Category: Baseball

The Yankees optioned right-hander Jake Bird and catcher J.C. Escarra to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Saturday's 10-2 loss against the Cincinnati Reds.

Bird pitched the seventh inning of Saturday's game, allowing one hit while throwing nine strikes on 15 pitches.

He has a 1.33 WHIP through 29 relief appearances this season.

Escarra, meanwhile, had a pinch-hit single to right field in the ninth inning of Saturday's eight-run defeat.

Through 32 games, Escarra is slashing .188/.239/.271 with seven RBI.

New York is set to start right-hander Elmer Rodriguez, who has been with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since he was optioned May 18, in Sunday's 1:35 p.m. series finale against Cincinnati.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Arizona Diamondbacks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Yeah, it’s probably my fault. When I asked this question, I wrote “Through the early weeks of the season, it felt like Arizona could almost have assembled a full roster of players on one of the injured lists.” Unfortunately, I then made the fatal mistake of following that up be saying, “However, it now feels like the tide may have turned.” A classic case of speaking too soon, for the baseball gods have punished me for my hubris. Only three days have passed since that piece came out, but in that time the Diamondbacks have lost a trio of players to the injured list: two starting pitchers, in Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka, plus – again – outfielder Jordan Lawlar. I can only apologize.

Still, let’s plow on regardless, shall we? For the question at hand, was which of the players making their way back from injury, would have the biggest impact on the team going forward? Here are the results:

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That’s actually quite a decent spread of opinions. Well, for everyone except Carlos Santana, whom nobody except his mother seems to want to see back on our major-league roster. I think Santana’s physical glove – still getting a good workout despite the absence of its owner – might have a better chance of being re-signed than the player. [I’d not be surprised to see a write-in campaign for that bit of equipment, when it comes time to decide the award for Unsung Hero at the end of the year] But above Carlos, there was no majority choice, with the other three contenders all getting at least twenty percent.

However, it’s Justin Martinez who came out on top. Which is interesting, consider that last week’s SB Reacts poll, showed full confidence in closer Paul Sewald retaining his position, when A.J. Puk returned. Since then, Puk’s rehab has been seriously derailed, with a capsule sprain in his throwing shoulder. He won’t throw for about another month and will then be re-evaluated, so it will be August at the earliest. That means Martinez will likely be back first, though we’ve not heard anything about him recently. Will he take over from Sewald? Based on current performance, probably not initially. But another solid bullpen arm would certainly be helpful.

I did find it interesting that Brian McCann, a backup player, is seen as being more impactful than an everyday played in Lourdes Gurriel Jr. I think it speaks to the importance of the catcher’s position. They don’t operate in isolation, they are also a significant factor in the performance of the pitching staff, factor into controlling the opposition running game. A backup catcher is also likely to see more playing time than, say, a backup first baseman, due to the wear and tear of the position. [Last year, only a handful of men appeared in even 120 games at catcher. More than three times as many did so at first-base]

With the Diamondacks’ injured list swelling again, this may be a topic I’ll revisit on the far side of the All-Star break. Let’s hope it doesn’t need an extra-large poll by that point.

The Yankees tweaked their starting rotation after Saturday's 10-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Right-hander Elmer Rodriguez will start instead of Gerrit Cole in Sunday's 1:35 p.m. rubber game, said New York manager Aaron Boone, move Cole to Monday's 6:10 p.m. series opener at the Detroit Tigers.

"Elmer Rodriguez will start tomorrow," Boone said. "Nothing other than just this long stretch, just giving our starters an extra day. So, everyone else will bump back a day. So, I think Gerrit goes first day in Detroit. But it's something we've been  kicking around the last few days and decided to do with just the stretch of ... not having them go five days three times in a row."

Cole, who missed the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery recovery, is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA through five starts since rejoining the Yankees May 22.

"Really well," Boone said of how Cole's health has held up. "Yeah, I think he's recovered well, too. But we also want to play the long game with all these guys -- obviously, Carlos coming back, younger guys in the rotation that have logged a lot of innings. Feel like they're all in a good spot, but want to be mindful of this as we go through the summer with a long stretch here."

The 22-year-old Rodriguez is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA with six strikeouts, nine walks and three hit batters while allowing six runs on 15 hits through 13 IP.

"He's come up, he's had some bumps, but I feel like he's managed it well," Boone said of Rodriguez. "He's shown some poise out there and some moments where it's had chances to get away for us. So, yeah, excited to see him go at it tomorrow and hopefully give us a good outing."

Here is where the decisions of the Cubs front office come home to the proverbial roost.

While other teams crank out seemingly endless supplies of relievers who throw 98+, the Cubs sign retread guys to multi-year contracts.

Oh, sure, they do fine for a while but eventually games like this are going to happen, and the complete bullpen failure ruined what was a fine afternoon at Wrigley Field — through the sixth inning.

Then Trent Thornton, Caleb Thielbar and Jacob Webb got pounded for eight Blue Jays runs in two innings, including a couple of soul-crushing Toronto home runs, and the Cubs lost a winnable game 8-6.

So let’s start at the beginning, because at least this game was good then.

Rea retired the first 12 Jays he faced, two by strikeout and several others by ground balls. Over the first four innings just four balls were hit out of the infield by Toronto hitters.

Meanwhile, the Cubs were fashioning a 3-0 lead. Alex Bregman and Ian Happ singled to begin the second and then Matt Shaw sent a ball into the bleachers [VIDEO].

Then, unfortunately, the Cubs started to have RISP issues again. They had runners on first and second with one out in the third — nothing doing. In the fourth, they loaded the bases with two out on a double by Dansby Swanson and walks by Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner.

Credit to the Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes for making this catch off a drive by Seiya Suzuki [VIDEO].

If that catch isn’t made the hit probably clears the bases. But it didn’t. Tip o’ the cap to Lukes.

Rea was lifted after 5.1 outstanding innings. He began to run out of gas in the sixth when he allowed two singles to start the inning. After he got George Springer to fly out, Ryan Rolison was summoned to pitch to Lukes.

You can’t get more efficient than what Rolison did — got a double-play comebacker on his first (and only) pitch of the game. Two outs on one pitch, great work. Unfortunately it was the only good Cubs relief work until it was too late.

Regarding Rea, here’s more on his outing [VIDEO].

And more from BCB’s JohnW53:

This was the Cubs’ fifth game of the season in which their starting pitcher gave up no runs while pitching 5.0 to 5.2 innings.

Each was by a different starter: Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga and Colin Rea.

The Cubs had 13 such games last season, only three in 2024 and 2023, and 10 in 2022.

Imanaga has done it six times in his career, tying Kyle Hendricks for the most. Assad, Cade Horton and Scott Sanderson have had five apiece.

The Cubs have had 146 total games of the kind, 91 of them since 2000 and 38 since 2021.

The Cubs extended the lead to 5-0 in the sixth. With two out, Swanson walked, and then PCA put one out of the yard [VIDEO].

So now it’s 5-0 and we’re heading to the seventh. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, you now know that the answer to that is “Everything.” I’ll spare you most of the carnage, but the key lows were a three-run homer by Daulton Varsho off Thornton, and another three-run job by Kazumo Okamoto, that one off Webb. The other two Jays runs were on a two-run single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., also off Webb after Thielbar had put two runners on base via walk and single starting the eighth.

The Cubs did attempt a comeback. Miguel Amaya walked leading off the bottom of the eighth and went to second on a single by Swanson. PCA blooped an opposite-field single to left — off a lefty, a real good sign! — to load the bases with nobody out.

Could this be another miracle comeback?

Well, no. The Cubs did score once on this fielder’s choice by Nico [VIDEO].

That left runners on first and third with one out, but Suzuki struck out — badly, look at where the pitch he swung at for strike three was:

Then Michael Busch hit a fly ball that was caught in foul territory by Myles Straw to end the inning.

Ethan Roberts, the only Cubs reliever after Rolison to come through this game unscathed, threw a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Cubs did get a runner on base in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Happ hit a comebacker that Jays closer Louis Varland threw away for an error. Happ advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Shaw struck out and pinch-hitter Pedro Ramirez grounded to second to end the game.

So on a day when the Cubs got a really good outing out of who’s nominally their fifth starter, the bullpen was awful. That’s going to have to improve if this team’s standing is going to improve. Period, end of story.

One more note from John:

The Cubs’ last loss before today in which they squandered a five-run lead was on Sept. 23 of last season, at home vs. the Mets.

They led, 6-1, after four innings, then surrendered five runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, to trail, 7-6. They tied the score with a run in the bottom half, but yielded two in the eighth and lost, 9-7.

The Brewers lost to the Braves for the second straight day so the Cubs remain 6.5 games out of the NL Central lead. That is not insurmountable with half a season left. And the team has begun hitting again. But the pitching has Got. To. Get. Better.

Sunday’s series finale will feature starters Shōta Imanaga for the Cubs and Dylan Cease for Toronto (weather permitting, and it might not). Game time is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (36-41) will put their mini three-game winning streak on the line tonight in the middle game of their three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians (40-36) at Daikin Park.

RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-2, 2.57 ERA), who picked up a win against Cleveland back in April, will get the start tonight opposite LHP Joey Cantillo (5-3, 4.38 ERA) and the Guardians.

HOT SPAGHETTI: Tonight’s Astros starter RHP Spencer Arrighetti, the reigning AL Pitcher of the Month, is 7-2 with a 2.57 ERA (18ER/63IP) and a .200 opponent average while allowing one-or-fewer earned runs in seven of his 11 starts this season.

Among AL pitchers with 60+ innings pitched, he ranks second in ERA, sixth in opponent average, and tied for sixth in wins.

A MONTH OF WINNING: Over the last month, dating back to May 19, the Astros have gone 17-11 (.607), which ties as the fourth-best record in the Majors and the second-best record in the AL.

Top Records since May 19 (AL)

1. Yankees 17-9 (.654)

2. Astros 17-11 (.607)

3. Mariners 16-12 (.571)

4. White Sox 15-12 (.556)

WITH A WIN: A win tonight would move the Astros to four games below .500, a mark they have not reached since they were 8-12 after a loss on April 16. A win would also improve the Astros record to 20-20 in their 40 home games.

VS. THE GUARDIANS: The Astros and Guardians have played each other in the regular season 101 times in their franchise histories, with the Astros edging out the Guardians with a 51-50 record.

In the all-time series, the Astros are 26-25 vs. the Guardians in Houston, 25-25 against them in Cleveland, and are 23-22 vs. CLE at Daikin Park.

PEN PALS: Since May 15, the Astros bullpen has a 2.69 ERA (34ER/113.2IP) with 109 strikeouts, a 1.01 WHIP and a .186 opponent average.

Among AL teams since May 15, the Astros bullpen ranks first in ERA, first in WHIP, and first in opponent batting average.

The Astros are also 19-13 since May 15.

MAKING THE PLAYS: The Astros have committed the fewest errors (29) and own the best fielding percentage (.989) in the AL.

1B Christian Walker has led the way, as he has not committed an error in 76 games and 531 total chances.

ALL-STAR VOTING UPDATE: On Monday, MLB announced the first balloting update for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, which revealed DH Yordan Alvarez as the AL’s top vote-getter among all position players.

Other Astros among the AL’s top 10 at their respective positions: 2B Jose Altuve (4th), SS Jeremy Peña (5th), 1B Christian Walker (9th), 3B Isaac Paredes (9th), and C Yainer Diaz (9th).

ON THE LEADERBOARD: DH Yordan Alvarez leads MLB in OPS (1.065), SLG (.637), and total bases (177), and ranks tied for first in extra-base hits (39).

In the AL, he ranks first in batting average (.324), first in hits (90), first in homers (24), second in RBI (55), second in OBP (.428), fourth in walks (47) and tied for fourth in runs (52).

WALKER, TEXAS HAMMER: 1B Christian Walker ranks tied third in the AL in RBI (52), behind only 1B Nick Kurtz (58) and teammate DH Yordan Alvarez (55). He also ranks tied for sixth in the AL in extra-base hits (33) and in total bases (139), and tied for seventh in homers (18).

BACK WITH A VENGEANCE: Since SS Jeremy Peña returned to the lineup on May 18, the Astros have gone 17-12, while Peña has hit .303 (33×109) with four doubles, six homers, 18 RBI and an .873 OPS in 29 games. P

rior to that date, Peña played in only 10 of the Astros first 48 games of the season, with the Astros going 19-29 in those contests.

TAPPING FOR SUCCESS: Astros batters have won 48 ABS challenges on the season, which ties as the most in the Majors (also, MIN).

The Astros are 48-for-85 in ABS challenges for a 56% success rate, the second-highest in the Majors. 3B Isaac Paredes (7-for-7) is perfect in successful challenges, while 2B Jose Altuve has been successful on 11-of-16 challenges (69%).

WHAT A RELIEF:LHP Josh Hader is 1-0 with four saves and a 1.29 ERA (1ER/7IP) in seven appearances this season.

He’s allowed just three baserunners (one walk, two hits) and has fanned 11. Hader had a delayed start to the season, missing the first two months with left biceps tendinitis.

DOWN ON THE FARM: Class A Asheville picked up a win last night on a walkoff homer by SS Reylin Perez in a 10-9 win over Bowling Green.

At Class A Fayetteville, RF Anthony Huezo hit his 13th homer of the season in a 10-8 win over Kannapolis.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1970 – CF César Cedeño, 19, makes his Major League debut, batting third, and tallies two hits in a 9-6 win over the Braves in Atlanta.

Cedeño would go on to play 12 seasons (1970-81) and 1,512 games in an Astros uniform, which ranks seventh in franchise history. Cedeño was added to the Astros Hall of Fame in 2020.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, June 20, 6:15 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: FOX

Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

In a battle of tough lefties, Chris Sale and the Braves faced Kyle Harrison and the Brewers for game 2 in Atlanta.

After 1-2-3 frames from each lefty to start the game, Sale worked around some traffic to keep things scoreless in the second. From there things settled in for a pitching duel, as Harrison carried a perfect game into the fifth. Fortunately, righty Ozzie broke the perfect game, no-hitter, and shutout in one swing with a solo homer. Eli White legged out an infield single in the same frame, but was unable to score.

In the sixth, Chris Sale came out for what was presumably his last inning. Ozzie Albies fumbled a double-play ball with one out that would have ended the inning, but Contreras singled on the next AB, loading the bases. A sac fly tied the game and left runners on the corners with two outs. A brutal bloop single gave the Brewers 2-1 lead, as that Albies error became incredibly costly, as he could likely have even salvaged that play with an out at first, but instead went for the double-play despite the fumble, resulting in a 1-0 lead turning into a 2-1 deficit. At this point, Didier Fuentes took over for Sale (who had thrown 101 pitches) and struck out Bauers to mercifully end the inning. Sale ended his day with 5.2 innings of “2-run ball” on 7 strikeouts and 1 walk, another good day for the veteran ace.

Two singles and a fielder’s choice scored an insurance run against Fuentes in the seventh. Still facing Harrison, Ozzie and Mike singled and doubled with one out in the seventh, giving Atlanta a huge chance to tie the game up or more. Austin traded an out for a run with an RBI fielder’s choice of his own, giving Dom Smith the next chance with two outs. Unfortunately, Dom was unable to deliver and the game went into the eighth a 3-2 Brewers ballgame. James Karinchak and Dylan Lee did their job in the eighth and ninth to give Atlanta a chance and Matt Olson represented the tying run with a bloop single in the home ninth. Ozzie Albies was next at bat, batting from the right side again and he pulled on just fair and just into the Chop House for a massive walk-off and redemption of his error, as his early homer, error, and walk-off homer really defined this game.

Join us again tomorrow at 1:35 PM ET, as the Braves go for what would be a very impressive sweep against this quality Brewers club with Bryce Elder on the mound.

Through the first 15 innings of this series, the Chicago Cubs had outscored the Toronto Blue Jays by a margin of 21-2. Which is not what you’d consider ideal as a Jays fan. Things turned a corner in the bottom of seven, though, and an 8-1 stretch gives them the win and the chance to take the series tomorrow.

The lineup could not lay a finger on Colin Rea early. He sat the first dozen Jays batters down in order, and following a Brandon Valenzuela line single to open the fifth looked to be back in control as he retired the next three as well. It was the bottom of the order that rallied to knock him out of the game in the sixth, with Andres Gimenez and Myles Straw opening the frame with back to back singles. Rea got George Springer to fly out, though, and reliever Ryan Rolison induced a double play off the bat of Nathan Lukes to preserve the Cubs’ shutout. The offense would have to wait one more inning to wake up.

Meanwhile, Patrick Corbin started well. He worked around a single in the first with a K and a pop up. It fell apart right away in the second though. Alex Bregman and Ian Happ singled, setting the table for a three run Matt Shaw blast to left field. Corbin Rallied to get the next three batters and then worked around a walk and a single in the third. In the fourth, though, a Dansby Swanson double and back to back walks by Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner forced him out of the game.

Lazaro Estrada took the reins. He got out of the fourth, and managed a clean fifth with the help of a double play to erase a Michael Busch walk. In the sixth, though, a walk to Swanson and a Crow-Armstrong homer to right increased Chicago’s margin to five.

That’s where things stood when Vladimir Guerrero jr. stepped to the plate to open the seventh, facing old friend Trent Thornton. He lined a single, and one batter later was followed by a hit by pitch to Kazuma Okamoto. Daulton Varsho brought the runners home with a line drive down the right field line and out, putting the Jays on the board, 5-3. Thornton got Davis Schneider and replacement Caleb Thielbar got Ernie Clement (pinch hitting for Gimenez) to hold it there for now.

They gave the Cubs a chance to rebuild the lead with some mistakes in the bottom of seven. First, Ernie Clement misplayed a Seiya Suzuki soft liner, allowing him to reach. A double play erased that runner, but then Jeff Hofman hit Bregman, advanced him to second with a wild pitch, and walked Happ. He recovered to strike Shaw out looking to keep the Jays within two.

That was all the offence needed. Myles Straw opened the eighth with a walk. Springer singled the tying run aboard. Both managers made moves at that point. John Schneider called Alejandro Kirk to hit for Nathan Lukes, and Craig Counsell swapped Jacob Webb for Thielbar. Schneider won the exchange, as Kirk ripped a single through the gap to score Straw and put the go ahead runner on. Guerrero followed with a soft line single of his own that plated Springer and tied the game. One out later, Okamoto launched one into the left field bleachers, putting the Jays out in front 8-5.

Mason Fluharty gave the Cubs yet another chance, walking Miguel Amaya and giving up back to back line singles to Swanson and Crow-Armstrong to load the bases in the bottom of the eighth with none away. That forced the Jays to ask Louis Varland for a six out save. He was more than up to the task. He traded an out for a run on a Hoerner grounder, punched out Suzuki, and got Busch to fly out softly in foul territory. Straw made an impressive leaping catch for that last out, leaning into the stands to bring the ball back. He got a pop out from Bregman to open the ninth. Happ reached on Varland’s throwing error and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Louis sat Shaw down looking and got a routine grounder from pinch hitter Pedro Ramirez to end the game.

Jays of the Day: Varland (0.36, which jumps him in front of Jacob Misiorowski for the MLB lead with +2.84 on the season), Okamoto (0.32), Vlad (0.20), Straw (0.12), Kirk (0.12)

Less so: Fluharty (-0.27), Corbin (-0.19), Lukes (-0.14), Valenzuela (-0.10)

Same time, same place tomorrow (2:20pm ET, Wrigley Field, Chicago, Il., for those who weren’t paying attention). Dylan Cease (4-3, 2.71) will hope for an easier ride after an effectively wild outing last time in Boston, while the offence takes on Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.26).

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza updated the injury statuses of shortstop Francisco Lindor and right-hander Christian Scott, among others, before Saturday's game at the Philadelphia Phillies.

Francisco Lindor's rehab assignment heads to Triple-A Syracuse

Lindor (left calf strain) began his rehab assignment with a leadoff single in Friday's game with Double-A Binghamton and is set to join the Mets' Triple-A affiliate for Sunday's 1:05 p.m. start against the Baltimore Orioles' Norfolk Tides.

"Syracuse tomorrow," Mendoza said of Lindor. "Yeah, he's going to Syracuse tomorrow -- him and Tyrone Taylor. Same thing with (Ronny) Mauricio. But with Lindor, off today and then he's playing for Syracuse tomorrow."

Mauricio (left thumb fracture) is set to bat leadoff and start at shortstop for Syracuse in Saturday's 6:35 p.m. game against Norfolk. Taylor (right hip flexor strain), who homered and singled in Friday's game, is not in Saturday's lineup but figures to join Lindor.

"Then we'll see where we're at," Mendoza said of Lindor. "We'll see where we're at after Sunday night."

Lindor responded well to Friday's game, Mendoza added.

"Good, good," Mendoza said. "He was good, good day. Yeah, checked in today at Citi Field, feeling fine. So, back at it tomorrow."

Christian Scott's bullpen 'went well'

Scott (right hip impingement) threw a bullpen Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, and "it went well," Mendoza explained.

"Full bullpen," Mendoza said. "High intensity. Yeah, so, just got to wait how he responds the next couple of days and go from there."

What is next for Scott?

"Then he's going to be facing batters, throwing a live BP, multiple ups that will put him in line for the next step," Mendoza said. "But, again, I don't want to get ahead of myself here. But good thing is it was good to watch him today, just throwing his baseballs with no hesitation and he looked normal, he looked fine."

Skipping a rehab assignment is "possible" for Scott, Mendoza added.

"It's possible, it's possible," Mendoza said. "Like I said, if he responds back from this bullpen session, there's a good chance he's going to throw an intense live BP with multiple ups ... and then we'll go from there."

Clay Holmes' 'light throwing'

Right-hander Clay Holmes is doing "light throwing" a month since he went on the injured list with his right fibula fracture, Mendoza explained.

"Just light throwing," Mendoza said. "But not much there. Just got to continue to wait. Another imaging -- I'm not sure when -- before he can start doing more high-intensity stuff. But just light catch."

Jorge Polanco's mixed days

Infielder and designated hitter Jorge Polanco went on the 60-day injured list this past Monday with a right wrist contusion. Is he not close to restarting his rehab assignment, which saw him start stints with Binghamton May 27 and Syracuse June 2?

"I wouldn't say that," Mendoza said. "He's still hitting. He ran the bases today, but he's just one of those where -- going back to three, four weeks ago where there's days where he feels good and then he flares up again and then we have to slow things down. So, it's kind of like the same thing. But he's hitting, he's still running. But, again, good days and then some other days where it's not as good."

Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper lead Phillies' 17-hit, 15-run assault on Mets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

In his four-plus seasons with the Phillies, Kyle Schwarber has been a giant on the field and in the community.

He was all that on Saturday.

Several hours before the Phils played the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park, Schwarber met with the family of Timothy J. O’Connor, the Pennsylvania state trooper who was killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in Chester County in March.

Schwarber’s father, Greg, is a former police officer back home in Ohio. Schwarber’s Neighborhood Heroes, the slugger’s charitable foundation, supports first responders, military personnel and their families.

Moments before the game, as Corporal O’Connor’s picture appeared on the PhanaVision scoreboard, Schwarber caught a ceremonial first pitch from the officer’s brother, Christopher.

And soon after that, Schwarber joined Bryce Harper in leading the Phillies to a 15-3 thrashing of the Mets.

Schwarber belted three home runs – raising his majors-leading total to 28 – and finished the night with six RBIs.

His first two homers came in the Phils’ eight-run third inning. Both were mammoth blasts, traveling 456 and 457 feet, respectively. That’s a total of 913 feet. In one inning.

His third homer was a bullet inside the right-field foul pole in the seventh.

It’s difficult to top a night like that, but Harper gave it a run.

In his first four at-bats of the game, he hit for the 11^th cycle in Phillies history. He homered in the first inning, doubled and singled in the third, and tripled in the fifth. He finished with three RBIs.

It was his first cycle as a pro.

And where does the accomplishment rank on his personal highlight reel?

“It’s up there,” Harper said. “Obviously, doing it at the big-league level is really cool. I got close a couple times. Being able to do it and have that moment is really cool.”

Harper recalled his only other cycle. It came when he was at the College of Southern Nevada.

“Super regionals, seven for seven, four homers and a cycle,” he said. “Pretty cool.”

Harper’s big night came after he took extra batting practice on the field before the game. He usually hits in the indoor cages, but a recent slump – 1 for 22 in his previous seven games and just one homer in his previous 15 – led him to freshen things up.

“I was just trying to hit homers,” he said. “I haven’t hit many balls over the fence in a while. I was just trying to hit some balls in the third deck. Sometimes that helps. I was able to do that tonight. I felt good.

“I feel like my at-bats have been good lately. But sometimes it feels like there’s a big ol’ glove out there. The last couple of weeks felt that way.”

Harper used a bigger bat for all his at-bats in the game. Usually he swings a 34-inch, 31 ½-ounce piece of lumber. He switched to his “heavy” bat, a 34-inch, 35-ounce model that he uses in the batting cage. He will use it again in Sunday night’s game.

After a homer, a double and a single in his first three at-bats, Harper was gunning for the triple. He reached third on a daring baserunning play on a ball to the left-center gap.

“(Manager Don Mattingly) and all the coaches came up to me and said if you get a chance just go do it,” he said. “I had their blessing to just go on any ball.”

Schwarber was on first base. When he saw the ball go to the gap, there was no way he was stopping at third. He wanted to clear the way for Harper.

“We were all focused on making sure he got to third,” said Schwarber, who now has four three-homer games and a four-homer game in his career.

This wasn’t the first time two teammates combined for three (or more) homers and a cycle. Lou Gehrig (four homers) and Tony Lazzeri (cycle) pulled off the feat for the Yankees on June 3, 1932.

After completing his cycle, Harper stood on third base and raised his arms in triumph. He received a standing ovation as he walked back to the dugout at the completion of the inning. He removed his batting helmet and saluted the sellout crowd of 43,402 in return.

“The fans are why I came here,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun playing here and sharing these moments with them.”

Fifteen runs – 10 against Mets starter Freddy Peralta in 2 2/3 innings — was more than enough for one of the best pitchers in baseball to work with. Cristopher Sanchez cruised through six innings on five hits and a run. He walked one and struck out five as he bounced back from a loss at Milwaukee in his previous outing. Sanchez is 8-4 with a 1.80 ERA. The Phillies are 11-5 in his 16 starts.

Sanchez has put on a show this season. But Saturday night, he was a side act.

“They stole the show from me tonight,” he said of Harper and Schwarber. “I’ll take it. It was perfect.”

The win improved the Phillies to 41-35. They will look to win the series against the Mets (34-42) behind Zack Wheeler on Sunday night.

Shohei Ohtani missed Friday night’s series opener for the birth of his second child, but he’s back in the Dodgers lineup against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night, batting in his usual leadoff spot as the designated hitter.

Ohtani on Saturday posted a statement on Instagram from him and his wife Mamiko after the birth of their second child.

We are again overjoyed to experience this wonderful day in our lives together. Thank you for being born safely. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey.

Shohei, Mamiko.

The Dodgers this time around did not use the paternity list, which allows for teams to replace a player on the roster for between one and three days. Instead, they played one man short on Friday.

The Ohtanis had their first child, a daughter, in April 2025, and then they called up Eddie Rosario to start at designated hitter for the two days Ohtani was away from the team.

Mets lineup

1. Carson Benge – CF
2. Bo Bichette – 3B
3. Juan Soto – LF
4. Marcus Semien – 2B
5. Eric Wagaman – RF
6. Francisco Alvarez – DH
7. Mark Vientos – 1B
8. Luis Torrens – C
9. Zack Short – SS

Freddy Peralta – RHP

Phillies lineup

1. Trea Turner – SS
2. Kyle Schwarber – DH
3. Bryce Harper – 1B
4. Brandon Marsh – LF
5. Alec Bohm – 3B
6. Bryson Stott – 2B
7. J.T. Realmuto – C
8. Gabriel Rincones – RF
9. Justin Crawford – CF

Cristopher Sánchez – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 7:15 PM EDT
TV: FOX
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

In a game that got a little too close for comfort in the later innings, the Colorado Rockies escaped with a series-opening 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates last night. The second game of the series and the homestand provides the Rockies with another shot at Paul Skenes this season in a top notch pitching matchup against Tomoyuki Sugano.

The Rockies last faced Skenes back on May 12th in a 3-1 loss out at PNC Park. Skenes dominated in that one, working six hitless innings to start the day before ending things after eight innings pitched with 10 strikeouts to just two hits. Michael Lorenzen held his own, but the Rockies offense couldn’t overcome a Skenes masterpiece.

Things have taken a turn for the worse for the Pittsburgh ace since that point in the season. That win against Colorado in May put Skenes at 6-2 on the year with a 1.98 ERA. A month and a half later, he now sits at 6-6, including three straight losses after the Rockies matchup. He’s still finding strikeouts, averaging over seven a game in that span, but he’s also giving up his fair share of hits, averaging nearly six a game during that same stretch, a noticeable jump up from his early season outings.

Skenes’ “struggles”, relatively, highlight his dominance. Even during this winless stretch where his numbers aren’t up to par, he still boasts a 2.85 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP on the year, with the latter good enough for fifth-best in the majors. His 99 strikeouts are top-10, as is his .199 batting average against. Although the Pirates are struggling and the pitching wins aren’t coming, he remains ever dangerous.

Sugano is riding a different wave of fortune into tonight’s matchup, logging wins in his last three starts. Aside from surrendering eight runs in a weird 23-9 win over the Athletics out in Las Vegas, Sugano has looked sharp as of late and has limited runs, giving up three or fewer in five of his last six starts. He enters tonight with a 7-4 record in 14 starts, a 4.54 ERA, and a 1.336 WHIP.

With two strong starters scheduled for this game, and with last night’s affair being decided by one run, the Rox and Bucs could be in for another tight one. Sugano looks to keep things going, while Skenes looks to turn things around. Both have the ability to keep runs off the board early. Like May’s Skenes vs. Lorenzen battle, tonight may come down to whichever offense can string together a slight edge first.

First Pitch: 7:10 pm MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

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

PiratesSB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout

Lineups:

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Shohei Ohtani returned to the Dodgers’ lineup Saturday, after the two-way star became a two-time dad.

Ohtani had been away from the team since Friday, taking a paternity leave for the second time in the last two years as his wife, Mamiko, gave birth to the couple’s second child.

Manager Dave Roberts had said he only “found out very recently” that Ohtani was expecting another kid. However, the team had also known entering this weekend that Ohtani wouldn’t be away for long, deciding to not even put him on the official paternity list and call up another player in his brief absence.

The new baby arrives in what was already a busy point in Ohtani’s full-time two-way season. In recent weeks, the four-time MVP has been battling both a knee issue and a blister, though had missed only one game as a hitter and made his most recent pitching start as scheduled last Wednesday.

Ohtani is already on track for a fifth MVP award, thanks to his .296 batting average, 15 home runs and 42 RBIs as a hitter, plus his 7-2 record and 1.47 ERA as a pitcher.

Now, as he rejoins the club, the 31-year-old has another sentimental family moment to celebrate, as well.

With Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones now patrolling the outfield in The Bronx, the Yankees’ Triple-A outfielders might need some refreshing on the basics of baseball.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre right fielder Yanquiel Fernandez seemed to forget the score Friday night when he dove for but didn’t catch a fly ball that could have ended the game.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre led, 8-7, with Columbus down to its final out in the first game of a doubleheader.

Clippers catcher Bo Naylor lifted the shallow fly ball that bounced in front of Fernandez.

Instead of hustling after the ball, Fernandez jogged and let it roll as the tying run scored from first base and Naylor came all the way around on a walk-off inside-the-park two-run home run.

Second baseman Marco Luciano ran out to the outfield to get the ball and fired back to the plate. Catcher Austin Wells — on a rehab assignment from the Yankees — couldn’t corral the one-hop throw as Naylor slid across the plate.

Fernandez, 23, is not among the Yankees’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.

He either gave up on the play or thought that the game was tied when the ball was hit and the first run had won the game.

Fernandez has 15 home runs this season and was named International League Player of the Week for May 18-24, but Jones and then Dominguez were the regular Triple-A right fielders before the injuries to Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham, respectively.

Fernandez made his MLB debut with 52 games for the Rockies last season. He is a former top 100 prospect in MLB. 

When Scranton took the field for the nightcap of the doubleheader, Fernandez was back in right field — to the shock of old-school minds who expect punishments for mental mistakes. He hit a two-run homer.

We don’t get an ace-off after all. With the Yankees trying to manage a pitching rotation that’s both played at its highest level and seen its share of injuries, Gerrit Cole will be pushed back a day and make his start with an additional day of rest on Monday in Detroit. The club is trying to avoid three straight turns the the rotation on five days’ rest, especially with a careful eye on Cole’s surgically repaired elbow. Rookie Elmer Rodríguez will be called upon to make his third start of the season in the finale with the Reds tomorrow.

ERC looked every bit the part of a rookie starter during his two previous outings in May, in particular demonstrating a lack of control that needs to be his primary focus in order to be a full timer in the big leagues. A 14.1-percent walk rate is a jump from his already-high 11-percent mark with Triple-A Scranton. Getting the ball in the strike zone will be his task against the Reds.

The corresponding move for Rodríguez is that the ever-scuffling Jake Bird goes down to Scranton, and frankly that just means that Aaron Boone will no longer be tempted to put him into a game. It’s a win all around as far as I’m concerned.

These kinds of moves are one of the perks of being a first-place team. Everyone in baseball is trying to figure out how to manage the health of their pitching staff, and the Yankees have a chance to inject an extra bit of rest into the group. Losing on Saturday makes things a little more stressful for young ERC, because you want to win series too, but giving a veteran a little extra time isn’t a bad idea in my book.