Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) looks on from the dugout during the ninth inning between Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (34-45) vs. New York Yankees (47-31)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site: Pinstripe Alley Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Tarik Skubal (3-3, 3.02 ERA) vs. LHP Ryan Weathers (2-5, 4.13 ERA)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 19: Griffin Jax #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday, June 19, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Alex Zadorozny/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
DENVER, CO - JUNE 24: Tyler Freeman #2 of the Colorado Rockies hits an RBI single in the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Coors Field on June 24, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Playing from behind for the majority of the game, the Colorado Rockies stunned the Boston Red Sox with a late-game rally against the bullpen to secure an 8-6 victory and the series win. Contributions from top to bottom underlined yet another gutsy win for Colorado.
Freeland grinds out another start
Coming off what was arguably his best start of the season last time out, Kyle Freeland once again found himself having to grind out a start at Coors Field.
The Red Sox came out swinging against Freeland despite him looking comfortable on the mound with his command. Nate Eaton led off the game by flying out to right field. Ceddanne Rafaela then popped up a cutter to behind first base that deflected off the glove of Willi Castro, resulting in a triple. Freeland recovered to get Wilyer Abreu to ground out to second base with the infield playing in, but then allowed an RBI double to Willson Contreras to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.
The aggression continued in the second inning as Anthony Seigler laced a single on the first pitch and two batters later, Connor Wong launched his first home run on a first-pitch knuckle-curve to make it 3-0 Red Sox. In the fourth inning, Andrew Monasterio launched a third-pitch knuckle-curve offering to left field for a home run to extend the lead and Rafaela later delivered an RBI single for the Red Sox’s fifth run of the game. In the fifth inning, Marcelo Mayer and Seigler delivered back-to-back doubles for their sixth run of the game.
Through five innings, Freeland had thrown around 70 pitches, but Boston already had 10 hits against him. He departed after the sixth inning, having allowed six runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts and a walk. He threw just 81 pitches, 61 of which were strikes. He also generated 11 swing and misses, but the Red Sox just found plenty of success when making contact.
“The name of the game here at Coors is to hang with it when things don’t go your way,” said manager Warren Schaeffer. “‘Free’ completed like crazy. But at the end of the day, he gave us six innings, and we were still in the ball game.”
Rockies 3rd inning
The Rockies showed some life in the third inning as they chipped away at the deficit and made it a 3-2 game heading into the fourth inning. Kyle Karros got on board thanks to a throwing error to kick things off. Castro then grounded into a fielder’s choice force out to replace Karros at first. Tyler Freeman then chipped in a single to put men on first and second, setting up Rumfield’s RBI double to get the Rockies on the board.
Hunter Goodman then drew a walk to load the bases with one out to allow Cole Carrigg an opportunity to swing the game in the Rockies’ favor. Carrigg connected on a 90 mph sinker on the outside corner, shooting a line drive to right field that turned into a funky play. Abreu was in the perfect position to make the catch, but the ball just popped out of his glove. Freeman scored on what was deemed a sacrifice fly for Carrigg, but Goodman was thrown out at second. Unfortunately, the Rockies couldn’t add on as Jake McCarthy grounded out to end the inning.
Colorado responded to Boston’s two runs in the top of the fourth by stringing together three straight singles in the bottom half of the inning from Karros, Castro, and Freeman, who collected the RBI. However, the Rockies couldn’t figure out much else against Ranger Suarez. The lefty delivered another excellent outing against the Rockies and at Coors Field as he retired the final seven batters in order after Freeman’s single.
The Rockies chipped away early and managed seven hits against him, but he collected nine strikeouts against just one walk while registering 13 swing and misses. He threw 68 of his 102 pitches for strikes, utilizing his command to keep the Rockies’ lineup off balance and limit them to softly hit singles.
Attack on the bullpen
Once Suarez left the game, the Rockies rejoiced as the hard-throwing right-handed reliever Tyron Guerrero entered the game in the seventh inning.
After getting Castro to strike out, Guerrero plunked Freeman with a pitch and then got Rumfield to fly out. The Rockies then got a gift when Mayer botched a ground ball from Goodman that would have ended the inning, putting two on base. Carrigg and McCarthy both delivered RBI singles to make it a 6-5 game.
Troy Johnston was then called upon to pinch-hit, which prompted Boston to bring in the lefty Danny Coulombe to face him. On a 90 mph sinker left over the middle of the plate, Johnston shot the ball back up the middle for a single to score Carrigg and tie the game 6-6. With a chance to take the lead, Tovar grounded out to end the inning.
The Rockies kept up the attack mentality in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Justin Slaten. Three pitches into the inning, Mickey Moniak had a pinch-hit single and advanced to third on a single from Castro that deflected off the second baseman. Freeman then dropped a bunt that allowed Moniak to score the go-ahead run as the Red Sox only had a play at first base.
Rumfield followed with a single to put runners on the corners, followed by a lineout from Goodman for the second out of the inning. Facing yet another big scoring opportunity, Carrigg laced a ball into the right field gap for a hustle double to drive in his third RBI of the game and give the Rockies the 8-6 lead.
Having scored just three runs on seven hits through the first six innings, the Rockies had five runs on seven hits in the seventh and eighth innings. They ended up with 14 hits in total, while striking out 11 times against one walk. Four hitters ended up with two hits, while Castro had three.
Senza settles the ship
After not working for a few days, the Rockies turned to Antonio Senzatela in the seventh inning with the 6-3 deficit. Senzatela ended up being exactly who they needed as he blazed through two perfect innings on 33 pitches, striking out two, en route to collecting his eighth win of the season.
Jimmy Herget then delivered a perfect ninth to seal the series victory and his second save of the year.
Up next
The Rockies are off on Thursday as they kick off a new road trip on Friday. Their first stop will be in the Twin Cities as they face off against the Minnesota Twins. Tomoyuki Sugano (8-4, 4.31 ERA) will make the start for the Rockies, while Minnesota will send out Taj Bradley (6-3, 4.11 ERA).
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Jorbit Vivas #84 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning at Nationals Park on June 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The loss last night was absolutely devastating, but at this point, the boys are almost used to it. They have bounced back from demoralizing bullpen meltdowns before, and they will try to do it again tonight. We will also see a new arm for the first time in this one.
After being scratched last night, CJ Abrams is good to go in this one. He will be playing shortstop and hitting cleanup. That will move Nasim Nunez to second and Jorbit Vivas to third. Curtis Mead will get the night off after striking out 4 times yesterday. Daylen Lile, Jose Tena and Drew Millas will also be in the lineup. Funky lefty Carson Palmquist will make his Nats debut and he will open for Miles Mikolas.
Unlike Abrams, Kyle Schwarber is not back in the Phillies lineup after missing last night. Alec Bohm will actually move to first base and Bryce Harper will be the DH. Edmundo Sosa will move to third. It is a similar cast of characters as last night for the Phillies. Aaron Nola has had a rough season yet again, and the veteran will take the ball tonight.
Yet again, the Nats have to bounce back from a demoralizing loss. They have shown they are a resilient team, but it would be nice if they did not have to come back from all these gut wrenching bullpen meltdowns. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
TORONTO, CANADA - JUNE 12: Ryan Weathers #40 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on June 12, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tara Walton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After evening up this series on Tuesday the Yankees have a chance to walk out of Detroit with a series victory, but they’re going to have to face the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner to manage it.
Tarik Skubal turned what could’ve been a lengthy injury into an blip on the radar, undergoing elbow surgery at the start of May to remove bone spurs but with a new procedure that minimized the invasiveness of the operation and cut his recovery time down to a 4-6 week timetable from what could’ve been months. Sure enough, four weeks later Skubal was pitching in a rehab start and by mid-June was back in a Tigers uniform and on the mound taking on the Guardians.
That being said, Detroit’s ace has needed to build back to his previous form after the time off. Skubal was pitching lights out to start the year, looking to defend his title and perhaps win a third-consecutive Cy Young — in his seven starts across March and April, he pitched at least six innings in all but one of them and owned a 2.70 ERA for his troubles. Since returning he’s made two starts, lasting 4.2 innings against Cleveland while allowing three runs (two earned) before facing off with the White Sox and pitching 5.2 innings in that outing with three more runs to his name. He’s allowed a fair bit of solid contact with three home runs in that short span, but in that second start he looked a bit more like the old Skubal striking out eight batters. We’ll see if he’s settled in yet, or if the Yankees can take advantage of the ace not quite being at full strength.
The Yankees are countering with Ryan Weathers, the team’s fifth starter who righted the ship after a dreadful stretch of starts. Weathers concluded his May with a mixed bag outing against the A’s, striking out 10 batters in 6.2 innings but allowing five runs on three homers in the process. He followed that up with a couple of no-doubt stinkers, going six innings against Boston and again allowing five runs on two more blasts before Toronto tagged him for six runs in 4.1 innings with two more long balls to the tally. The homer has been the death of Weathers throughout this season, as his early successes came when he could keep it in the park but the majority of his duds had the common thread of giving up too much through the air. Weathers’ last outing served as a much-needed reset pitching into the seventh inning and allowing a lone solo shot to leave the yard, one of just three hits he allowed in his 6.1 innings of work. Now can he make it two quality outings in a row?
With Ryan McMahon hitting the IL today due to a throat infection, we’ll see both Anthony Volpe and José Caballero entrenched on the left side of the infield for a bit and the same remains true today as they start at shortstop and third base, respectively (plus the recalled Oswaldo Cabrera on the bench). Paul Goldschmidt hits leadoff and will play first base with the lefty on the mound, and he’s followed by Ben Rice at DH and Jasson Domínguez alongside Cody Bellinger as the corner outfielders to round out the top of the lineup. Jazz Chisholm Jr. slots in between the other infielders in the lineup and will play second base, Austin Wells gets his second consecutive start behind the plate, and it’ll be Max Schuemann roaming center field tonight to complete the batting order.
How to watch
Location: Comerica Park — Detroit, MI
First pitch: 6:40 pm ET
TV broadcast: Detroit SportsNet
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), WXYT 97.1 FM, LaZ WDTW 1310AM/207.9 FM (DET)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 23: Cole Young #2 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners will reach the midway point in their regular season on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.
Bryan Woo will be on the mound as his team looks to secure a series win on the road and return to .500 in games away from T-Mobile Park this year. Woo is coming off one of his best outings of the season last week, a seven-plus-inning start against the Orioles where he allowed no runs and only three hits. That said, the righty has faced his fair share of challenges on the road this year, and he’ll look to improve upon a 4.29 FIP on the road in 2026.
The Pirates will tap right-hander Braxton Ashcraft in the middle game of the three-game set. The 26-year-old is putting together a fantastic sophomore campaign, with a 3.18 ERA and 3.04 FIP in 15 starts. He’s already accumulated 2.5 fWAR this season, which is good for 10th among all major league starting pitchers (for reference, Woo ranks 16th in the category).
Lineups
News anchor voice: they’re calling it the most complete Mariners lineup in weeks. Dominic Canzone returns after missing Tuesday’s game with a sore hamstring.
Game Information
First Pitch: 3:40 p.m. PDT
TV:Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith, Angie Mentink and sideline analyst Brad Adam
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Gary Hill Jr. and Shannon Drayer
Apr 22, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts after his RBI infield single against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Ahead of Game 2 of today’s day/night doubleheader, the Mets activated Francisco Lindor from the Injured List. In a corresponding move, Zack Short was designated for assignment. Ronny Mauricio was also activated from the Injured List, and was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Tonight will mark Lindor’s first game since April 22, when he strained his calf, and subsequently spent the next two months on the shelf. He started his rehab assignment on Friday in Binghamton, where he went 1-4 with a strikeout and a run scored. In two subsequent games in Syracuse, he went 3-12 with a stolen base and three runs scored.
The Mets are currently 11 games under .500, and so the injection of a perennial superstar into the lineup, especially as their other superstar recently went down, cannot be better if there is any chance at this team producing meaningful games in July, let alone September.
Short, on his second stint as a Met after a cup of coffee in 2024 where he appeared in ten games, appeared in just three games this go ’round, collecting one hit in nine plate appearances, while also tossing an inning of scoreless relief against the Phillies over the weekend.
Mauricio, who injured his thumb on May 2, had been filling in for Lindor on the big league roster, and so will return to Syracuse where he hopes to get regular playing time.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 23: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres is doused with Gatorade after hitting a walk-off single in the tenth inning during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park on June 23, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres have looked resurgent lately. After losing consecutive series to the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers, the Friars reeled off a quick series victory against the Atlanta Braves. But, despite winning the series in just two games, each win was a battle.
San Diego reeled off a 1-0 victory against Atlanta in the series opener. They did so on the backs of a Manny Machado solo shot and Michael King’s seven scoreless innings. Last night, the club battled back from a four-run deficit in the second inning to win the game, 7-6, in extras.
The Padres have finally shown some fight after floundering for the last few weeks. They’ll need to keep that momentum in order to sweep Atlanta tonight, and to face the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in their upcoming series.
Taking the mound
Martín Pérez (ATL) v. JP Sears (SD)
The former Padre was picked up on a minor league deal with the Braves, and was called up after injuries plagued Atlanta’s rotation. Pérez has surged with the Braves, posting a career-best 2.78 ERA through 68 innings.
But Pérez has struggled a bit recently. He’s still been good (3.27 ERA in last seven starts), but it hasn’t been the same dominance displayed in the start of the season.
Sears, on the other hand, has yet to find a groove at the big-league level. The lefty was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move after starter Lucas Giolito hit the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation.
He hasn’t posted great numbers in the minors this season (7.92 ERA, 63.2 IP), but it’s important to remember that the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate plays in the Pacific Coast League. The PCL is known for its hitter-friendly environs, which has certainly affected Sears. It’s impossible to say how he’ll fare tonight against Atlanta because of that.
Batter up!
After struggling to score in a major way, the offense has finally clicked. The club has scored 30 runs in their last six games. Their approach at the plate looks much more lively than it has in a while, and it’s working for them.
Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
Samad Taylor, RF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Manny Machado, 3B
Gavin Sheets, LF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Ty France, 1B
Miguel Andujar, DH
Freddy Fermin, C
Fermin was activated yesterday after being on concussion protocol for the last week. Blake Hunt was sent back down to Triple-A in a corresponding move. He’ll likely start in order to give Rodolfo Durán a day off.
The stars have finally started raking for San Diego. Machado, Merrill and Tatis have looked like themselves at the plate again. It’s proved that the Padres will go as far as that trio can take them.
Relief corps
Starter Griffin Canning had Wandy Peralta as an opener in Tuesday night’s game. Peralta pitched a fantastic first inning before giving way to Canning. Unfortunately, the strategy didn’t work nearly as well as it did in Canning’s last start. The righty lasted only 2/3 of an inning before being lifted for the bullpen. He gave up four runs to the Braves in the process.
Because of that, it became an impromptu bullpen game. Thanks to King’s gem on Monday, the relief corps was ready for the task. Kyle Hart and Yuki Matsui covered two-plus innings apiece. David Morgan and Adrian Morejon pitched a perfect seventh and eighth. Mason Miller followed it up with two no-hit innings to put San Diego in position to walk it off.
The only problem is that now puts pressure on Sears to perform tonight. The bullpen is depleted, with just Jason Adam and Ron Marinaccio immediately available. Morejon and Morgan could pitch in relief (each threw less than 15 pitches on Tuesday night), but the likelier option is for Marinaccio to cover multiple innings for the Friars.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 22: Edmundo Sosa #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies takes batting practice prior to the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Monday, June 22, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Here are the lineups for the third game in Washington. Let’s discuss.
Jun 24, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer (4) inspects the baseball held by home plate umpire Brennan Miller (55) in the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
DENVER, CO - JUNE 24: Willson Contreras #40 of the Boston Red Sox hits an RBI double in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 24, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox probably should’ve swept the lowly Colorado Rockies (though they’re pretty close to the same category these days). They should’ve at least won the series.
They couldn’t even do that.
Ranger Suárez struck out nine batters in six innings with solid run support. Instead of returning home to Fenway this weekend with a 4-2 record on the road trip thanks to series wins in Seattle and Colorado, Boston watched a 6-3 lead turn into an 8-6 loss in the final three innings Wednesday afternoon in a second embarrassing defeat this week.
Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday’s loss.
THANK YOU, COORS FIELD
The emphasis of the “Coors Field effect” should not take away from hitters who made a living there in the better Colorado days of yesteryear. Don’t diminish the accolades of great hitters in Larry Walker and Todd Helton to name a few.
With that said, there’s no doubt the ballpark can reward the below-average bat on a visit to Denver. Andrew Monasterio and Connor Wong graciously accepted that gift with home runs each in the matinee contest. For reference, Monasterio’s solo shot marked just his third long ball of the season while Wong homered for the first time since 2024.
That’s until the Rockies flipped the script in rough fashion for Boston over the final few innings.
KEEP AN EYE ON DURBIN The Red Sox third baseman left the game with a left fifth finger subluxation after diving into first base attempting to beat out an infield hit. Romy Gonzalez is close to a return, but let’s see what the Red Sox infield looks like for the rest of the month depending on Durbin’s status upon the return to Boston.
CAN YOU DO SOMETHING AGAINST THE YANKEES?
The Red Sox are 1-4 against the Yankees and start the four-game set against New York with another installment of Connelly Early vs. Cam Schlittler.
The teams also still get the national spotlight, whether these teams are worthy or not, with a 1:10 p.m. start on Saturday on ABC (basically an ESPN game but cool to say) and round out the weekend on Sunday Night Baseball on NBC.
WASHINGTON — Derek Hill was down to the Phillies’ final strike.
Again.
One night after the Phillies scored eight runs with two outs in the ninth inning, Hill stepped in as a pinch-hitter against left-hander Richard Lovelady and delivered another late jolt.
Kyle Schwarber, out of the starting lineup with lower back tightness, came off the bench with two outs and worked a walk to keep the inning alive.
Then Hill took over.
He drove Lovelady’s pitch into the first row above the high wall in right field for a go-ahead two-run homer, then leaped in celebration between second and third base when he saw it had enough distance.
Unbelievable.
The Phillies acquired Hill in a trade to help against left-handed pitching, a matchup their right-handed hitters have struggled with all season.
He gave them exactly that in Philadelphia’s exciting 5-4 win on Wednesday.
It was another wild turn in a series that has already produced one of the Phillies’ most improbable wins of the season.
The Phillies had trailed early after Aaron Nola allowed solo homers in the first and second innings. Luis García Jr. took Nola deep six pitches into the game. Washington added another solo shot three pitches into the second.
But the Phillies answered in the fourth.
Brandon Marsh led off with a single. Alec Bohm reached on a fielding error after fouling a ball off his foot earlier in the at-bat and limping down the line.
Bryson Stott, coming off a three-hit game, got ahead 2-1 and turned on a low-and-in slider from Miles Mikolas. His 106.2 mph drive sailed over the head of Nationals right fielder James Wood, bringing Marsh home.
J.T. Realmuto followed with a sacrifice fly to score Bohm and tie the game.
Rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr. then jumped on Mikolas’ first pitch and lined a run-scoring single through the middle, giving the Phillies their first lead.
That type of inning has become a familiar sight during the Phillies’ turnaround. During their 9-19 start, they struggled to stack baserunners. Lately, they have found ways to build innings and keep them moving.
Nola did not dominate, but he gave the Phillies five innings and two runs.
He allowed hard contact. Of the 13 balls put in play against him, 54 percent were hit at least 95 mph. His average exit velocity allowed was 95 mph.
Still, he found enough outs.
Nola struck out four hitters with his knuckle curve and another with his changeup. He threw only one slider, a pitch he has begun mixing in over his last few starts.
The four-seam fastball remains his biggest concern. It entered the night tied for the worst pitch in baseball by Statcast run value at minus-13. Opponents were hitting .406 and slugging .828 against it.
But five innings and two runs kept the Phillies in the game.
Then former Phillies prospect Curtis Mead changed it.
With a runner on in the sixth, Don Mattingly turned to Jonathan Bowlan, who had dominated right-handed hitters all season. Entering the night, righties were slashing .167/.167/.214 against him with one extra-base hit.
Bowlan left a sweeper up.
Mead sent it into the left-field seats for his second homer in three games during the series, putting Washington back in front.
For a while, it appeared that swing would hold up.
Then Schwarber came off the bench.
Then Hill got his chance.
Lovelady was making his third consecutive relief appearance. Hill entered to pinch-hit against the lefty, the precise situation the Phillies had in mind when they brought him in.
With the count down to its final strike, Hill did not miss.
His homer gave the Phillies another late-game breakthrough, one night after the club turned an 8-6 ninth-inning deficit into a 14-9 win.
May 22, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubon (14) hits an RBI single against the Washington Nationals in the tenth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The struggle has become apparent for this Atlanta Braves team, who are currently on a three-game losing streak. The name of the game is to score early and not let up…of course, pitching will have to do a pretty solid job as well to keep the San Diego Padres from finishing what they started in Tuesday night’s matchup.
Let’s take a look at these lineups for the series finale.
In today’s Baldwin-less lineup, Mauricio Dubón is leading off and playing left field with Ha-Seong Kim– who’s averaging .500 against San Diego’s JP Sears in his two total past at-bats– will be batting in the ninth hole while taking over shortstop for the night.
Jorge Mateo has returned as DH and is hoping for better production since his last three-hitless outings. As for the remainder of the lineup, well, let’s just say, they have a big advantage against San Diego’s lefty, and would be amiss not to take it.
As for the Padres, with Sears on the mound, after recently being called up from Triple-A, due to Lucas Giolito being placed on the 15-day IL (right elbow inflammation), he’s looking for the offense to hold it down, in case the Braves decide to take advantage of the 56 runs and 28 walks he’s earned so far this season in the minors.
Ty France, who has an OPS of .535 but a .176 batting average against Pérez, will be taking over first base and batting seventh in the lineup. And Manny Machado moved up to the third slot, currently averaging a .350 and 1.030 OPS against the Braves’ lefty.
The battle of the lefties, starting tonight at 8:40 p.m. EDT. The Braves are hoping to avoid a sweep, but will need to show an immediate change in the way they’ve been approaching this series if they want to see any glimpse of hope. They failed to salvage the opportunity in extra innings on Tuesday; therefore, they’ll need to play with a chip on their shoulder to turn things around.
Jun 7, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron (65) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the sixth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
The offense is killing it right now despite losing the best three hitters from last season for varying lengths of time. In June it is the young guys carrying the load. Jac Caglianone’s wRC+ this month is 232! Carter Jensen is at 122. It has been fun to watch. If only this had started in April or May this year might have turned into something. They have won six of nine and gotten back to 12 games below five hundred. Today they can lock in a series win against a Tampa Bay team that has been one of the best in the American League.
Today it will be Noah Cameron and Griffin Jax facing off. Cameron is coming off of two consecutive sub-par starts where he has given up 15 hits in 9 1/3 innings. Overall, his strike out and walk rates are better than last season, but the results have not been as good or consistent. Jax has a tidy 3.67 ERA on the season but peripherals that say he cannot keep that. Hopefully today is a mean reversion day for him and the Royals can keep the wins a coming.
Bobby Witt Jr. is out again. That is the fifth consecutive day and there was a day off too. Maybe 10-day IL makes some sense at this point?
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 17: Pitcher Braxton Ashcraft #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates fields the ball and throws to first base to get the out of Henry Bolte #33 of the Athletics in the bottom of the third inning at Sutter Health Park on June 17, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking for revenge after a tough 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners last night at PNC Park.
The Pirates held a 2-1 lead going into the seventh inning, but a pair of runs surrendered by Mitch Keller off of a home run from Cole Young did the Buccos in.
Tonight, the Pirates will hand the ball to Braxton Ashcraft, who is continuing to build off of an impressive season. Ashcroft is fresh off a win in his last start against the Athletics on June 17. He pitched six innings, giving up just one earned run while striking out seven batters in a 12-4 victory. The Pirates are 9-6 in games where Ashcraft starts, which is a good sign going into their game against the Mariners.
On the flip side, Bryan Woo is starting for the Mariners. In his last start on June 18 against the Baltimore Orioles, he pitched seven innings, giving up no earned runs and striking out nine in a 3-0 victory. Woo has gone five or more innings in each of his last four starts, suggesting that he could be in for the long haul once again.
Woo might not be playing at the All-Star level he was at a year ago, but he provides a tough matchup for the Pirates tonight.
