-2, RBI — tied it up in the fifth with an RBI single PH Miguel Palma 1-1, RBI — drove in go-ahead run in the seventh, second big pinch-hit of the day 2B Santiago Gomez 0-0 2B-SS Connor McGinnis 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI — two-run double added in four-run seventh
Ben Hess 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, HR — only hit allowed was a solo shot in the third, now up to 65 pitches in gradual buildup Tony Rossi 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (win) Harrison Cohen 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Ben Hess (@Yankees No. 5 Prospect) worked into the fifth inning for the first time since coming off the 7-day IL. 🤩
3B Jackson Lovich 2-4, 2B, BB, RBI, K — doubled in three-run second CF Brando Mayea 1-4, BB, 2 K, SB LF Luis Puello 2-5, RBI, CS 1B Hans Montero 0-3, 2 BB, SB — scored a run after swiping third on a strikeout and bad throw SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K — doubled in three-run first DH Engelth Urena 0-4, RBI, 2 K 2B Luis Escudero 0-2, 2 BB, K C Ediel Rivera 0-2, BB, K, HBP RF Gabriel Lara 1-4
Tyler Boudreau 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, HBP (win) — shutout effort from 2025 UFA out of Texas Tech, 10 swings and misses Brian Hendry 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K — no-hit relief to close it out
Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 3-2 (7) vs. FCL Blue Jays
3B Richard Matic 0-4, 3 K LF Wilberson De Pena 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI — put Yanks up with two-run double in the fifth C Queni Pineda 1-3, K — opposing catcher committed an error to allow walk-off run to score in final frame 2B Leni Done 1-2, SB, HBP CF Jose Castro 0-3, K DH Francisco Vilorio 1-3, SB SS Dexters Peralta 0-2, IBB, 2 K RF Estivenzon Montero 0-3, GIDP 1B Christofer Reyes 1-2, BB, K, SB — walked, stole second, and moved to third on a fliner in last inning
Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 7-2 at DSL Miami
CF Isaias Castillo 1-3, 2 BB, 2 K SS Stiven Marinez 1-3, BB, 2 K, SB, CS, HBP RF Yostin Pena 1-2, 3 BB, 2 RBI — drew game-tying walk, which turned out to score two because of a throwing error by the other catcher; ah, the DSL 2B Juan Torres 0-4, BB, 2 K DH Juan Martinez 0-5, RBI C Cesar Lopez 0-4, BB, SB LF Manuel Aguilar 1-5, 2B, K, SB 3B Abrahan Pichardo 1-3, BB, 2 K, SB 1B Edgar Jimenez 2-4, 2B, K, fielding error
Jhon Beltre 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, HBP Yunior Jerez 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (win) — dynamic relief, great work in essentially his fourth piggyback start Breidy Adames 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K — pro debut for June 16th IFA signee
Dominican Summer League Bombers:W, 11-6 vs. DSL Nationals
CF Alfiery Matos 1-3, 2 BB, RBI, 3 SB — both of the top two hitters in the lineup had three steals, nine on the day for Bombers despite one pickoff 2B Carlos Bello 0-4, BB, K, 3 SB C Alessandro Rodriguez 0-4, BB, K RF David Carrera 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, SF, SB — double broke it open a bit for the final Bomber runs SS Germayhoni Beltre 1-4, HR, BB, RBI, fielding error — first pro homer gave Bombers lead in the fifth DH Poly Ojeda 1-3, BB, K 1B Stalen Ramirez 1-3, HR, BB, 3 RBI, K, fielding error — first pro homer tied game at 5-5 in the fourth 3B Adrian Feliz 1-4, K, GIDP, SB, throwing error, picked off LF Eddison Charles 2-4, 3B, K, SB
Brandy Luis 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 0 K — pro debut for June 19th IFA signee Sebastian Castillo 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, HR, WP — oddly got the only K’s of the day for Bombers Ronald Tejada 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (win) Chaury Gomez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K Oscar Vasquez 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Dave Roberts, in his 11th season as manager of the Dodgers, has won three World Series titles and five National League pennants. (Photo illustration by Tate Rudisill / Los Angeles Times; photos by Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images, Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images, Steph Chambers / Getty Images, Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
Dave Roberts didn’t have his heart set on becoming a manager.
Not when he cold-called Jed Hoyer, who’d just been hired as the San Diego Padres’ general manager, to offer his help and eventually accepted a special assistant role in the front office. Not when Bud Black, the Padres’ manager at the time, asked Roberts to be his first base coach. Not even when Roberts was promoted to bench coach — at least not at first.
But television didn’t feel like a long-term fit, and neither did his cup of coffee as an executive. Roberts’ return to the dugout gained its own momentum.
“I like to be in the clubhouse,” Roberts said in a recent conversation with The Times. “I like to be boots on the ground more. … So once I got on the field, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is what feels right for me.’”
Roberts’ first taste of the manager’s seat wasn’t how he would have scripted it. A.J. Preller, the Padres’ third GM in five years, dismissed Black in the middle of the 2015 season, leaving Roberts as the interim skipper for a game before Pat Murphy was promoted from triple A.
Roberts’ first win came the next year, after the Dodgers hired him to replace Don Mattingly. In Roberts’ Dodgers debut, on opening day at Petco Park, his team trounced the Padres 15-0.
Roberts is back in San Diego for a weekend series against the Padres, just three wins away from 1,000 after Saturday’s 15-3 victory, in a full-circle moment.
Only two other active managers have racked up more wins: Terry Francona (2,072), who began his managerial career in 1997, and AJ Hinch (999), who had a smaller head start on Roberts.
“It’s a big number,” said Roberts, who will join Walter Alston, Tommy Lasorda and Wilbert Robinson as the only managers in franchise history to win 1,000 games. “It’s something I never really thought of. … I don’t take a lot of time to look at milestones because I just kind of go day to day. But I’m going to take that one in. Because it’s a long time, it’s a lot of really good players and coaches, and a lot of support.”
Roberts is in his 11th season at the helm for the Dodgers, with three years left after this one on his record-breaking extension ($8.1 million annually). He’s taken the Dodgers to the postseason every year, won five National League pennants and claimed three World Series titles.
“To be the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, so much pressure, so much expectations, to have Doc as our manager leading it, I don’t think there’s anybody that could do what he does,” veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman said.
The Dodgers are now an international brand, with star power from across the globe, including the most famous baseball player in the world in Shohei Ohtani. So, every homestand, after Roberts fulfills his media responsibilities and oversees batting practice, he serves as an ambassador of sorts.
Roberts greets groups of guests and celebrities with enthusiasm, engages them in conversation and poses for pictures.
That talent, however, isn’t why this group of Dodgers — full of household names, but also young players expected to grow into key roles — has bought in.
“He cares about people,” Freeman said. “His door’s always open. Being a manager is obviously managing baseball, but it’s more about managing egos. You have 26 players, you have all the coaching staff, support staff — and our clubhouse runs smoothly, and that’s because of Dave Roberts.
“He’s a man that’s been through it all. He was a player. He knows how hard the game is. He’s been in the manager seat for a long time here. He knows the ups and downs of the season. We trust him. He trusts us. And I think that’s the key word in all this, is trust. When you have trust with your manager, and know he’s going to put you in the right spots to succeed, it’s very easy to run through walls for him.”
That trust is built through a track record of decisions that prioritize things like player health. But it also stems from genuine care.
“Ever since I got here, the first impression of him was how good he was with people,” said veteran utility man Miguel Rojas, who hopes to become a manager after he hangs up his cleats. “How much he cares about families, how much he cares about where you’re coming from and who is the support system that you have around you. He cares about you as a person more than as a player.”
“He was the first one to tell me that family is way more important than what we’re doing right now,” Rojas said.
The next day, when Rojas felt he needed to be on the field as he processed the death of his father, Roberts listened.
On the other side of the equation, Rojas also thinks Roberts has made him a better father to his son Aaron, who is often around the team throughout the summer.
Roberts doesn’t just flash his people skills when he’s in ambassador mode. Earlier this month, Roberts spotted Aaron in one of the armchairs in the middle of the visitors clubhouse in Pittsburgh. Roberts beelined to him, cracking inside jokes to gently prod him out of his shell.
“My kid, when I got here in 2023, he’s not the same kid that he is now,” Rojas said. “He was 6 or 7 years old when I got back to the Dodgers. And Doc really sees the way that he’s evolving as a human, being more outspoken and open to say hi to people, to have conversations with the coaches and all the players — and it’s not just with the kids or me. So it’s pretty cool to see that [Roberts] helped me with him too, with his social skills that he was trying to develop.”
Managers’ jobs often veer toward the bigger picture. Their coaching staff deals with the details. But Roberts finds moments to pull players aside for one-on-one conversations.
“I enjoy that part more than anything,” Roberts said. “It’s the least talked about, but I think it’s the most important part of my job, trying to build men. And that’s something that I’ve always believed, that if you do it the right way, then the fruits will be a better ballplayer.”
Anyone watching the Dodgers broadcast last Wednesday saw Roberts put his arm around catcher Dalton Rushing’s shoulders after a rough first two innings led to Ohtani taking over calling the pitches.
“Doc does a great job just telling how it is,” Call said. “And saying, ‘hey, we love you, and we love exactly what you bring to the game, and you don’t have to do anything else. So, basically, just take a deep breath and be Alex Call.’ And it’s just nice to hear that kind of stuff, and just nice to be able to have your manager have confidence in you.”
During the last homestand, the day after the bottom of the order struck out consecutively with the bases loaded in what became a walk-off win against the Baltimore Orioles, Roberts called over Ryan Ward and Alex Freeland in the dugout during batting practice.
As they discussed situational hitting, Roberts wanted to encourage them rather than “get on them.” Ward said the conversation took off some pressure.
“All you hear about is, the big leagues is way different,” said Ward, who debuted in April. “And just having those little moments of reassurance, and having them talk to you and pull you aside, and giving you props, and helping you where things have gone wrong — and having that advice come from him, and feel the [organizational] continuity of everything, is incredible.”
When Roberts’ playing career ended, he might not have pictured himself sitting in this seat at all, let alone for nearly 1,000 wins.
But as he positions himself at the top step of the dugout at Petco Park, back where it all started, it sure does suit him.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 09: General Manager Mike Elias of the Baltimore Orioles watches the Orioles Hall of Fame ceremony before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Athletics at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 09, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
The 2026 Orioles are at it again. This is not a complimentary statement. Last night’s loss, good grief, what can you even say at this point? They find ways to lose. They should be better than a team that finds ways to lose and they aren’t. There’s a lamentable amount of ongoing bumbling. Not even Brandon Young as the starting pitcher makes them immune to this occurring. They are sticking to a variety of philosophies that do not seem to be working out for them with a “captain goes down with the ship” level of dedication. Check out Paul Folkemer’s recap of the game for yet another edition of the not-so-lovely totals.
In news that takes on a darkly comic shade after what happened in last night’s game, Mike Elias put in some time with Orioles reporters ahead of the Saturday contest and made some pronouncements that include: “We’re going for it. I’ll let you know if that changes” and “I think we’re going to be good” and “we see a lot of good things in the operation” and “we think we have really good people here.” It’s not the kind of funny that makes you laugh.
I’m sure that Elias also wishes the team had played better immediately following his staking out those kinds of positions. I can sympathize with him. I’ve been in the “You say something and the Orioles make you look stupid not long after” game for longer than he has. I have put my share of cold takes on this website in the past and will end up making them for as long as I am around. You’re never going to say anything interesting about this team (or any team) if you are worried that you’re going to look dumb for saying it. That’s the truth.
Then again Elias isn’t getting paid for takes, he’s getting paid to have the Orioles win games. Or that’s the assumption all but the most dedicated cynics would make. They aren’t winning enough games. They haven’t won enough games dating back to just about two years exactly from right now. That’s a long time in baseball. It’s about as long as it was fun to be a fan coming out of the tanking years. July 2022 through June 2024 were fun. July 2024 through now have not been fun. If they don’t fix this thing next month, the not-fun has gone on longer than the fun ever did. That sucks.
The Elias presser also included a question about whether he feels the pressure to have the Orioles improve, which seems like it was a polite phrasing of “Do you think you might get fired?” To that, Elias said, “I always feel a lot of pressure in this position … Every single year I’ve felt pressure and you worry about your job in this business. So absolutely. But I think we have a really good chance of doing what we want to do and we’re all working very hard and we’re all very optimistic about it.”
I mentioned, above, that there is a captain going down with the ship dedication going on here. The ship is sinking. He’s not abandoning it. There’s a nobility in that. But for the time being there’s not a winning record, and since they’re six games below .500, there won’t be a winning record for at least another seven games.
The Orioles will try to win the series against their southern neighbors with a 1:35 game today. The Nationals starting pitcher, Zack Littell, is not left-handed, so maybe they have a chance. He has an ERA of 5.40, so maybe they don’t have a chance. Kyle Bradish is pitching for the Orioles today, so maybe they have a chance. We’ll see how it shakes out.
Mike Elias on Adley Rutschman: “We want him here forever” (The Baltimore Sun) You’re one of the two people on this planet, along with David Rubenstein, who can make this happen! If you really want him here forever, sign him to the deal. Otherwise it’s disingenuous to say stuff like this.
Orioles reinstate Cade Povich from injured list, option him to Norfolk (Baltimore Baseball) One small bit of Orioles news yesterday is that the team quietly activated Povich from his rehab stint and sent him back to the minors. He didn’t have a good rehab stint, so it’s no surprise to see him not getting a big league spot right now.
Of all the players to ever play for the Orioles, only a single one was ever born on this day: 1970-75 outfielder Don Baylor. He passed away in 2017 at age 68.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Methodism leader John Wesley (1703), actor and movie maker Mel Brooks (1926), actress Kathy Bates (1948), and YouTuber Markiplier (1989).
On this day in history…
In 1870, the first federal holidays were established by Congress. In the first batch: New Year Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
In 1914, Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife Sophie were killed by a gunman in Sarajevo. This is the incident that proved to be the lighting of the match of what became World War I.
In 1969, a police raid on a gay bar in Manhattan called the Stonewall Inn sparked riots and demonstrations, an event now recognized as the start of the gay rights movement.
In 1997, boxer Mike Tyson bit off a part of opponent Evander Holyfield’s ear during a rematch between the two men. Tyson was disqualified.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 28. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!
Ty Madden had a rough outing, but the bullpen and offense had his back in Toledo’s 15-6 Saturday night win over Worcester.
The Red Sox took an early 5-0 lead, scoring three in the first and two in the second. It was 2-0 before Madden recorded his first out, and the first four batters reached safely. The command just wasn’t there today. He gave up five hits, three of which went for extra bases, three walks and hit two batters. Madden got the hook after a one-out walk in the third.
The Mud Hens didn’t ride Madden too long because the offense showed signs of life in the third after going six up, six down in the first two frames. Corey Julks sparked the rally with a leadoff single, and Tomas Nido followed up with a one-out double to put runners on the corners for Max Clark.
The former third overall pick found the gap in right-center for a two-run double, and Max Anderson followed with a two-run homer to cut the deficit to just one.
Beau Brieske picked things up for Ty Madden and worked through the fourth. Brieske retired all five batters he faced, including two strikeouts.
Toledo found more offense in the fifth, when Anderson led off with a single. Gage Workman followed with his own base hit, and Eduarado Valencia walked to load the bases. Trei Cruz tied the game up with a liner to left, and the WooSox’s bullpen walked in the go-ahead run.
Anderson, Workman and Valencia got things going again in the sixth, hitting back-to-back-to-back doubles. Brett Callahan lined out to snap the streak, but Cruz doubled to keep things moving.
Worcester should have gotten out of the inning with the score at 9-5, but a fielding error by the pitcher led to a three-run homer for Jace Jung. 12-5, Toledo.
Jace Jung swings the hot bat for the second game in a row💥💥
Cole Waites, Tyler Mattison and Nick Sandlin kept the Red Sox hitless through the next four innings. Waites had to work around a pair of walks in the fifth, and the other two walked a batter each. No harm done, though.
Valencia hit into a double play to score Clark in the seventh, Anderson led off with a solo homer in the ninth and Julks doubled in Valencia a couple of batters later, making it 15-5. That’s Anderson’s fifth hit of the day for those keeping track.
Max Anderson comes right out of commercials with a solo homer to left to put the Mud Hens up 14-5. It’s his 2nd home run of the game, and his 9th with Toledo. He’s 5-for-6 tonight. pic.twitter.com/NyVgHgWC6J
Scott Effross gave up a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth, but Worcester wasn’t scoring another nine runs to keep this game going. Gee, it’d be nice to have that kind of run support and bullpen confidence in Detroit….
Clark: 2-6, 2B (15), 2 R, 2 RBI, K
Anderson: 5-6, 2 HR (9), 2B (10), 4 R, 3 RBI
Jung: 2-5, HR (14), R, 4 RBI, BB
Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday, as Toledo goes for a seventh win in a row and the sweep.
Erie took care of business on Saturday against Binghamton, as the Erie SeaWolves beat the Rumble Ponies 8-1.
Andrew Sears gave another four-inning effort, throwing a season-high 60 pitches. Two of the four hits he allowed, and one walk, came in the first inning. Sears worked around those with a successful pickoff and one strikeout, though. He retired nine in a row after that, but a pair of two-out hits in the fourth led to the lone Binghamton run scoring.
The SeaWolves gave Sears a five-run cushion to work with by the third. Garrett Pennington and Andrew Jenkins set things up in the second with back-to-back singles. E.J. Exposito doubled in Pennington, and Aaron Antonini brought Jenkins home on a sacrifice fly.
Pennington singled in Chris Meyers, who doubled with two outs in the third. Jenkins walked, and Max Burt made it 4-0 with a grounder through the left side. Expositio walked to load the bases, and Antonini got hit by a pitch for a free run.
Dariel Fregio worked through the sixth in relief of Sears. He dealt with a baserunner in each inning but got through it all unscathed. Trevin Michael went 1-2-3 in the seventh, keeping the score at 5-1 while the offense went through a cold spell.
Erie’s bats came alive again in the bottom of the seventh. Justice Bigbie homered to open the frame, and Exposito hit a sac fly with the bases loaded. 7-1, SeaWolves.
Michael came back out for the eighth and worked around a one-out single. Meyers gave Erie one more insurance run in the bottom half, doubling in Peyton Graham.
Luke Taggart closed things out with a 1-2-3 ninth. A really good performance from the pitching staff, and plenty of offense for a comfortable win.
Pennington: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB
Bigbie: 1-5, HR (5), R, RBI, K
Meyers: 2-4, 2 2B (15), 2 R, RBI, BB
Sears: 4.0 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday. Erie leads the series, 4-1.
Gm 1: West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Dayton Dragons 1 (box)
It was a great day for West Michigan’s pitching staff, starting with a one-hitter in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Whitecaps beat the Dayton Dragons 8-1, breaking through in the fifth for a six-run frame.
Things went pretty quickly until then. Clayton Campbell had the only hit through the first four innings, although there were five walks between both teams. Jake Miller was good through 3 2/3 innings, even if four of those walks belonged to him. Five strikeouts and no hits allowed balanced the level there.
Thomas Bruss took over for the final out of the fourth, and then West Michigan’s offense got going. Samuel Gil led off the fifth with a single, and Patrick Lee notched his own base hit with one out. Cristian Santana walked to load the bases, and Woody Hadeen grounded into a 4-6 out that brought in the first run of the day.
It’s quite fortunate that ball avoided being an inning-ending double play. Bryce Rainer homered in the next at-bat, making it 4-0. When we saw he homered, we mean he hit this ball into the stratosphere.
Bryce Rainer absolutely destroys this ball for a 3-run homer to right. It’s his 7th home run with the Whitecaps. pic.twitter.com/yiqbYhQmSd
Bruss went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth to get the offense back out there. Santana moved Lee (walk) into scoring position with a single, and Hadeen grounded out for another RBI. Productive outs today from him.
Juanmi Vasquez lost the shutout and no-hitter on one swing in the sixth, allowing a solo homer for the only Dayton run of the day. It could have gotten a lot worse, with Vasquez walking a pair and throwing a wild pitch, but he recovered to keep it a one-run frame.
Gil and Lee singled to bring another run in. Lee tried to stretch it into a double but was tagged out at second. Zack Lee went 1-2-3 in the ninth to close out a convincing win.
Rainer: 1-2, HR (7), R, 3 RBI, 2 K, 2BB
Lee, P: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, BB
Miller: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K
Gm 2: West Michigan Whitecaps 5, Dayton Dragons 1 (box)
The Whitecaps picked up where they left off and threw another gem as a staff against the Dragons, winning 5-1 in Game 2 of the doubleheader. This time, there were two hits, which means West Michigan allowed a total of three base hits over 14 innings on the day. That’s good stuff at any level of this game.
Charlie Christensen worked the first two innings in his High-A debut and Carlos Marcano took the last five. Christensen struggled with his command, walking five batters to just one strikeout. The lone base hit he allowed came with two outs in the second, and he followed up with three straight walks to give up a free run. It was a pretty bad spiral, but the Whitecaps had already scored a run, so all it did was tie the game.
Stephen Hrustich homered to get West Michigan on the board, and Ricardo Hurtado gave the Whitecaps the lead back in the third with an RBI single.
Stephen Hrustich hits a missile of a solo homer to left center to put West Michigan up 1-0 early in game 2. pic.twitter.com/VVVJNjadt9
Arcano took control of the game after that. He retired nine of the first 11 batters he faced, and got a double play to erase a walk in the sixth. Samuel Gil gave him an insurance run to work with in the sixth, hitting a sac fly with Rainer on third.
Hurtado came up big in the seventh, widening the gap with an RBI single and scoring on a double from Campbell. Marcano hit a batter in the final frame, but everything else was great from him.
Ricardo Hurtado works a 9-pitch plate appearance and then hits a sharp 2-out single to put the Whitecaps up 4-1. pic.twitter.com/i7Val6hnpS
Well, one of these teams had to lose, right? Lakeland only had four hits in its 7-1 loss against the Daytona Tortugas on Saturday. The Flying Tigers walked six times, too, but nothing ever got strung together.
Win Scott got his first start after 13 2/3 scoreless innings with Lakeland. He struck out the side in the first, but things turned in the second. Scott retired a pair of batters after allowing a leadoff double, but that third out was elusive. A walk, single and back-to-back doubles made it 4-0 in a flash. He got the first two out of the third just fine, but that was the end of the line for him at 52 pitches.
Yendy Gomez was sharp through the fourth, but he spiraled in the fifth inning. A leadoff double and one-out RBI single were bad enough, but three straight walks to bring in another run are unacceptable. Duque Hebbert took over with the bases loaded and gave up an RBI single before getting out of the jam.
At that point, Lakeland had already made it through its only offensive spurt of the day. Nick Dumesnil broke the shutout with a ground-rule double over the fence in left. Zach MacDonald and Anibal Salas had both walked before that, but only the former scored. Jack Goodman stranded the bases loaded, and nothing came of a one-out single in the fifth.
Hebbert retired six of the next seven batters he faced, getting Lakeland through the seventh, but the offense was lifeless. Donye Evans worked around a one-out walk in the eighth, and the Flying Tigers went down 1-2-3 in the ninth. Not great, Bob.
Yost: 0-4, BB
Warwick: 2-4, 2 K
Dumesnil: 1-4, 2B (5), RBI
Scott (L, 0-1): 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 4 K
Coming up Next: It’s a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday. Daytona leads the series, 4-1.
Rookie ball is usually where everyone hits the ball, but not today in Lakeland. The Tigers beat the Phillies, 1-0, as the visiting Phils only saw four baserunners reach.
Owen Hall threw the bulk of this one for the Tigers. He went five scoreless innings and struck out six without walking anyone. Both of the Phillies hits came off him, but I’d say he’s ready for Single-A after this performance.
Zach Swanson, Detroit’s ninth-round pick in 2024, got the start and made his professional debut after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Swanson was one of the Tigers big bonus prep picks, and so his progress will be closely followed. He threw 21 pitches and struck out three over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Swanson allowed one walk. Yoan Valdez struck out the only batter he faced, getting the final out of the second.
Offensively, the biggest note is Josue Briceno being back. He went 0-3 as the designated hitter today, but it’s good to see him back in the batter’s box after spring wrist surgery.
Ronald Ramirez had the only multi-hit day for the Tigers, singling in the second and fifth. Michael Oliveto had a base hit in the fourth. Santiago Pinto had a hit in the fifth, but he was caught stealing. Ramirez tried to score on a single from Luis Aguilera in the fifth, but he was thrown out at home.
Cristian Perez had the big swing in the sixth, a solo homer to decide the game.
Briceno: 0-3
Perez: 1-3, HR (9), R, RBI, K
Hall (W, 1-1): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a rematch against the Phillies at noon ET on Monday.
The DSL Tigers 2 club beat the DSL Phillies 9-5 on Sunday.
Starter Alexander Bertiz had a rough day on paper with five runs scoring, but only two of them were earned. He struck out four and didn’t walk anyone. All things considered, that’s not so bad. Raimi Mueses threw two innings of one-hit ball, walking one and striking out one. Abelardo Medrano closed things out in the seventh, working around a one-out error.
Samuell Sanchez got the Tigers on the board early with a two-run homer in the first. Manuel Bolivar grounded out for an RBI, and Willian Berti doubled in another run in the third. Diego Orro gave the Tigers their fifth run with a sac fly in the third.
Eduardo Tusen broke a 5-5 tie in the fifth with a double, scoring Orro, who tripled the at-bat before. Tusen stole third and came home on a wild pitch. Orro had another RBI in the seventh on a single.
Tusen: 3-5, 2B (7), 3 R, RBI, K
Sanchez: 1-2, HR (4), R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K
Orro: 3-3, 3B (2),2 R, 2 RBI
Bertiz: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next:Both DSL Tigers clubs play on Monday at 11 a.m. ET. The No. 1 team is on the road against the DSL White Sox, and the No. 2 team is at home against the DSL Rockies.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 25: Anthony Seigler #48 high-fives Anthony Volpe #11 after scoring a run on a RBI hit by Jasson Domínguez (not seen) of the New York Yankees during the first inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Where oh where have the bats gone? The simplest answer is “The Injured List”, but the Yankees previously had been able to keep producing runs even after seeing some huge bats go down. Their luck has run out lately, however, with the team’s wounded lineup now struggling at the end of June and giving fans visions of a midsummer malaise. It’s up to Carlos Rodón to prevent a sweep in Boston tonight, or else the Bombers will return to New York nursing a four-game losing streak.
It’s an NBC Sunday night joint tonight, so ahead of the game, get caught up with Peter’s Rivalry Roundup, and enjoy Matt’s profile of Al Downing for our Yankees Birthday series. Later, John spins around this week in Yankees social media, and Scott tracks an uptick in attendance, for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Time: 7:20 p.m. EST
TV: NBC/Peacock
Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Questions/Prompts:
1. How are you feeling about the Yankee offense’s ability to weather the storm without some of their top bats after this recent downturn?
2. Will the Yankees be handle to hold off the Rays while Aaron Judge heals, or do you think they’re doomed to see the Rays pass them by the time Judge returns now that Tampa has tied them?
Jun 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Although Gerrit Cole’s Saturday start at Fenway was far from a success, it wasn’t without some positives. After giving up a two-run double to Willson Contreras in the third inning, Cole reportedly changed his approach, accepting that he didn’t have his best stuff and forgoing precise command for aggressively attacking the strike zone. It seemed to pay dividends – Cole escaped the third with consecutive strikeouts of Jarren Duran and Caleb Durbin, then retired 7 of 9 batters to finish his outing. While Cole has struggled of late after an encouraging first few starts, in-game adjustments like this show that he can bear down even when things aren’t going his way.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Some good news on the injury front – Trent Grisham is set to be activated from the 10-day injured list during the Yankees’ upcoming homestand. Although his batting line remains a step down from his excellent 2025, Grisham still provided decent pop and solid on-base skills at the leadoff spot, where he was stationed in 44 of his 66 games played. The Yankees need all the offensive help they can get, with Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger slumping over their past few games, and Aaron Judge still a ways away from rejoining the lineup. Hopefully Grisham’s return can reignite the Yankees’ spark.
The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) While the Yankees’ farm system isn’t really a world-beater, that’s not to say it’s completely barren. In fact, on the pitching side there’s been many positive developments in the first half of 2026, and Kuty provides a long list of interesting names. True to their prospect rankings, Elmer Rodríguez and Ben Hess are atop the list, but the prospects listed later are very intriguing as well. In my humble opinion, one name to keep in mind is Henry Lalane – the towering lefty is finally healthy after some injury-ridden years, and on Friday he turned in the best start of his career to date for Low-A Tampa – 7 innings, no hits, no walks, and 12 Ks. If Lalane can build on that while avoiding injury, he’s sure to shoot up the prospect rankings.
