Category: Baseball

After the first real rough patch of play from Atlanta this season, the Braves did well to beat Jacob Misiorowski in the midst of a truly legendary run of pitching and the Brewers in game 1 of a home series against a rival at the top of the NL. Doing so with Martin Perez on the mound is a huge coup for Atlanta. Now they get to pitch Chris Sale, facing a tough lefty from the Brewers, Kyle Harrison, with the first of two chances to secure a series win. One point of intrigue facing Harrison is whether Drake Baldwin can continue to absolutely obliterate left-handed pitching has a lefty bat, as we are now going on two seasons of him producing equal or better results against left-handed pitching.

As for Harrison himself, the lefty has been magnificent this season, with the Brewers having developed him from a solid fourth starter to a real impact arm after trading with the Giants for him last year, at least so far this season. He is similarly two-pitch dominant to Sale, with his tertiary changeup making up 9% of his usage. He pitches heavily off of his four-seamer with solid velo and good arm-side run, with a strong mix of his slurvey breaking ball. The change has been hit pretty hard, so its no surprise he sticks to the heat and the slurve. That said, this arsenal has been good for a 3.05 FIP and a 3.16 xFIP. He has added some velo and dropped his changeup usage since leaving the Giants, which accounts for some of the jump in effectiveness. This will be a tough matchup, but hopefully those Drake Baldwin reverse splits and righty-handed Ozzie can get some runs across to support Sale.

Chris Sale has been characteristically fantastic this season, despite the one disaster start early in Anaheim, but the Braves have been unable to win his last two outings. Sale has been pretty normal Sale in those outings, but the run support hasn’t been there. Sale’s fastball velo has actually been UP 1.1 MPH over his last two seasons at the age of 37, which is pretty cool, although also slightly disconcerting from a durability standpoint. With that velo jump, however, his fastball has been as effective as it has been since 2018, according to Statcast, and his changeup has been effective as well. While the strikeouts have been down a tick, they are still plenty frequent. In short, Chris Sale has looked to be at the peak of his powers this season and lets hope he stays that way for a good long while.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, June 20, 4:10 p.m. EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Cam Schlittler struck out 13 Reds hitters but still saved his best fastball for exposing an online troll.

In an appropriately savage move, the Yankees ace revealed Friday night a taste of the line-crossing hate that athletes face when he published unfiltered to his Instagram story the messages sent to him by a Red Sox fan using the handle “Kyle_Lynch11.”

Schlittler captioned the post “rent free” while including two crying laughing emojis.

The verbal attacks started before Schlittler’s historic start against the Red Sox in the playoffs last season and continued through his Friday night masterpiece.

A patient Schlittler only replied once in the thread, writing “stop gazing lil bro” at 1:14 p.m. Friday, roughly six hours before his first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

The most common message was calling Schlittler a “p—y.”

The fan wrongly predicted the “Reds are gonna light u up tnite” before Schlittler struck out 13 in six scoreless innings and lowered his ERA to a Whitey Ford-like 1.64.

The trolling started Oct. 3, 2025, when the fan messaged Schilittler to “wait till we got our full squad u clown.” The thought was that “Roman (Anthony) will own u.”

The fan was angry that Schlittler – a Walpole, Mass. native who grew up as a Red Sox fan – was pitching for the Yankees. As if he had a choice in where he was drafted and developed.

“Never forget where u came from,” one message read.

Schlitter instead made sure Red Sox fans never forget him with his historical MLB playoff debut, when he struck out 12 in eight scoreless innings to clinch the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. 

Schlittler is the American League Cy Young betting favorite in just his second season and has seemed to especially enjoy feasting on the Red Sox and their fans. Now we have a taste of why.

This one particular fan’s message thread didn’t appear to send any of the “death threats” that Schlittler previously told The Post he and his family – including a father who is a police chief in Massachusetts – have been besieged by as part of a rivalry-gone-wrong.

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The Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves meet this afternoon, and I'm eyeing a clean first inning with two solid arms on the hill. 

That matchup will headline my top MLB picks today for the "no run first inning" and "yes run first inning" markets.

Here are my best NRFI/YRFI predictions for Saturday, June 20.

Best NRFI/YRFI predictions today

Pick	Odds
/ - NRFI	-148
/ - YRFI	-116
/ - NRFI	-121

Brewers at Braves: NRFI (-148)

Two solid arms take the hill as the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves square off tonight. Kyle Harrison gets the ball for Milwaukee and owns a stellar 10-3 NRFI record this season. The left-hander has held opponents scoreless in the first inning in five of his last six starts and tossed six scoreless frames last time out.

Chris Sale has been equally reliable early in games, carrying an 11-2 NRFI record and producing three consecutive scoreless first innings. The southpaw also owns a 2.30 FIP across his last three appearances, while neither offense has scored in the opening frame in each of its last two contests.

Since the price is already steep, I'd only play this pick up to -150.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: BravesVision, Brewers.TV

Guardians at Astros: YRFI (-116)

I'm expecting the Houston Astros to jump on Joey Cantillo tonight. The left-hander has posted a 5.40 FIP over his last two starts while allowing 2.70 home runs per nine innings during that span.

Houston has been one of baseball's best first-inning offenses, batting .301 in the opening frame while compiling a 50-27 YRFI record. The Astros also scored in the first inning on Friday, and this matchup sets up nicely for another fast start. Cantillo has surrendered a run in the first in back-to-back starts, too. 

Play this pick up to -130.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Space City Home Network, Guardians.TV

Nationals at Rays: NRFI (-121)

Cade Cavalli gets the ball for the Washington Nationals tonight, and he's consistently stayed out of trouble in the first inning. He tossed a scoreless opening frame his last time out and owns an impressive 11-4 NRFI record this season. Cavalli also draws a favorable matchup against a Tampa Bay Rays lineup that's been held scoreless in the first inning in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Ian Seymour hasn't allowed a run in the first inning through his first two appearances as a starter, and while Washington has been productive offensively overall, the Nationals have failed to score in the opening frame in four straight contests.

With two starters navigating the first inning effectively and both offenses struggling to get going immediately, there's value in another clean opening frame. I'll play this pick up to -130.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rays.TV, Nationals.TV

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The first-place New York Yankees face the last-place Cincinnati Reds today. It’s no surprise New York is favored, but the MLB odds are wildly slanted toward the Bronx Bombers at -210. 

The favorite being nearly unbettable still opens the door for a flier on an underdog. That’s why my Reds vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks are looking for a Reds upset and a big payday.

Who will win Reds vs Yankees today: Reds moneyline (+182)

The New York Yankees are 10-5 since Aaron Judge went down with an injury, which has scuttled seasons in the past.

This time, they simply turned Ben Rice into Judge. The Cincinnati Reds are starting southpaw Andrew Abbott today, however.Rice has been a mere mortal and less a Judge clone against lefties, hitting 19 points lower and slugging 126 points less.  

New York also doesn’t have the lopsided starting pitcher edge you’d expect from these odds. Will Warren is 7-1, but the Yankees have scored 6+ runs in nine of his 14 starts. He’s 6-0 in those, 1-1 when getting five or fewer from his offense.

COVERS INTEL: Will Warren has been essentially an average starter this season, despite the gaudy record. None of his pitches are in the top-third of MLB in run value. Among the most common underlying metrics, only xERA and barrel rate (both 68th percentile) are in the top third, and just barely.

Reds vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-113)

We’ll hedge our risky moneyline bet by taking the favorite in the Over/Under.

Abbott has been Cincinnati’s most reliable pitcher and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his last nine starts. Rice has never faced him, and only 38-year-old reserve Paul Goldschmidt has seen him more than 10 times. Ryan McMahon (1-for-9) is the Yankee next-most familiar with the lefty.

The Reds are in a teamwide batting slump since Elly de la Cruz got hurt and were shut out on Friday night. They have now scored four or fewer in seven of the last 10 games.

Reds vs Yankees weather

It will be mostly sunny skies with a high near 83°F, a steady western wind of 10-20 mph, and 0% chance of precipitation.

Reds vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Reds +186 | Yankees -194
• Run line: Reds +1.5 (-104) | Yankees -1.5 (+100)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 | Under 9.5

Reds vs Yankees trend

The Reds have been held Under their team total in 14 of their last 20 games for +7.35 units and a 31% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Reds vs. Yankees.

How to watch Reds vs Yankees and game info

Reds vs Yankees latest injuries

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Diamondbacks News

Carroll, Bullpen Pull Snakes Through Emotionally Taxing Day
First, the Diamondbacks learned that they have lost Ryne Nelson for the remainder of the season. Then, in-between the first and second innings, they lost Michael Soroka to injury. Then, in the eighth inning, Jordan Lawlar left the game with a tight hamstring and will now undergo imaging today, previous to a likely stint back on the IL. But Corbin Carroll was firing on all cylinders and the bullpen dug deep to lift the Diamondbacks to a victory over the Twins.

The Next Steps for Ryne Nelson
On Friday, the Diamondbacks put Nelson on the injured list with a sprained right elbow. The game plan for now is to rest and see how he feels in four-to-six weeks.

Lawlar Exits Game with Hamstring Injury
Having just returned to playing after languishing on the 60-day IL, Jordan Lawlar is headed back to the IL after running out an infield single in the pivotal eighth inning of Arizona’s comeback win.

A.J. Puk Sustains Capsule Sprain
The MRI results are back and things are not good for A.J. Puk. Puk will be shut down for the next four weeks and then re-evaluated. If all goes well and Puk is able to restart his throwing ramp-up without any setbacks, a return to the majors seems possible by the back half of August.

Diamondbacks Counting on Zac Gallen to Go Deep Versus Twins
If ever there was a time Arizona needed Zac Gallen to turn back the clock to harness his ace-like form, it is now.

Other Baseball News

What to Know About MLB’s Draft Overhaul Proposal
It is absolute garbage in ways that fundamentally would change everything in fairly quick order. That’s the bottom line up front.

Padres-Rangers Game Starts with Only Two Umpires
Because of travel issues, Emil Jimenez and John Bacon were the lone umps ready to go by first pitch. Gabe Morales and Mike Muchlinski arrived and joined them on the field in the middle of the first, about the same time Rangers bench coach Luis Urueta was being ejected from the game.

Jackson Churio’s Big Step Forward
Jackson Chourio got a late start to his season. A fractured metacarpal in his left hand, suffered during the run-up to the World Baseball Classic but not definitively diagnosed until three weeks later, knocked him onto the injured list just hours before the Brewers’ Opening Day game, and he didn’t make his season debut until May 4. Since then, the 22-year-old outfielder has not only been one of the majors’ top hitters, he’s shown notable improvements in a few key areas while helping to propel the Brewers into first place in the NL Central.

The Rays Are Proving Homers Aren’t Needed to Win
The Rays have hit fewer home runs than any other team in baseball, but they still have one of the best records in the American League.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-41) lost 9-3 (BOX SCORE)

Hendrickson started for Sugar Land but had some trouble allowing 7 runs, 5 earned, over 4.2 innings. The offense got on the board scoring 2 runs in the 2nd inning on an error and a Biggio RBI single. They got another run in the 5th on a Dezenzo RBI single. The pen allowed a couple more runs and the offense was quiet the rest of the way as Sugar Land fell 9-3.

Note: Price has a .870 OPS in Triple-A.

• Cavan Biggio, LF: 1-for-4, RBI, BB
• Shay Whitcomb, 3B: 2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 SB
• Zach Dezenzo, DH: 1-for-4, RBI
• Collin Price, C: 1-for-3, BB

• Josh Hendrickson, LHP: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Miguel Ullola, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (30-37) lost 8-6 (BOX SCORE)

Hertzler started for the Hooks and pitched well allowing 1 run over 4.1 innings. Torres relieved Hertzler but struggled allowing 4 runs. The Hooks got on the board in the 6th inning on a Bigger RBI single and Sullivan RBI double. The offense rallied to tie it in the 8th scoring 4 runs on a wild pitch, a Sullivan RBI single and a Brutcher 2 run single. Unfortunately the Missions scored 2 runs in the 9th and the Hooks were unable to respond as they fell 8-6.

Note: Sullivan is hitting .360 in June.

• Lucas Spence, CF: 1-for-4, R
• Joseph Sullivan, RF: 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI
• Jason Schiavone, C: 2-for-4, R
• Drew Brutcher, 1B: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, BB
• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, SB
• Jax Biggers, 3B: 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB

• Cole Hertzler, RHP: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Alex Santos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Julio Rodriguez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (18-48) won 10-9 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville got the scoring started in the 4th inning scoring 2 runs on an error and a Hernandez RBI double. Smith got the start and pitched really well allowing 2 runs over 6 innings with 4 strikeouts. Asheville retook the lead in the 5th on a Walker RBI single. In the 6th, Nunez added an RBI single. After the Hot Rods scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th, the offense got 2 more runs in the bottom of the 7th on a Trujillo 2 run home run. A Hernandez solo HR extended the lead in the 8th but in the 9th, the Hot Rods scored 5 runs to take the lead. Asheville rallied in the bottom of the 9th tying the game on a Perez 2 run home run and then walking it off on an Ochoa RBI single.

Note: Thomas is hitting .300 this season.

• Kyle Walker, 2B: 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB
• Justin Thomas, CF: 2-for-4, R, 2B, SB
• Nehomar Ochoa, RF: 1-for-5, RBI
• Chase Call, DH: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Alejandro Nunez, 3B: 2-for-4, R, RBI
• Cesar Hernandez, LF: 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• Jack Moss, 1B: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB
• Keduar Trujillo, C: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Reylin Perez, SS: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI

• Parker Smith, RHP: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Bryce Collins, LHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Frias, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (33-33) won 10-8 (BOX SCORE)

Perez started for the Woodpeckers and had a rough first inning allowing 3 runs. The offense responded with 2 runs in the first inning on a fielder’s choice and Gomez groundout. The outing got worse for Perez as he allowed 7 runs over 4.1 innings. After falling down 8-1, the Woodpeckers got a run back in the bottom of the 6th on an Alvarez double. The offense rallied for 4 runs on a Ramirez RBI single, Vasquez sac fly and Huezo 2 run home run. The offense would rally again in the 8th tying the game on a Luciano solo home run and then taking the lead on a Vasquez 2 run home run. Weber closed it out striking out 5 over 2.1 innings as the Woodpeckers won 10-8.

Note: Huezo has 13 home runs this season.

• Anthony Huezo, RF: 1-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Xavier Neyens, SS: 1-for-2, 2 R, BB
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 2-for-4, R, 2B
• Waner Luciano, DH: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Kenni Gomez, LF: 2-for-4, R, RBI, SB
• German Ramirez, 2B: 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB
• Yosweld Vasquez, C: 1-for-3, R, HR, 3 RBI

• Javier Perez, RHP: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Grayson Saunier, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Charlie Weber, RHP: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (WIN)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Brandon McPherson – 7:35 CT

CC: Brett Gillis – 7:05 CT

AV: Nolan DeVos – 5:05 CT

FV: TBD – 6:05 CT

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers won a spirited comeback affair last night after falling behind 5-0 in the first inning.

Evan Grant writes about Texas bailing Jacob deGrom out on his birthday.

Shawn McFarland says the Rangers answered the challenge presented to them by Skip Schumaker earlier in the afternoon.

Elsewhere the Rangers added Jarred Kelenic in a move that Grant says is a little bit desperation, a little bit sending a message.

Jordan Montgomery is set to begin a rehab assignment in Frisco.

Corey Seager remains on the concussion list, for now.

Jacob Latz is the latest guest on Grant’s podcast.

And finally Grant’s early Father’s Day story features former Rangers catcher, current Rangers assistant Rod Barajas and his 8 kids that keep he and wife Stacie busy.

That’s all for this morning. The Rangers play the Padres again at 3:05 today with Nathan Eovaldi on the mound for Texas.

Have a great weekend!

1926
In a game with the Yankees that the White Sox won 4-3, a record was set for the largest crowd to see a game at Comiskey Park before the upper deck was added in 1927: 43,000. In fact, so many fans were in the park, they were allowed to ring the outfield wall — standing on the playing field!

That may have contributed to Chicago’s eventual winning run in the eighth inning, as Willie Kamm’s drive went into the fans on the field; it was scored as a double, and drove home Earl Sheely. 

1945
In the eighth inning of a game in St. Louis, a brawl broke out between White Sox and Browns players. As pitcher George Caster was leaving the mound he fired the ball toward the Chicago dugout, but missed, hitting the adjacent wall. White Sox players charged onto the field, and several of the Browns charged the Chicago dugout where they attacked White Sox batting practice pitcher and ex-Marine Karl Scheel, whom they beat for several minutes, claiming he had  been riding them all game. When that confrontation was broken up, the game resumed with no one being ejected, although many fans came on the field and the game was delayed for several minutes.

Scheel was carried to the clubhouse for first aid, and several Browns ended up being fined by the league. The White Sox won the game, 4-1.

1959
The White Sox were swept in a doubleheader mauling (8-2, 9-0) at Boston, dropping them to 33-30 and to fourth place. On June 14, the Go-Gos were in first place, but five straight losses later the White Sox had dropped 1 1/2 games off the pace.

The good news was a win on June 21 would see the South Siders slip to two games back of first, but in a quirk of the doubleheader era saw the club jump back up to second place. They would shuffle between second and third in the AL for about a month before taking the top spot back over, pretty much for good, on July 14.

1973
White Sox relief pitcher Cy Acosta became the first American League pitcher to make a plate appearance in the designated hitter era, striking out in the eighth inning of an 8-3 win over Nolan Ryan and the Angels at Comiskey Park. Rich Hand was the Angels pitcher who struck him out.

Acostacame to bat because manager Chuck Tanner pulled Dick Allen after a six-run seventh inning and moved Tony Muser from DH to first base. That meant the Sox gave up the DH and Acosta took Allen’s spot in the batting order.

1977
In a play that twisted the fate of a promising player, Kevin Bell tore his knee sliding into home to end the fifth inning of a A’s 7-1 win at Comiskey Park. Bell tried to tag up on Alan Bannister’s fly out to left field, but was cut down by Tony Armas’ throw from center field — and the immovable object that was Manny Sanguillen at home plate.

Bell, a first round choice (No. 7 overall) of the White Sox in 1973, had made mincemeat of the minor leagues, carrying an OPS in the mid-.800s into his MLB cup of coffee in 1976. While the majors may have been the place his stardom was ground down into replacement play, this injury nipped any star potential in the bud.

Despite the loss, the White Sox remained in a tie for first in the AL West at 35-28.

1980
Tigers outfielder Al Cowens attacked Sox relief pitcher Ed Farmer. In the 11th inning of a game at Comiskey Park, Cowens ran towards Farmer after hitting a ground ball instead of running towards first base, and the two initiated a melee on the mound. One year earlier and then with the Texas Rangers, Farmer had broken Cowens’ jaw on an errant pitch, so tensions were high and patience thin.

Chicago police went looking for Cowens after the game to press assault charges. 

Farmer, who had polycystic kidney disease, ended up on the bottom of the pile, where his cysts burst and his kidneys weakened. He would pitch in the All-Star Game the next month, amid his greatest season, but Farmer said from the moment after the brawl he felt weaker, and was never the same pitcher. 

1986
In what he admitted was one of the biggest mistakes he’d ever made, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf approved the firing of manager Tony La Russa. La Russa and his staff simply didn’t get along with new GM Ken Harrelson and his unusual ideas, and with the team struggling on the field, the decision to let him go was made. 

La Russa won more than 500 games for the White Sox as well as the 1983 Western Division championship, and was hired by the A’s just three weeks later. He eventually took both Oakland and St. Louis to the World Series, winning three titles, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014.

Doug Rader, who infamously coined the phrase of the White Sox “winning ugly” in 1983 as Texas Rangers manager,went 1-1 as the interim skipper before Jim Fregosi was hired for the spot.

La Russa came back to manage the White Sox in 2021 and most of 2022 before retiring in September due to health reasons.  

Harrelson resigned his position after one season in charge of the White Sox. That year the club went 72-90, ending up in fifth place in the Western Division.

2006
The White Sox set the team mark for the most runs ever scored in the third inning of a game, when 11 men crossed the plate against the Cardinals. Chicago-area native Mark Mulder was the victim of the onslaught, which saw the Sox win in Chicago, 20-6. The South Siders sent 16 men to the plate and had 11 hits in the inning.

The 20 runs scored is tied for the fifth-most runs ever scored in a game by the South Siders.

2009
The White Sox won the first Civil Rights Game ever to be played as part of the regular-season schedule, beating the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, 10-8.

The White Sox rallied from down 5-0 to score eight runs in the middle innings, fueled by solo shots in the fifth (Scott Podsednik and A.J. Pierzynski) bookended by three-run blasts in the fourth (Gordon Beckham) and sixth (Alexei Ramírez). The Reds crept back to within 8-7 before Podsednik and Ramírez tapped in three runs between them in the eighth.

To honor the Civil Rights Era, both teams wore 1965 replica uniforms for the game.

The Civil Rights Game was discontinued after the 2015 season. Apparently, racism was solved. Perhaps it’s time to bring it back.

Overall, the White Sox played in the most Civil Rights games (three), and tied with the Dodgers for the most wins in the series (two).

2010
With a 6-3 win at the Nationals, the White Sox finished up a road trip winning eight of nine, tied for the seventh-best in franchise history. The club took two of three in Wrigley Field, then left Chicago and swept three-game sets in Pittsburgh and Washington.

The road trip ended with the White Sox back at .500 (34-34) for the first time since April 7 (1-1). Their winning ways would continue back at home, with a streak that would reach 11 straight and contribute to a stretch of 26 wins in 31 games that shot the White Sox into first place.

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The Houston Astros host the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday, looking to wrap up their third straight series win, while the Guardians face the possibility of a fourth series loss in the last five.

Cleveland has lost seven of the last 10, and now first baseman Kyle Manzardo is battling back problems.

That's why my Guardians vs. Astros predictions and MLB picks are looking at a Houston win.   

Who will win Guardians vs Astros today: Astros -1.5 (+152)

The odds make it tough to love the Houston Astros, as the moneyline is currently too steep.

If it drops to -120, it's worth taking the runs back. However, Houston has won nine games in June by a total of 31 runs—more than three runs per win.

The Cleveland Guardians have lost nine June games, also by 31. So there's good reason to believe a Houston win will cover the run line.

Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo has allowed batters a .343 average, 1.032 OPS, and production 74% over league average in his last four starts, posting a 9.00 ERA and WHIP over 2.00. 

COVERS INTEL: Cantillo's underlying metrics are worse than his standard line. His fastball is in the bottom 2% in MLB for effectiveness and the bottom 13% for velocity. He's in the bottom third in baseball in walk rate, chase rate, barrel rate, and overall pitching run value.

Guardians vs Astros Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-103)

Houston's offense is getting hot. Yordan Alvarez leads the league in batting, slugging, OPS, OPS+, and homers. Jose Altuve looks like he's rounding into form in his third week since returning from injury.

He homered and drove in four in Friday's series opener.

Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti was the pitcher of the month for May but has yet to win in June, posting a 6.19 ERA and .286 average against in three starts this month.

Houston's bullpen has pitched 19 innings in the last three games. Cleveland's is more rested but has a 4.76 ERA and 2.29 WHIP over the last three.

Guardians vs Astros weather

Notes on the weather and its impact.

Guardians vs Astros odds

• Moneyline: Guardians +133 | Astros -138
• Run line: Guardians +1.5 (-163) | Astros -1.5 (+156)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-100) | Under 8.5 (-108)

Guardians vs Astros trend

The Houston Astros have covered the Run Line in 16 of their last 25 games (+6.00 Units / 17% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Astros.

How to watch Guardians vs Astros and game info

Guardians vs Astros latest injuries

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

As Major League Baseball and the players’ association near the end of their collective bargaining agreement in less than 6 months on December 1, questions over a potential lockout loom. It was reported today that the MLB has proposed widespread changes to it’s annual draft.

The likelihood of the proposition being accepted as-is may not be high, but it confirms the rumors that sweeping changes could be made to players’ entry in to professional baseball and it could have massive effects on the future of college baseball.

First, the MLB wants to institute a separate international draft. Currently, international players are allowed to sign with whichever Major League team offers them a contract, with bonus pool limitations for spending, similar to the current draft. The signing period runs between January 15 and December 15, with prospects being required to be at least 16 years old to sign and turn 17 by September 1 of the next year. It’s basically free agency. An international draft would require players to be 18 and consist of 12 rounds.

How could that affect LSU? Well, instead of the process being essentially open game, it could bottleneck crops of players in particular drafts. It likely would not matter much to the top-end talent who will get paid on the higher end of slot values, but with middle-to-lower talent, prospects could choose to go to school for two years, earn NIL, and hope to develop within collegiate baseball programs to improve their abilities and, eventually, their draft stock. It would be fairly similar to the decision that high school players are faced with, although they are not only competing with their peers for draft positions, they’re also in the same crop as college players. Is it likely that college baseball sees a large influx of international players come to America to play college baseball? Probably not, but changes like this could certainly matter so some players from outside of the country.

You may have noticed that I mentioned that the international players could choose to go to college for two years. That’s because part of the proposed changes to the typical MLB draft entail changing the eligibility requirements to simply two years in college. Currently, players that attend four-year colleges are eligible upon finishing their junior year or turning 21 years old within 45 days of the draft. Although they’re the vast minority, there are some sophomores that make the cut for the age requirement, often referred to as “draft eligible sophomores” or “super sophomores”. Derek Curiel is a prime example.

The two year rule would go along with the most impactful change that would immediately affect NCAA Baseball. High school players would no longer be eligible to enter the MLB Draft. Every graduating senior must attend college and would be eligible after their sophomore season. In the 2025 draft, 96 high school baseball players signed professionally after being drafted. With the rule change, all of that top-end talent would enter the collegiate ranks, bettering college baseball as a whole.

While the entire sport would benefit from more high-level players taking the field from the SEC to the mid-majors, LSU, specifically, would be ecstatic to actually land all of the commitments that they receive. Over the years, they have been gutted by the MLB draft and, at times, forced to turn to the transfer portal as a saving grace. This past season was a perfect example. Jay Johnson lost 8 signees to professional baseball, a few of which were slight surprises. With a change like the one proposed, coaching staffs would have a much better idea of who will make it to campus, much like football and basketball.

To further illustrate the immense amount of talent that has skipped over LSU, here are the commits from Jay Johnson’s first four classes that signed professionally. Four have already made it to the MLB, three of which are everyday players (or in the rotation in Misiorowski’s case). For the others, their current level in the minors and their prospect rankings in their respective organizations are included, along with when they were drafted.

2022

OF Justin Crawford (1st rd, Phillies) – Made his MLB debut this season, playing in 69/75 games so far in 2026 with 200+ at-bats as Philadelphia’s center fielder.

RHP Jacob Misiorowski (2nd rd, Brewers) – After bursting on to the scene and making his Major League debut in 2025, Misiorowski has started 28 games over the past two seasons and has dominated. His ERA this season is 1.34 through 87.0 innings pitched and he has topped out at 104.5 mph just days ago.

LHP Robbie Snelling (1st rd, Padres) – Made his MLB debut in May for the Marlins with one start where he threw 5.0 innings. Currently ranked as Miami’s #2 prospect.

3B Tucker Toman (2nd rd, Blue Jays) – High-A/#40 Toronto

SS Mikey Romero (1st rd, Red Sox) – AAA/#11 Boston

LHP Michael Kennedy (4th rd, Pirates) – High-A/#18 Cleveland

2023

C Blake Mitchell (1st rd, Royals) – High-A/#1 Kansas City

2024

SS/OF Konnor Griffin (1st rd, Pirates) – Called up to make his MLB debut for Pittsburgh early in the season on April 3rd. Has played in 51 games and is hitting .270 with just under 200 at-bats while typically starting at shortstop.

LHP Cam Caminiti (1st rd, Braves) – High-A/#1 Atlanta

LHP Boston Bateman (2nd, Padres) – High-A/#9 Baltimore

3B Kale Fountain (5th rd, Padres) – A/#18 San Diego

2025

SS Brady Ebel (1st rd, Brewers) – A/#13 Milwaukee

SS Quentin Young (2nd rd, Twins) – A/#12 Minnesota

OF Dean Moss (2nd rd, Rays) – A/#29 Tampa Bay

SS Jaden Fauske (2nd rd, White Sox) – A/#7 Chicago White Sox

RHP Miguel Sime (4th rd, Nationals) – High-A/#17 Washington

LHP Briggs McKenzie (4th rd, Braves) – High-A/#6 Atlanta

C Landon Hodge (4th rd, White Sox) – Rookie ball/#19 Chicago White Sox

RHP River Hamilton (11th rd, Tigers) – Injured list/Ranking NA

It’s clearly visible how impactful just a fraction of these players could have been for the Tigers. Although the current state of the MLB Draft has not prevented Johnson from bringing two national championships home in his first five seasons in Baton Rouge, it’s hard not to imagine how incredible a few of these players could have been in purple and gold. Can you imagine a rotation in 2023 that included both Paul Skenes AND Jacob Misiorowski? Konnor Griffin and Steven Milam could have been one of the best middle infield in college baseball history. Briggs McKenzie and Miguel Sime would have been a revelation as starting pitching options as LSU’s entire rotation was injured at some point in 2026.

Johnson has been very vocal about how impossible it is for colleges to compete with the inflated amounts of money that MLB teams are offering high school prospects nowadays. They do their best, but when you have to get through 82 selections in the draft before the slot value drops below seven figures, it’s an uphill battle that they’ll never win.

Taking the option to sign professionally away from high school graduates would change that, though, and LSU would be set to benefit as much, if not more than anyone.

Blair Kerkhoff writes that Tyler Tolbert came up big in the Friday win over the Cardinals.

“You never know when your name is going to be called,” Tolbert said. “You just have to be ready.”

That was the case throughout the game for Tolbert. In the sixth inning, after failing to get down a pair of bunts with a runner on third, he drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to deep center.

“To stay in the moment and be able to concentrate on that pitch, that was big for him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That ball was smoked.”

Anne Rogers has more on how Tolbert stays ready.

“It’s a mental thing,” Tolbert said. “A lot of people are like, ‘Save your energy.’ But for me, it’s a mindset thing. My whole life, I’ve been a starter. It just gets my mind and body ready, like, ‘Hey, we’re playing a game. Let’s get in that mode. We’re not sitting around and hanging out. Turn the switch on.’”

She also provides an update on the knee injury for Bobby Witt Jr.

If playing one game shorthanded means the Royals can give Witt more time to recover and see how he feels, they’ll do it. Avoiding an IL stint means they would avoid the minimum 10 days without their best player. But they also don’t want to risk a long-term injury, so there are a lot of factors at play.

“It’s going to be what the conversations are with him and [team] Doc [Vincent] Key,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s not a surgical thing. I know they can put a brace on it. It’s going to be a lot of get the swelling out of there and understand how he feels, and those conversations are going to have to be honest between all of us.”

Thomas Harrigan at MLB.com writes about the starting pitcher trade market.

Kansas City made the playoffs in 2024 and won 82 games a year ago, but the club has cratered in ’26. The Royals aren’t going to launch a full-scale rebuild when they have Bobby Witt Jr. in his prime, but they badly need to retool.

With starters Cole Ragans (controllable through 2028) and Kris Bubic (pending free agent) both injured, their best chance to do that is dealing veteran hurlers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, each of whom is signed through 2027 with a ’28 club option.

Michael Baumann at Fangraphs examines the decline of Salvador Perez.

Perez’s power is gone. It just up and disappeared over the winter. And for a player who already couldn’t run, wasn’t much use defensively, and never walks, that was the last Jenga piece. The power was the only tangible skill Perez had left.

And it’s definitively gone. Last year, Perez’s barrel rate was in the 91st percentile and his hard-hit rate was in the 70th percentile. Those numbers are in the 45th and 44th percentiles now.

From last year to this, Perez has lost 1.4 mph of average bat speed and his fast swing rate has been cut nearly in half, from 30.5% to 16.9%. Another hitter could live with those numbers; Perez’s bat speed figures are in the same neighborhood as Kevin McGonigle’s and Kyle Tucker’s. But if power is your carrying tool, that little power won’t carry you very far. Maybe Perez is dealing with an injury from which he’ll recover, but for a 36-year-old who’s spent nearly 12,000 innings behind the plate, Occam’s Razor points in another direction.

David Lesky recaps the big offensive night on Thursday against the Cardinals.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep writes that the offense has not been a problem this month.

Shohei Ohtani is out of the lineup while away on paternity.

Travel issues led to the Padres/Rangers game to have only two umpires.

Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal and White Sox pitcher Mike Vasil exchange heated words.

Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler strikes out 13 in a shutout win over the Reds.

Justin Verlander is out several weeks with a hamstring strain.

How Jacob Misiorowski became one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The Tigers call up the grandson of Jose Cruz, making that family the fifth to have three generations of MLB players.

Byron Buxton isn’t looking for a trade out of Minnesota.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. admits he has never worn a cup, after taking a ball to the groin.

The Giants may be ready for a firesale, but can they move those large contracts?

Oklahoma and North Carolina square off in the Mens’ College World Series finals this weekend.

Could the United States actually win the World Cup?

Will NFL officiating improve with a new “practice squad” of refs?

Be careful with your dog’s paws in hot weather.

A TV series based on the popular RPG novel Dungeon Crawler Carl is greenlit for Peacock.

Pizza Hut is sold to a private equity firm.

Your song of the day is The Replacements with I Will Dare.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday!

The Mariners bats struggled to get going last night against the Red Sox, with left-hander Ranger Suárez tossing six no-hit innings in a 6-2 M’s loss. The squad will try to get back into the win column tonight against young lefty Connelly Early.

It’s looking like a sunny Father’s Day weekend in Seattle. What plans do you have on tap for the next couple of days?

In Mariners news…

• Some Australians in town for the FIFA World Cup have found their way to Mariners baseball fandom.
• Jessica Roberts at the Everett Post-Intelligencer broke down Andrés Muñoz’s fastball issues this season.
• Over on The Feed, Kate Preusser shared some quotes from Perry Hill regarding Brendan Donovan’s defensive work.
• If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, LL commenter BlackbirdFly is organizing a reader meet-up for next week’s series!

Around the league…

• The United States Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Major League Baseball after the league issued a warning to a handful of Giants players for altering their hats on Pride Night.
• Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander is excepted to miss several weeks with a hamstring strain.
• Jarred Kelenic has been called up by the Rangers.
• Bradford William Davis found that Rick Burnham, the man responsible for MLB’s probes into player misconduct, has himself had almost a dozen misconduct allegations brought against him during his time with the NYPD.
• Now that we are almost halfway into our first season with the ABS challenge system, Matt Martell at Fangraphs took a look at how teams are strategizing when to use their valuable challenges.
• After an injury-plagued first month of the season, Brewers youngster Jackson Chourio is having his star turn, writes Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs.
• Eno Sarris at The Athletic updated his starting pitcher rankings for the rest of the season. ($)

With eight games taking place down on the farm, there was no shortage of action. In five of the eight games, Atlanta’s minor league teams scored five or more runs, so there was plenty of offense to go around. Let’s dive in.

(37-34) Gwinnett Stripers 9, (37-33) Louisville Bats 8 (GAME ONE)

• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-3, 2B, RBI, R
• Aaron Schunk, 1B: 3-3, 3 R
• Jose Azocar, PH: 1-1, 3 RBI, R
• Garrett Baumann, SP: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, BB, 3 K

Box Score

In what was easily the most entertaining game of the day on Friday, Gwinnett won game one of their doubleheader against Louisville in extra innings.

Before we get to the theatrics, let’s figure out how we got to that point.

Garrett Baumann got the start in game one and took a step backwards after a string of solid outings at the triple-A level. In 3.2 innings of work, Baumann surrendered six runs on eight hits. The upside is that he only issued one free pass in the short outing.

It’s an unfortunate start following his first triple-A start on June 11 in which he spun five innings of one-run ball while striking out five. Hopefully it’s just a minor setback for Baumann as he continues to adapt to the competition at the level.

Trailing 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Aaron Schunk — who went 3-3 on the day — singled before advancing to second on a Ben Gamel walk to put a runner in scoring position. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners over before a Jim Jarvis sacrifice fly brought Schunk home and cut the deficit to 6-3. In the next at-bat, DaShawn Kiersey Jr. singled on a sharply hit ground ball to the second baseman to plate Gamel and make it a 6-4 game.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh down by two runs, Cal Conley would play the initial hero in this one.

Similar to the fifth inning, Schunk singled and Gamel walked to lead things off before Conley tripled both runners home to tie the game. While there were no outs in the inning with the winning run just 90 feet away, the Stripers failed to bring Conley home, sending the game into extras.

With Joel Payamps on the mound, Louisville tagged the righty for a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead once again.

However, Payamps offense luckily bailed him out with some late inning sparks.

With Brett Wisely starting on second base, Brewer Hicklen led off the frame with a walk and three batters later, Schunk worked a two-out walk to put the winning run at first base.

What proceeded could best be described as a gift by Gwinnett and a calamity for Louisville.

Jose Azocar — who pinch-ran for Gamel in the seventh — popped up to shallow right center field, during which the second baseman made a sliding attempt to catch the pop up. However, the ball ricocheted off his glove and got past the centerfielder, allowing Wisely, Hicklen and Schunk to score and give Gwinnett the walkoff 9-8 win to start their day.

(37-35) Gwinnett Stripers 0, (38-33) Louisville Bats 2 (GAME TWO)

• Adam Zebrowski, C: 1-2, 2B
• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-3
• Owen Murphy, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K

Box Score

Hoping to build off the high of walking off game one, Gwinnett ultimately fell short after getting shutout in game two.

Despite a solid outing from Owen Murphy in which he tossed six innings, giving up two runs and striking out six, the Stripers offense must have used all of its magic in game one as Gwinnett totaled just five hits in the second game.

While there wasn’t much to write home about in the second contest, Murphy put up his second consecutive solid performance in which he has tossed at least six innings while allowing two or fewer runs. He has also struck out 16 across 12 innings, while only walking two batters.

It’s a small sample size, sure. But it’s still encouraging to see from one of the top arms in the system as he continues to try and adjust to triple-A.

(29-33) Columbus Clingstones 3, (33-30) Biloxi Shuckers 14 (GAME ONE)

• David McCabe, 1B: 2-2, 2B
• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 2-4, RBI
• Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Box Score

Columbus didn’t have much of a fighting chance in this one as the Shuckers tagged the Clingstones pitching staff for eight runs in the second inning.

Cedric De Grandpre got the start and, simply put, had as bad of an outing as you’ll see. Across just 1.1 innings of work, Biloxi tallied seven runs on five hits while working a pair of walks in less than two frames. It was an abysmal start for De Grandpre, who was making his first start of the season at the double-A level.

Trying to battle back from an 8-1 deficit, the Clingstones really never had a chance to catch up offensively, as they were limited to just three runs compared to Biloxi’s 14.

David McCabe had the lone extra base hit on the night, a double, while Patrick Clohisy registered the only RBI for Columbus.

All in all, this was probably a game most of the Clingstones would rather forget.

(29-33) Columbus Clingstones 1, (33-30) Biloxi Shuckers 1 (GAME TWO/SUSPENDED)

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 1-2, R
• Will Verdung, 1B: 0-0, sac fly
• Brett Sears, SP: 2 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K

Box Score

On an initial positive note, Columbus had a chance to redeem themselves in game two. However, Mother Nature got in the way and forced this one to be suspended in the third inning tied at 1-1.

Prior to the game being called due to the weather, Patrick Clohisy registered the only hit, while Will Verdung drove in the lone run for the Clingstones on a sacrifice fly.

Friday’s game two will be completed on Saturday prior to the regularly scheduled game.

(34-31) Rome Emperors 5, (30-35) Hudson Valley Renegades 4

• Tate Southisene, SS: 3-5, 2B, R
• Dixon Williams, DH: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI
• John Gil, 2B: 2-3, 2 R, 2 BB
• Eric Hartman, CF: 2-5
• Briggs McKenzie, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K

Box Score

Much like their triple-A counterparts, Rome came away with a walkoff victory on Friday as well.

The Emperors had to battle out of an early 2-0 hole in this one as the Renegades tagged starter Briggs McKenzie for a pair of runs in the first inning, and two more later on in the third frame to extend their lead to 4-0.

While the baseline stats might not have been there for McKenzie, his stuff looked as excellent as ever — culminated with an excellent breaking ball to get an inning-ending strikeout in the bottom of the first inning.

Rome managed to cut the deficit to 4-3, but failed to produce any meaningful offense until their final trip to the plate.

Following a Collin Burgess strikeout to begin the inning, Tate Southisene and John Gil laced back-to-back singles to put the tying run in scoring position. Southisene proceeded to score on a wild pitch to knot things up before Owen Carey called game.

With the bases-loaded and one out on a 1-1 count, Carey took a fastball up in the zone and lined it into right field to plate Gil and give the Emperors the victory.

(36-31) Augusta GreenJackets 16, (31-36) Hub City Howlers 3

• Alex Lodise, SS: 3-5, 2 HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB
• Junior Garcia, RF: 3-3, HR, 2B, 7 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
• Luis Guanipa, CF: 4-6, RBI, 3 R
• Tanner Smith, 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
• Landon Beidelschies, SP: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Box Score

It was an all-around great day for Augusta on Friday as the GreenJackets got excellent pitching on the mound and a banner day at the plate en route to a 16-3 victory.

Before we get into the offensive performances, let’s talk about the pitching staff for Augusta.

Landon Beidelschies got the start and had one of his better performances this season. While it was only across four innings, the lefty allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three. The main thing for Beidelschies, however, is that he kept his offense in the game long enough for the GreenJackets to break out.

Reliever Adiel Melendez got the win after tossing three scoreless innings and allowing just one hit and striking out one in the process. Melendez has sneakily been excellent as of late, as the undrafted lefty out of the University of Montevallo has lowered his ERA to 2.45 across 21.1 innings to go along with 22 strikeouts. He’s a guy to keep an eye on to get the bump up to Rome in the near future given his age and recent success.

Fellow relievers Kade Woods (0.2 innings, one earned run) and Daniel Brooks (1.1 innings, three strikeouts) managed to keep Hub City at bay following the performances from Beidelschies and Melendez.

Back to the action at the plate, Augusta tallied 16 runs on 16 hits in what was one of the better offensive performances of the year.

To give you an idea of how good the bats were, the GreenJackets scored at least one run in every inning except for the fifth.

The bulk of the offense came courtesy of four guys — Alex Lodise, Luis Guanipa, Tanner Smith and the big man, Junior Garcia who had a career night.

Lodise homered twice and doubled while driving in three, and Smith registered three hits including a homer to go along with his three RBI. Luis Guanipa produced a lot for the offense as well, tallying four hits and crossing the plate three times on Friday night.

The biggest night belongs to Garcia who tallied not one, not two, not three — you get the idea — but seven total RBI on the night, thanks in part to a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to left center field to give Augusta an 11-2 lead at the time.

(11-24) FCL Braves 8, (21-14) FCL Rays 19

• Diego Tornes, CF: 2-5, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• Manuel Campos, SS: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
• Mario Baez, 3B: 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R
• Wuilinyer Tovar, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 6 ER, 5 BB

Box Score

A loss for the FCL Braves resulted in one of the more unique box score you’ll ever see.

Despite the Braves outhitting the Rays 10-8, the Rays more than doubled the Braves’ score while walking a staggering 18 times over the course of nine innings.

The Braves got the offensive party started in the top of the first as Diego Tornes tripled in the first at-bat of the game. While Tornes was eventually gunned down trying to steal home, Manuel Campos later stole second and third base before scampering home on an errant throw to third on his steal attempt to make it a 1-0 game.

From there, things went back and forth until the seventh inning where the Rays tallied six runs, followed by four more runs in the eighth.

On the day, Tornes had a solid outing as he also laced a double and drove in a pair of runs and also scored a run. Campos went 3-4 with a double and two RBI as well, while third baseman Mario Baez doubled and scored a pair of runs for the Braves.

(2-12) DSL Braves 13, (4-10) DSL Red Sox Blue 15

• Sherrintley Da Costa Gomez, LF: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
• Jose Nelo, C: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB
• Jorwin Pulido, DH: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
• Starlyn De La Cruz, CF: 2-5, 2 R
• Jesus Cova, SP: 1 IP, H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K

Box Score

There must have been something in the water on Friday as yet another minor league affiliate’s offense broke out in huge fashion.

Every member of the DSL Braves lineup registered at least one hit on Friday, while all but two tallied at least one RBI to their credit as well in what was a massive offensive showcase for both squads in this one.

While the Braves came up short by a 15-13 final, there were plenty of individual performances to write home about.

Sherrintley Da Costa Gomez and Jose Nelo each launched solo homers on the day to pace the offense, while Jorwin Pulido registered three hits including a double and two RBI to his credit as well.

Da Costa Gomez’ arrow continues to point upward, as he is carrying a .351 average along with an OPS of 1.192 — both of which lead the team.

Jose Manon also drove in two of the team’s 13 total runs, while Starlyn De La Cruz got a pair of knocks and scored twice himself. Meanwhile his plate discipline has also been sharp, as he has eight walks to 11 strikeouts in 33 at-bats thus far.

As most of these types of games are, the pitching left a lot to be desired. Jesus Cova got the start and lasted just one frame, giving up three runs on one hit and a pair of walks in the process.

It’s been a really rough go of it thus far for the DSL squad as they’ve only won two of their first 14 games this season. However, seeing an outing like this from the offense suggests perhaps things may be about to change in their favor moving forward.

These are the days when I’m super jealous of Al. A June afternoon at the park while the Cubs are playing pinball. To be fair, he’s watched a metric ton of bad baseball this year (and nine walk-offs too!). I’m sure I’m suffering from some recency bias, but this has felt like the weirdest ever season of Cub baseball. There doesn’t feel like any middle ground with this team. Epic wins. Terrible losses. So little ho hum. Typical baseball somewhere in my head is a 5-2 game or a 4-3 game. The Cubs don’t really play those games.

When you blog about baseball regularly, you start organizing your thoughts as the game unfolds. I remember thinking about how gifted this team is offensively. A 16-2 win doesn’t feel wacky. Because this offense is gifted. The offense jumped all over a talented pitcher on an afternoon when he just wasn’t executing. Then in the second act, they jumped all over the back half of the Blue Jays bullpen, forced to cover just too many innings.

But then I argued with myself. Is the offense actually gifted? Your mileage may vary. In the context I’m using it, gifted is a term of art, not necessarily a commonly accepted concept. In my head, a gifted offense is one that can, with some consistency, beat good pitching and teams. I would go a step down with the offense. They are a talented offense. But not gifted. A talented team has the capability of sustaining offense and producing lopsided scores with some frequency.

That collective skill is one of the reasons this team has so many come from behind wins. When this team faces a struggling pitcher, they tend to bury it. They piece together good plate appearance after good plate appearance. But they do also appear to struggle against good pitching, of any skill level, when it is executing well. I think of a game recently when they faced a young starting pitcher who’d yet to find any success at the major league level and couldn’t get anything going. I remember a pitcher (twice) recently who had pretty universally struggled all year long and not being able to mount any consistent offense.

I see Pete Crow-Armstrong as a gifted hitter. I see Michael Busch as a gifted hitter. I’m not super familiar with his body of work, but I believe Alex Bregman is historically a gifted hitter. To date, it looks like father time is winning the fight there and he is merely a talented hitter. Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Carson Kelly, Nico Hoerner. Talented. But not gifted. It doesn’t mean they don’t sometimes come through against a pitcher who’s throwing well. But they don’t do so consistently. When the gameplan against them gets around the league, they may struggle for days and weeks at a time. We are watching so much of that happening.

This team has nowhere near enough starting pitching to stay competitive in a low-scoring environment. This team needs to score runs consistently. In an odd way, I think that any push that is going to be made by this team is going to have to come from the offensive side of things. Be it internal or external, I think that’s where this team can find a higher gear. This is why they have to continue to find spots for Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez. They’ve got to get Moisés Ballesteros right. Somewhere, they have to find more offense.

They score enough runs on the good days. When the other pitcher falters, this team pounces. But this team has to find more production on those days when the other guy is really executing. Offense has a cumulative effect. Success at the plate creates traffic on the bases. You can’t shift your defense in the same ways when runners are on base. You have to be more concerned about making the kind of mistake that can lead to an instant crooked number. You throw more pitches. You throw more pitches at max effort. That can wear you down. A team playing on a lead pitches different, defends different, hits different. It effects which relievers you use. It effects how aggressively you deploy your bullpen.

The Cubs have had such a cumulative negative effect over the last month plus. They are always behind. It forces their pitchers to have to try to be a little too perfect. It allows opposing pitchers to work a little more aggressively. Hitters press. Pitchers press. This team has become such a momentum team. But there are many different times of momentum. They roll hard when they roll. They fall harder when they don’t. We saw it one day last week. They had a wild come from behind win. Then they allowed so many runs early that there was no carryover what’s so ever.

The opportunity is still there. I don’t know where they could possibly find much more pitching. A healthy return for Matthew Boyd and/or Justin Steele, I guess. I think they’d have to give up too much to add meaningful amounts of pitching. But maybe if they could find enough offense, it would take some stress off of their pitchers. This team averages just under 4.75 runs per game. They are eighth in MLB in runs. To be fair, three of the teams ahead of them have done it in less games as have a few of the teams just behind them. But it’s not a wild exaggeration that this team has been one of the highest scoring teams. It’s all about consistency.

To be fair, I bet the vast majority of all of the teams feel that they need more consistency. So this isn’t a grand concept. It also isn’t a lever that can just be flipped. If it could, more teams would find it. But this team really does have one of the deepest groups of position players. That’s why sites like Fangraphs have consistently ranked them among the highest for expected WAR amongst the position player group. Of course, a significant chunk of that comes from excellent defense by so many of them. Almost every player is contributing positive defensive value. Now they just have to carry some of that over onto the offensive side. Or, sacrifice a little defense, at times, for offense.

Positives:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to lead the way. Three hits, two walks. A run, a run batted in, two steals. He jammed a box score. As I’m writing this, he sits 22nd in all of MLB in OPS.
• Seiya Suzuki had three hits and a walk. Among his hits was a double. He drove in two runs and scored two more.
• Carson Kelly had two hits and drew two walks. Among his hits was a grand slam. He scored three times.
• Nico Hoerner had three hits, one a double. He scored a run.
• Ben Brown, two runs allowed over six innings.

I could go on and on. Michael Conforto was really the only Cub who played who didn’t have some meaningful contribution. He only batted once.

Game 76, June 19: Cubs 16, Blue Jays 2 (40-36)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Carson Kelly (.182). 2-4, HR, 2 BB, 6 RBI, 3 R
• Hero: Seiya Suzuki (.119). 3-5, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Sidekick: Ben Brown (.087). 6 IP, 22 BF, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 4 K (W 4-2)

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.043). 3-6, 2B, R
• Goat: Michael Busch (-.011). 1-5, BB
• Kid: Michael Conforto* (.000). 0-1

*Michael Conforto draws the short stick. In reality, the Cubs emptied the bench and their lower leverage relievers. Six total players participated in a time in the game where there was basically no leverage and the teams were playing out the string. Three of them were pitchers who threw a scoreless inning. Two of them were hitters who had hits and run(s) driven in off of the bench. Michael was the one who would have a negative WPA under ordinary circumstances, however slight.

WPA Play of the Game: Carson Kelly with the rare first inning grand slam. It came with two outs and extended the Cubs lead to six. (.182)

Blue Jays Play of the Game: Kevin Gaussman’s first inning strikeout of Nico Hoerner with the bases loaded and one out, the Cubs already up two. This play was right before the grand slam. (.050)

*There were 21 plays in this game that registered no WPA score — positive or negative — because the game was essentially already over for all WPA purposes.

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 75 Winner: Matt Shaw 88-55 over Javier Assad (159 total votes).

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Michael Busch +25
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Pete Crow-Armstrong +13
• Carson Kelly +10.5
• Michael Conforto +9
• Edward Cabrera -9.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Caleb Thielbar/Dansby Swanson -11
• Seiya Suzuki -19.5

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series Saturday afternoon. The Cubs look to win for their seventh time in nine games. Colin Rea (5-5, 5.45) gets the start for the Cubs. Colin is 0-2 with a 7.98 over three June starts to date. Our old pal Patrick Corbin (2-3, 4.57). The veteran lefty has 14 career appearances versus the Cubs, 13 of them starts (5-2, 4.60). The Cubs are 8-10 against left-handed starters, despite having the sixth highest OPS versus lefties of all MLB teams.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 8-9 (8) and W, 8-6 (7) at Columbus Clippers

Game 1

C Austin Wells 0-4, BB, 3 K — no-contact day in this rehab game, as opposed to the two homers on Thursday
2B Marco Luciano 0-4, BB, K
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 4-5, HR, 2 RBI — great day for Waldo!
RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-5, HR, RBI, 2 K, GIDP — dinger in the seventh but Scranton ahead, butmisplay in right allowed Bo Naylor to walk off the doubleheader opener in extras (yes, the eighth constitutes extras here) with a two-run inside-the-parker, had to be seen to be believed!
1B Tyler Hardman 0-4, K, HBP
DH Payton Henry 3-4, RBI
LF Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-2, K, HBP
PR-LF Duke Ellis 0-1, 2 SB — scored two runs though, and up to 30 stolen bases
SS Jonathan Ornelas 1-2, 2 BB, K, 2 SB
CF Kenedy Corona 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, SB — two-run double in the eighth put Scranton up, and he did as well on Cabrera’s hit; the 8-5 lead wasn’t enough

Adam Kloffenstein 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 4 K, HR
Angel Chivilli 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HR — allowed game-tying homer to begin the seventh
Yovanny Cruz 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 2 K — as noted above, Fernández was somewhat the goat for the final play, but Cruz and Montero played their part as well with poor relief work; Cruz continues to throw hard with 13 pitches of at least 100 mph and one at 102 … but he has work to do
Rafael Montero 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, HR (loss)

Game 2

SS Jonathan Ornelas 1-4, HR, 4 RBI — grand slam got Scranton back in it after trailing 6-0 through five
2B Marco Luciano 2-4, K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, K — hit go-ahead homer put Scranton up by one
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 2-4, K — six hits combined in the twin bill
1B Tyler Hardman 1-3, 2B, BB, RBI
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-1, 3 BB, K
C Payton Henry 0-4, K
LF Kenedy Corona 1-3, BB
CF Duke Ellis 1-3, BB

Danny Watson 1 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 2 HR — ouch
Carson Coleman 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K
Dylan Coleman 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP
Bradley Hanner 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (win) — excellent work for the W (for the most part)
Cole Gabrielson 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K (save) — Hanner and pitching coach Spencer Medick got ejected, so in came a position player for the save after the long day of RailRoders pitching … and he got it lol (walked one but then got a popup)

Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 2-6 at Portland Sea Dogs

LF Jackson Castillo 0-4, K
CF Garrett Martin 3-4, 2B, HR, RBI — his 21st homer, cotinues laying waste to Double-A
RF DJ Gladney 1-4, K
1B Nicholas Torres 0-4, 3 K
3B Coby Morales 1-4, K, fielding error
C Tomas Frick 1-4, K, GIDP
DH Miguel Palma 0-3, 3 K
2B Connor McGinnis 0-3, 2 K
SS Owen Cobb 1-3, 3B, RBI, K

Chase Hampton 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 2 K (loss) — the Tommy John rehab process is not for the faint of heart
Chase Chaney 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 4-5 at Rome Emperors

2B Kaeden Kent 0-4, BB, 2 K
SS Core Jackson 1-4, 2B, K, SB
DH Eric Genther 0-3, BB
1B Kyle West 0-3, BB, RBI, K, SB
LF Wilson Rodriguez 0-3, BB, 2 K
3B Roderick Arias 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, K — run-scoring hit in the first and a two-run blast in the third (his first against a lefty of 2026)
C Josue Gonzalez 0-4, 2 K
CF Camden Troyer 0-3, BB, 2 K
RF Luis Durango 2-3, SB, sacrifice — only five hits total on the day from Hudson Valley

Allen Facundo 5.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 5 K, WP
Brady Kirtner 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, HBP
Bryce Warrecker 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Andrew Landry 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, WP (loss) — wild pitch allowed game-tying run to score in the ninth
Tanner Bauman 0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP —gave up walk-off single to end it

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 8-7 vs. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

SS Jackson Lovich 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K — 13 homers and a .922 OPS in 51 games now, leading the Florida State League; his two-run bomb gave Tampa a 6-4 lead in the seventh
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-4, K
1B Hans Montero 0-4
LF Luis Puello 1-3, HR, RBI, SB, HBP — 416 feet on his homer, continuing hot streak from Tuesday
CF Willy Montero 1-4, 2B, K
DH Engelth Urena 0-4, 2 K
C Ediel Rivera 1-4, K
2B Luis Escudero 1-2, 2 BB, RBI, K
RF Gabriel Lara 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI, K

Henry Lalane 6.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 8 K, HR — 12 swings and misses but only so much right outside of the K’s; that homer was a grand slam
Greysen Carter 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 0 K (win)
Josh Tiedemann 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, HBP, 2 WP (save) — struck out final batter with the tying run at second

Florida Complex League Yankees:L, 2-9 and L, 8-15 vs. FCL Blue Jays

Game 1 — completion of June 12th game, which was suspended in a 2-2 tie in the eighth

1B Richard Matic 1-4, BB, RBI, K, picked off — tied it in the seventh with an RBI knock
RF-CF Wilberson De Pena 0-4, K (June 12th)
CF Francisco Vilorio 0-1
C Queni Pineda 1-4, K, catcher interference error
2B Leni Done 0-2, 2 BB, K, SB
DH Robbie Burnett 0-3, K (June 12th)
DH Justin Capellan 0-1
LF-RF Estivenzon Montero 1-4, K
SS Dexters Peralta 2-2, 2 BB, fielding and throwing errors
2B Christofer Reyes 1-4, 2B, RBI, K — only extra-base hit of the game for FCL Yanks
CF Isael Arias 0-2, K (June 12th), outfield assist
PH Jose Castro 0-0, HBP (June 12th)
LF Diego Flores 0-1

Omar Gonzalez 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, HBP, WP (June 12th)
Enixon Sanchez 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (loss) (June 12th)
Austin Breedlove 0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K (June 12th)
Rafael Arias 1.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR — let the tie game get out of hand
Carlos Rondon 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K — he’s a catcher

Game 2

3B Richard Matic 0-3
PH-1B Carlos Rondon 0-1, BB
CF Wilberson De Pena 1-3, 2 K — appears to have left with an injury after singling in the fifth; would be unfortunate, as the 19-year-old from the Oswald Peraza trade has hit .341/.393/.674 with a 1.059 OPS this year in his first 32 games stateside
PR-CF Isael Arias 0-2
DH Queni Pineda 2-5, HR, RBI, K — 10th homer in 35 games at FCL
2B Leni Done 0-2, BB, K, SB — replaced in the top of the sixth after striking out to end the fifth
1B-3B Diego Flores 1-2, RBI
RF Jose Castro 0-4, 2 K, HBP
LF Francisco Vilorio 0-3, 3 K, HBP — no-contact day (aside from the pitch making contact with him)
SS Dexters Peralta 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, K
C Justin Capellan 1-4, 2 RBI
1B-2B Christofer Reyes 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K — bottom of the order had the ribbies anyway

Omar Gonzalez 3.2 IP, 8 H, 9 R (9 ER), 2 BB, 3 K. 4 HR — it had been a week since that appearance, so yes he started this one too; it, uh, did not go well (FCL Jays pounded him in an eight-run third)
Enixon Sanchez 0.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R (5 ER), 8 BB, 1 K, HR, WP — then again, Gonzalez got more than one out and didn’t walk EIGHT, so
Edinzo Marquez 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, HBP
Brian Arias 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, balk
Estivenzon Montero 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K — an outfielder pitching

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 9-6 at DSL Arizona Red

CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, BB, 2 RBI, K
DH Stiven Marinez 1-2, HR, 3 BB, 5 RBI, 2 SB — clubbed a game-breaking grand slam in the seventh
RF Yostin Pena 0-4, RBI, SF
SS Juan Torres 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K, SB, fielding and throwing errors
C Juan Martinez 2-3, SB, GIDP — left one out into the sixth, wonder if there might’ve been a bad foul tip or something along those lines
C Edgar Jimenez 1-1, BB, SB
3B Abrahan Pichardo 1-4, BB, GIDP
1B Cesar Lopez 1-3, BB, HBP
LF Eliezer Adames 1-4, BB, RBI, K
2B Emmanuel Orozco 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K

Victor De Leon 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 1 K, WP
Yunior Jerez 3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 3 K, WP, pickoff error (win)
Varis Villarreal 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:W, 7-5 vs. DSL Rockies

DH Mani Cedeno 1-3, 2 BB, RBI, K, SB
3B Carlos Bello 1-5, 2 K, GIDP, fielding error — not the cleanest of days on defense, but the Bombers won
RF David Carrera 2-3, BB, K
1B Poly Ojeda 1-4, K
SS Germayhoni Beltre 2-3, BB, RBI, SB, picked off, fielding error
C Jesus Guerrero 0-3, BB, passed ball
LF Sebastian Pinto 2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI — tied game with RBI double in the fifth, and then did so again in the decisive five-run bottom of the eighth (plating two)
2B Stalen Ramirez 1-3, 2 K, throwing error
CF Alfiery Matos 0-3, BB, RBI, throwing error — drew bases-loaded walk to put Bombers ahead for good

Jose Sanchez 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HR, WP — pro debut
Higor Requena 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 4 K
Jhon Castro 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K, 3 WP — effectively wild?
Oscar Vasquez 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, WP (win)
Carlos Hampshire 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 WP (save) — my favorite Hampshire, personally