Category: Baseball

You simply cannot deny that the Phillies have improved under Don Mattingly’s watch. Since Mattingly took over as interim manager after the firing of Rob Thomson on April 28th, the Phillies have gone 33-17 and resurrected their chances at defending their NL East division crown. That record is the best in MLB over that span entering Monday. Whether you thought this run was coming regardless of the manager or didn’t, Mattingly has to get credit for overseeing this dramatic turnaround.

That doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some interesting decisions from Mattingly along the way though. Most notably, he is more willing to push his starting pitchers further in the regular season than Rob Thomson was. Two examples of such came over the last week with Jesús Luzardo and Zack Wheeler. In Luzardo’s last start on June 16th, he threw 106 pitches in seven innings. It was the first time this season that Luzardo went over 100 pitches and the third highest pitch count he’s had in a start in his career. Mattingly elected to push Luzardo into the seventh inning despite the Phillies having an 8-0 lead and the lefty sitting at 89 pitches before the inning. Luzardo managed to get through the inning, but he did allow a double and a home run to the first two batters he faced.

The other example is more recent with Zack Wheeler on Sunday. Wheeler appeared to be tiring in the sixth when he allowed three walks to load the bases with one out in a 6-1 game. Jonathan Bowlan was warmed up and ready in the bullpen as Mattingly approached the mound, but the manager elected to leave Wheeler in for one more hitter despite the righty being at 101 pitches and the situation being somewhat precarious. Wheeler got A.J. Ewing to ground into a force out, but the Phillies weren’t able to turn a double play and a run scored. Mattingly then decided to remove Wheeler from the game after 104 pitches, tying his season high and only the second time he has gone over 100 pitches since his return from thoracic outlet surgery. Bowlan meanwhile was able to strike out Marcus Semien on four pitches to end the inning.

It’s clear that Mattingly has faith in his starters, and he has every reason to have that belief, as the Phillies rotation has the third best ERA (3.25) and fourth best WHIP (1.14) in baseball since he took over as manager. But it’s also reasonable to question the high pitch counts at this point in the season, especially in this case with two pitchers with injury histories like Luzardo and Wheeler. One unquestionable strength for Thomson during his time as manager was his ability to deliver the team, and especially his rotation, mostly healthy to the postseason. The jury is obviously still out for if Mattingly can do the same.

So, what do you think of Don Mattingly’s handling of pitchers? Do you like his tendency for longer leashes?

Rangers 4, Marlins 3

• That was a productive way to start a lengthy road trip.
• After Kumar Rocker had the best outing of his career roughly a monthly ago in Colorado, throwing 7.2 shutout innings while striking out seven after coming in behind an opener, I confidently predicted that the Rangers would do that again his next time out.
• The Rangers did not, in fact, do that again his next time out. Rocker was generally fine his next four starts, then got knocked around last week against the Twins, allowing seven runs, including two in the first.
• With a 9.69 ERA in the first inning of games coming into his start against Miami, compared to a 2.89 ERA in every other inning, Skip Schumaker went back to the opener well, having Tyler Alexander pitch the first inning, with Rocker following him.
• It is safe to say that it worked out well.
• After an uneventful 1-2-3 first from Alexander, Kumar Rocker pitched innings two through six, and did so in impressive fashion.
• Rocker faced 19 batters. He threw first pitch strikes to 16 of the 19. He struck out 9 of the 19. He allowed no walks, and gave up just two hard hit balls.
• Rocker’s slider has long been his money pitch, and Rocker had it working in spades Monday against the Marlins. He threw 39 sliders, resulting in 23 swings and 3 called strikes. 17 of the 23 swings against the slider resulted in whiffs, a remarkable 74% swing-and-miss percentage on the pitch.
• That’s the most whiffs off a slider that a major league pitcher has generated this season — Dylan Cease and Tatsuya Imai are next, at 15.
• Rocker went most slider/cutter, using his sinker and fastball just 18 times combined, and not throwing the changeup at all. The two pitch mix was working for him.
• The Marlins did get two runs off of Rocker. One came on a single-advance on ground out-wild pitch-sac fly sequence. The other came when Otto Lopez doubled with one out in the sixth, then came around to score on an Xavier Edwards triple. Edwards almost had an inside-the-park homer when Alejandro Osuna had misadventures fielding the ball in left field, but was thrown out at home.
• Overall, it was an outstanding outing for Rocker. Okay, yes, two runs in five innings isn’t outstanding, but if he pitches like he did in this game every time out, the Rangers will be in great shape.
• The Rangers didn’t take the lead for good until after Rocker left the game, so he didn’t get the W, though W’s for pitchers are outdated and not that meaningful. Robby Ahlstrom, who had an 8 pitch, 1-2-3 seventh, did get the W. Its his second career win, with the first coming retroactively, also in relief of Rocker, in the game where Rocker was pulled with two outs in the fifth and the official scorer originally awarded the win to Latz. That was originally changed to a win for Ahlstrom and a save for Latz.
• Speaking of Latz, he once again was asked to get a save of more than three outs, coming in with a two run lead with two outs in the eighth in relief of Jakob Junis. Latz allowed a double, allowing a run to score and putting the tying and go-ahead runs at second and third.
• I was nervous. I’ll admit it. Its okay. You can admit you were nervous, too.
• But an intentional walk was followed by a groundout, Latz retired the side in the ninth, and there was joy in Miami.
• Just, you know, not for the Miami fans.
• It was another game where you feel like the Rangers should have scored more runs than they did. A bunch of baserunners, a homer and a couple of doubles…there should have been more than four runs to cross the plate, right?
• The homer was by Ezequiel Duran, who came into the game in a 3 for 30 skid. He needed that.
• Brandon Nimmo had three hits and a walk, and we like that.
• Alejandro Osuna was thrown out at home trying to score in the fourth on a two out Elias Diaz single, and I thought he should have been called safe due to the Marlins’ catcher blocking the plate, but what do I know.
• Texas is back to 2 games under .500, and a game back of WC3. Wild Card Fever…catch it!
• Tyler Alexander topped out at 91.7 mph on his sinker. Kumar Rocker reached 95.9 mph on his sinker, averaging 94.2 mph. Robby Ahlstrom’s fastball maxed out at 95.1 mph. Jakob Junis’s sinker touched 93.3 mph. Jacob Latz hit 96.6 mph with his fastball.
• Jake Burger had a 111.4 mph line out. Elias Diaz had a 109.3 mph groundout. Brandon Nimmo had a 107.5 mph single, a 105.8 mph double and a 101.6 mph single. Alejandro Osuna had a 106.6 mph double. Joc Pederson had a 104.7 mph single. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.4 mph homer and a 100.7 mph GIDP. Wyatt Langford had a 102.5 mph groundout.
• One down, nine to go.

Meet the Mets

Mother Nature offered the Mets and their long-suffering fans a much-needed reprieve from terrible baseball by pouring buckets of water upon the tri-state area, which resulted in last night’s game being postponed. The Mets and Cubs will play a split-admission twin bill on Wednesday.

Francisco Lindor will suit up for the Syracuse Mets in another rehab game today. After that, he could return on Wednesday, or possibly on Thursday after a day off, if all goes well.

Lindor’s return means it’s now or never for the Mets to get back in the race, explains Anthony DiComo.

Juan Soto currently ranks sixth in All-Star voting among National league outfielders.

Ken Rosenthal doesn’t think it would be smart for the Mets to move on from David Stearns this offseason, saying, “He just needs to make better decisions.”

The team’s starting pitching woes is making consistency impossible, laments Laura Albanese.

Clay Holmes is just focused on returning to the Mets with trade rumors and his injury clouding his future.

The Mets are offering 26% off tickets for the homestand. to celebrate the Knicks’ 2026 championship. To add to the Knicks-centric celebrations this week, the club will have Mike Breen, Jose Alvarado, and Game 4 hero OG Anunoby throw out the first pitch throughout the homestand. The latter will throw out the first pitch to Jose Reyes during the Sunday finale.

Around the National League East

Matt Slater wrote about the consensus feeling among Phillies fans towards the World Cup.

The Marlins fell 4-3 to the Rangers to halt their four-game winning streak.

The Nationals defeated the Phillies 4-1 in an NL East showdown. In the process, they climbed to within 1.5 games of second place Philadelphia.

The Braves were blanked 1-0 by the Padres.

Around Major League Baseball

Shohei Ohtani recently welcomed his second child, and he celebrated by helping the Dodgers get back to No. 1 on the MLB Power Rankings.

The MLB.com staff looked at some first-time Home Run Derby participants they’d like to see this year.

Anthony Castrovince showed us what we’ve learned so far at the season’s midway point.

Drew Kaufman and Rob Terranova provided all the information we need to know before this week’s Draft Combine.

We got another update on All-Star balloting. The big surprise is Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays leading all American League players in voting. Clement trails only Ohtani in voting overall.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Logan Gilbert were named National League and American League Players of the Week, respectively.

The Angels released Taijuan Walker after just five games.

Brandon Woodruff came off the IL last night and started against the Reds.

Mike Petriello argued that Tarik Skubal’s future may depend on how the Tigers fare against the Yankees, whom they play six times in the next ten games. Detroit got off to a good start on that stretch by beating the Bronx Bombers 5-3.

In defeat, Gerrit Cole suffered the roughest outing since his return from the IL.

The Royals topped the Rays 2-1.

The Blue Jays doubled up the Astros 4-2.

The Brewers outlasted the Reds 2-1 in 10 innings.

The Dodgers beat the Twins 2-1. Eric Lauer pitched six hitless innings for Los Angeles behind an opener to help the Dodgers pick up their 50th win of the season. On the downside, Kyle Tucker exited the game with back spasms and is officially listed as day-to-day, and Dalton Rushing exited the game and entered concussion protocol after taking a foul ball off the face mask.

The White Sox scored two in the bottom of the ninth after allowing two in the top of the ninth to walk off the Guardians 6-5. Sam Antonacci played hero with a two-run single off Cade Smith.

The Cardinals beat the Diamondbacks 3-2.

The Orioles beat up the flailing Angels 6-1.

The Rockies scored three in the ninth to stun the Red Sox 3-2. They ended the game with eight straight hits and a walk off that we haven’t seen in 20 years.

There was no shortage of suspense in yesterday’s MLB calendar, as it was the closest day of games in nearly 37 years.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore previewed the team’s series against the Cubs, which was supposed to begin last night but will instead kick off tonight after yesterday’s rain out.

Linus Lawrence provided a Monday Stat Party.

This Date in Mets History

Ron Hunt became the first Met to start an All-Star game on this date in 1964.

The Mets begin a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field on Tuesday night at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

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Mets Notes

• Carson Benge is slashing .290/.333/.548 (.882 OPS) with two homers, one triple, and six runs scored over his last seven games. Dating back to April 23, Benge is hitting .296/.350/.471 (.821 OPS) with eight homers in 53 games
• Juan Soto is leading the National League with a .974 OPS and 171 OPS+
• Luke Weaver hasn't allowed a run since April 30, a span of 18 appearances during which he has allowed 10 hits in 20 innings while walking four and striking out 25
• Kodai Senga hasn't pitched beyond the fourth inning in any of his last four starts

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Today's Lineups

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While the product on the filed for the Braves is having some ups and downs at the moment, it appears many around baseball continue to think Atlanta is clearly a contender. And for some, the Braves are the contender that could make the most sense as the landing spot for coveted pitcher Tarik Skubal. While there is no proof the Braves have actually inquired on Skubal, Bob Nightengale discussed how the Braves could make sense as a trade partner for the Tigers. It would clearly be the biggest in-season acquisition Alex Anthopoulos has made in his time as the Braves’ head decision maker.

Braves News

The offense once again did not show up in a 1-0 loss to the Padres, despite plenty of chances to win.

Mark Bowman addresses the offense in his latest article, including Drake Baldwin going through the worst offensive stretch of his career. However, Atlanta remains confident they will endure the struggles and the offense will get going again soon.

Both Drake Baldwin and Ozzie Albies are in a good spot to start the All-Star game at their respective positions.

The latest MLB Draft profile for the Braves from Matt Powers is Arkansas catcher Ryan Helfrick.

Mauricio Dubon makes it clear he is open to an extension with the Braves.

Sandy Leon is back with the Braves on a minor league deal.

MLB News

Colorado beat the Red Sox in historic fashion.

The White Sox used a walk-off victory to once again take the top of the AL Central.

Sonny Gray could be open to a trade if the Red Sox become sellers.

On Monday, Colorado Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes met with media to answer questions. Below are a few takeaways from that conversation, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

On trading for Jack McCarthy after noticing his athleticism in the World Series:

The (Arizona Diamondbacks) had a lot of outfielders — left-hand hitting outfielders, so that’s part of it. . . Their athleticism was on display every night, and he was a big part of that, so we wanted to add some more athleticism, versatility to our team. He makes contact. He can play all three positions. So those were some of the things we were looking for — and he certainly had — and he’s played very well for us.

On trading for TJ Rumfield:

I think it’s so hard to evaluate hitting in the big leagues. As much as he’d accomplished in Triple-A, I think watching him, we always said, “He’s a creative hitter. You’re going to face righties, lefties, north, south, east, west, and he just seems like he’s got a very good contact skill.” But he’s very creative, and sort of thinking through at-bats when the count’s in his favor, when it’s not, and the consistency of his production. It’s nice to evaluate a player from afar and what he’s done in Triple-A — until you have to go do this every day. I think part of what makes him really good, we probably didn’t know until after we got him. I think he’s just a creative hitter and really can compete against a variety of major league arms.

On Rumfield’s defense:

He’s been really good. I think, first of all, the wingspan, even infielders’ throws, he saves some errors with that, and he’s done a nice job on balls hit to him so he’s been good there, too.

On having Mickey Moniak back:

He’s been great. Obviously, we missed his production. But from a clubhouse standpoint — all of us coming in here (knew) what his career has been, from first pick to the stops before he got here — I think we sensed he was primed to really be productive, but also be a leader for our group and help us think through how we can win games and all that goes into it, the game planning. I think the production is important, but I think behind the scenes is really important, too.

On what he’s learned about this team at the halfway point:

I feel like I said it behind the scenes. I’m really encouraged by the progress. I think we still have a long way to go. I think we have to always maintain our standards as we climb out of this thing. For two months, series by series, we’ve been very competitive — probably could have won more games, and in May, we just weren’t very good. So I’m really encouraged that we’re making progress. I’m really encouraged by the effort level and how much guys want to be better individually and as a team. And we’ve just got to maintain what we’re really after, which is winning and playing in October. We don’t want to be delusional. We’ve just got a ways to go, but I’m encouraged by the progress.

On areas where he’d like to see improvement:

I think the game is scoring runs and preventing runs. So in April, we’re probably better at preventing than scoring, and in June, we’ve been better at scoring than preventing. There’s a lot that goes into it. We’ve been tested with injuries. I think pitching is always going to be a challenge here when it’s tested over six months. And it’s our daily ritual of who’s available, who’s not. And it’s been done here before — build a pitching staff that’s playoff caliber and hopefully sustainable for several years. Not just the players, but the methods behind it. I think (that) is probably pretty high on the list for like what we’re trying to do.

On acquiring more pitching depth when it feels like there’s a lack of big-league-ready pitchers:

I think we need more upper-level pitching. We’ve found some in various ways. Andrew Baker is about to go to Triple-A, and we acquired him for international money. Blas Castaño was a waiver claim, etc. Eiberson Castellano was a minor-league free agent, so we’ve got to be always looking for that. And then, the bigger swings, if they materialize in a trade scenario or in the draft. But I would say in order to not be short there, which we probably are now, we just have to constantly be on the hunt for pitching, and hopefully up and down the organization

On MLB draft preparation and emphasizing pitching:

It’s not the roster-fill time of year. I think you’re just trying to add talent, and it takes shape as you get organized towards the big leagues. So I would say probably have a balance and just find the best players we can approaching the draft.

On the overcrowded outfield and the coming trade deadline:

We’re talking to teams constantly. I obviously won’t reveal too much about who or what we’re talking about, but I think teams usually make trades because they have depth there and can trade out of it, and then teams usually make trades because they’re “buyers” or “sellers.” I think some of that is pretty clear where our position is right now, so we’ve just got to touch the market, talk to people, and see if something makes sense to us.

On the value of plate discipline:

I think it’s a big ingredient with all things hitting. Really, for the last few years — majors and minors — it had been, like, 30th. And then you add in contact skills, so how hard you hit it. And then, you make good decisions, you make contact. So we’ve had to address that as best we could every day, every direction, and the players we got.

Even in June, we’ve been sort of average with respect to our chase rate and our contact skill across 30 teams, but we’re, like, third in runs scored. So if we get those in a better place, we can do more with them. They all fit together, and it is important to message it. It’s important to message it correctly but also to have guys come up from the minors — and we’re always tracking that. I think there’s been nine or so players who’ve made their debuts. Can you succeed at first when you’re first going through it? We’re trying to get these guys where when they come up here, they can compete and grow from there.

So, with Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) and Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP), they’ve done a nice job at that.

On what he finds encouraging:

First, the effort and enthusiasm, competitiveness is essential. The curiosity, how we’re going to make them better, and take it out on the field, and see some of the things we just talked about take shape. There’s improvement, and that leads to runs, or wins, or preventing runs. So, I think we’ve seen signs of that. I would still like to say it’s progress, not quite at the standard we’re going to need, but I think progress is a good thing. So that’s where we are now, and all of us are excited about the progress. We’ve just got to keep adding to it.

On what it would mean for fans to have a competitive Rockies team:

I just got off the phone with another GM about an hour ago, and he remarked on that — the sort of level his team had played here. The fans are here, they’re loud, they’re into it. I mean, we know from TV, social media, all that. I think it’s amazing, to be honest. The fanbase here is tremendous. I think they’re very optimistic and waiting, and the most important thing we can do is deliver a team they can root for, a team that wins, a team that plays in October. So, I think it’s added motivation. Our fans are here if we do our part, so it doesn’t go unnoticed.

On how Warren Schaeffer is doing:

I think he’s been outstanding. First and foremost, leadership, communication, the human being, but also the puzzle every day to try to win a game, injuries, bullpen availability, how he’s used our roster and communicated that to players, which is hard. I think he’s just done a terrific job of it. So I’m very, very impressed with what Schaeff’s done.

On what he’s learned about baseball in Colorado:

A lot of hits fall in. I guess I knew that, but when you’re seeing it, and your bullpen is a little short that night, “Are we gonna throw a few more pitches to get out of this?” I actually think that’s the most — aside from how pitches move or a fly ball carries — I think it’s just the amount of space, the availability of hits changes the game enough, and what that really means to you in terms of everything we’re talking about, like pitchers you choose or planning for your bullpen or fast outfielders who can catch a few of them, or in McCarthy’s case, any ball that touches the outfield grass is probably going to second. I just think the space affects the game almost constantly, so I would say that’s probably the main thing,

On valuing positional versatility:

Almost everybody — Ryan Ritter, Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP), you gone on down the list, Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP), all these guys — I think being able to play multiple positions at a good level, it’s good for you, it’s good for us. Let’s do it. And it requires some work, but for the most part, with some of those examples, it’s going very well.

On how he approaches promoting prospects:

It’s one of the things with players, I’m always, “Where’s he been?” “Where’s he now?” “Where’s he going?” And you sort of see him on a timeline. So where is he now? And if you’re in Triple-A and you think you should be in the big leagues, I often say to players, “You’re not a human being if you’re not a little, ‘Why am I not getting a shot?’” That’s a human reaction. We can explain a lot of it. There’s a lot that’s individual player’s readiness. What’s going on with the roster. There’s a lot of reasons, and I almost always say, “Maybe we’re right. Maybe we’re not. Your instinct is you’re ready. We’re saying not quite yet.” But I think the other thing, even talking to the teenagers in our system, we’re going to teach you and develop you based on major-league standards, not like passing this test or shooting for this field. From a player’s journey, only one promotion matters: This one. (He gestured at Coors Field.) Communicating that to them and what our thought process is is important.

Takeaways

For me, I thought Byrnes’ most interesting comments were about pitching and the “space” at Coors Field — and how the latter affects decisions they make with the former.

There’s a lot here, and I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.

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Former Virginia Tech standout joins select MLB company with the Colorado Rockies | The Fighting Gobbler

Look, if you can link to a site called “The Fighting Gobbler,” you absolutely have to do it. In this case, the Gobblers in question are the Virginia Tech Hokies, Alma mater of Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield. Scott Roche reviews Rumfield’s trip to Colorado and notes some of his accomplishments in purple pinstripes.

Never use an ABS Challenge in this one weird count | FanGraphs

We’ve been talking on the Purple Row board about the best strategy for using an ABS Challenge. Kiri Oler did some math — and Willi Castro and TJ Rumfield are mentioned.

Rockies’ crowded outfield will lead to tough roster decisions | Denver Gazette ($)

Kevin Henry asks the question we all have on our minds: What will Paul DePodesta do with all those outfielders? Here’s where he lands for now: “Here’s a potential scenario: Moniak and Doyle return to the Colorado roster with Thompson and catcher Braxton Fulford sent back to Triple-A. Beck finishes his rehab assignment with Albuquerque and stays with the Isotopes until he is no longer limited to being a platoon bat.”

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Brian Murphy at MLB mothership has an update on Bobby Witt Jr’s recovery.

Bobby Witt Jr.’s sprained right knee kept him out of the Royals’ lineup for the third straight game Monday. But prior to the team’s series opener against the Rays, the star shortstop went through what manager Matt Quatraro called a “very encouraging” workout.

Witt — who has been sidelined since suffering a Grade 1 MCL sprain during Thursday’s game against the Cardinals — hit in the batting cage, ran the bases and fielded ground balls on Monday afternoon at Tropicana Field.

He did his on-field activity while wearing a brace over his injured knee, which Quatraro said Witt is still getting used to.

“We’re hopeful that in the next couple days, he’s available,” the manager said.

Jaylon Thompson at the KC Star also covered Witt’s workout.

“Felt good,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You know, he’s been getting accustomed to wearing a brace. So we are trying to get used to that a little bit, but was very encouraging what we saw today.”

Entering Monday, Witt had missed the last two games and was not expected to play in Monday’s road game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

However, the Royals didn’t rule out a potential return this week. The club is hopeful Witt will play during the upcoming seven-game road trip.

Brian also covers Carter Jensen’s hot streak.

When his streak began on June 6, Jensen had elevated strikeout and whiff rates (30.2% and 32.6%, respectively). Since then, those numbers have plummeted to 15.5% and 18.4%. Meanwhile, Jensen’s hard-hit rate, which was 40.2% prior to the streak, is 53.3% over these past couple of weeks. And that rate went up when he smashed a cutter from Rasmussen back up the middle at 109.2 mph to drive in Nick Loftin.

“I think it all starts with just swinging at my pitches,” Jensen said of his recent success at the plate. “Not getting antsy at the plate to swing at everything or try to get the hit in the first two pitches of the at-bat. I think the strong thing that I do pretty well is take good at-bats. I think earlier in the season I was just trying to do too much with pitches that I couldn’t handle, such as pitches out of the zone.”

Pete Grathoff takes a look at the decision to bunt in the ninth inning of the 12-10 loss to the Cardinals.

But O’Brien got his first out when Kameron Misner’s sacrifice bunt put Massey and Thomas in scoring position. According to Baseball Reference, the Cardinals’ win probability had dropped from 98% to 67% when Misner stepped to the plate. The bunt pushed St. Louis’ win probability 4% higher. O’Brien then struck out pinch hitter John Rave, who was batting for Nick Loftin, and induced a groundout from left fielder Isaac Collins to end the game.

Sam McDowell examines two homers from Jac Caglianone’s recent outburst.

Royals second-year outfielder Jac Caglianone ripped a line drive 110.5 miles per hour and 404 feet into the back of the Cardinals’ bullpen Friday — which is directly to the opposite field.

It’s the kind of thing you rarely see: A left-hander hitting the ball the opposite way that hard and that far.

Except that Caglianone did the exact same thing the night before. On Thursday, he also blasted a home run 110.0 miles per hour, also the opposite way.

Witt remains the top AL SS vote-getter for the All-Star game.

SHORTSTOP

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: 1,701,407
2. Andrés Giménez, Blue Jays: 894,926
3. Kevin McGonigle, Tigers: 460,075
4. Jeremy Peña, Astros: 357,049
5. Colson Montgomery, White Sox: 352,828

Witt is having another fantastic season as he is tops in the AL with 28 stolen bases and 4.4 FanGraphs WAR. However, a recent right knee sprain has his status a little up in the air right now. Barring a late surge from the rookie McGonigle or others, it looks like Witt will take on Giménez in Phase 2. Giménez was the AL’s starting second baseman in the 2022 Midsummer Classic, representing the Guardians. Witt is looking for his first All-Star start.

David Lesky takes a second to note that the recent offensive outburst is taking place without the main players we thought it might before the season.

It’s especially interesting because they’re doing so much of this damage without a good chunk of the crew we expected them to do any damage with. Vinnie Pasquantino is out for a bit. Maikel Garcia has been in and out of the lineup and hasn’t done much, at least power-wise, since April. Bobby Witt Jr. missed each of the last two games, and we have no idea how many more. Salvador Perez has played and had some big moments, but the numbers overall remain putrid. No, they’re doing a lot of this with some players we maybe didn’t expect, or, if we did, not this much. From that perspective, it’s been nice. Of course, it would be nicer if they were doing this with last year’s pitching staff because they’d sure have a lot more wins.

John Schreiber was apparently spitting fire last night. I totally missed that in the recap.

Jacob Milham writes about a few minor league players who may be the next guys up.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray may be open to a trade.

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel returned from the IL.

The Brewers placed Luis Rengifo on waivers.

Possible trade scenarios for Tarik Skubal.

Lionel Messi now is the sole holder of the World Cup goals scored record.

Kylian Mbappé scored two goals yesterday as he tries to catch up to Messi’s new record.

Norwegian Erling Haaland also scored two goals in yesterday’s win over Senegal. Not to brag, but my son picked his number 9 for soccer.

Kansas City doesn’t seem to be experiencing any sort of small business boon.

The Milwaukee Bucks have finally traded star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Trae Young is signing a 4/$212M deal to stay with the Washington Wizards.

The Timberwolves are trading Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets.

Michigan basketball coach Dusty May is reportedly set to become the new Dallas Mavericks head coach.

How the Chiefs can adjust their run scheme to accommodate star RB Kenneth Walker.

Oklahoma won the Men’s College World Series with a 13-2 victory over North Carolina yesterday.

Linda Cohn is leaving Sportscenter.

A running list of tech company layoffs in which the company cited AI. The list is not comprehensive.

The Steam Machine goes on sale soon with a $1049 price tag.

Your song of the day is Thank You Scientist with Everyday Ghosts. Buckle up it’s a long one.

It is almost time to turn the calendar to July. Over the next month, the Orioles farm could be drained if the team plays well enough for Mike Elias to try to make real upgrades at the trade deadline. Or it could be stocked again if things go the other way. A lot depends on how the major league team plays.

The minor league teams play on regardless. The lone Orioles affiliate that’s doing well is Frederick, who won its first half division title and is guaranteed a postseason berth. Probably by then many of the players who participated in that will have moved up to Double-A. A-ball leagues moved into the second half over the weekend. Triple-A and Double-A start the second half of their season today.

These weekly updates focus on the team’s top prospects, particularly those on Camden Chat’s composite top 20 Orioles prospect list from before the season. They also include other guys who interest me who might develop into prospects over time. I do not tend to spend much time on non-prospect journeymen.

Here’s how things went this week:

Triple-A Norfolk Tides

• Last week’s results: 2-4 at Syracuse (Mets)
• This week’s opponent: vs. Durham (Rays)
• Season record: 28-47, t-ninth/last place (19 GB) in International League East

Jud Fabian will not let us forget about him entirely. The outfielder hit three homers in five games played this week. That didn’t even lead the Tides: 28-year-old journeyman infielder José Barrero hit five, giving him 17 for the season, which leads Norfolk. That was prodigious power, at least among these two guys for this week.

Unfortunately, two guys more worth watching as prospects, Enrique Bradfield and Creed Willems, did not join in on the party. Bradfield batted 6-23, which isn’t bad, but with only one double, the .304 slugging percentage for the week (and .311 for the season) is sad. Creed Willems at 3-17 hitting with no extra-base hits had an even sadder week. Willems, at least, is still OPSing .829 for the year.

Injured major leaguer Dean Kremer started a rehab assignment here over this past week. His first outing saw him toss 3.2 innings with a run allowed on two hits and two walks. Since Kremer has been out for a while, I expect this rehab should go for a few more starts. After Kremer’s rehab start, pitching prospect Nestor German came in for some bulk relief. German also made a start this week, allowing four runs over 10.1 innings. Two dingers elevated his earned run total this week, though this isn’t a recurring problem for him.

Others of interest

• RHP Anthony Nunez – Two outings after being optioned to Norfolk, three runs allowed in 2.2 IP
• LHP Andrew Magno – Just keeps on putting up zeroes, 2.1 scoreless innings in one game this week, now a 0.59 ERA in 26 games. I like the idea of him more than I like Keegan Akin.
• OF Heston Kjerstad – 5-23 with a double and a homer led to a .699 OPS for the week, now .676 for the season. That’s not going to be what gets him back to MLB.

Norfolk season-to-date stats.

Double-A Chesapeake Baysox

• Last week’s results: 4-2 vs. Richmond (Giants)
• This week’s opponent: vs. Harrisburg (Nationals)
• Season record: 29-39, last place (14 GB) in Eastern League Southwest

We must, of course, first check in on Joseph Dzierwa, and I am pleased to be able to share further good results from him: In his start this week, he struck out eight batters in six innings, allowing just two hits and one walk. That’s a 0.50 WHIP for the start, giving him a 0.949 WHIP in six games since getting promoted here. The hype train is still building steam. That’s a great K/BB.

Not quite as much steam on the hype train for fellow Chesapeake pitching prospect Luis De León, who gave up three runs in 4.1 innings, with five hits and three walks allowed. These are fairly characteristic outings of how both pitchers have been doing so far this season.

The Baysox offense was on a heater this week, fueling what’s been an uncommon winning week for them. Prospects who are worth following on this team were a part of that, with Ethan Anderson as just one of four Baysox who had two homers over these six games. Another, Douglas Hodo, has homered four times in eight games since returning from a nearly two-month stay on the injured list on June 9. My guy Aron Estrada had one homer in 12 AB over four games played.

Others of interest

• OF Dylan Beavers – Hitless in nine at-bats as he started a rehab assignment, though he did draw four walks
• LHP Cade Povich – Also started a rehab: 3.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts
• LHP Sebastian Gongora – 24-year-old pitched twice this week, allowing just two runs in 10.1 innings. Sitting at a 3.42 ERA, 1.259 WHIP for the season to date.
• LHP Micah Ashman – 3.2 scoreless innings across two relief outings with just one hit allowed, 1.73 ERA in 16 games

Chesapeake season-to-date stats.

High-A Frederick Keys

• Last week’s results: 5-2 vs. Hub City (Astros)
• This week’s opponent: at Wilmington (Nationals)
• Second half record: 2-1, t-second place (1 GB) in South Atlantic League North
• Frederick won its first half division with a 41-23 record

Frederick continues to be the Orioles farm team most worth checking out and that’s even with Dzierwa not staying for long. I wonder how many of these other guys will be promoted soon. Their offense was led in these games by Victor Figueroa hitting three homers; the big man from last year’s Padres deal leads the whole organization with 20 dingers in 60 games. My sources say that’s good.

Also doing well this week were other hitters, including Ike Irish (6-20 with three XBH and four walks), Braylin Tavera (6-14 with four doubles and a homer), and RJ Austin (7-22, all singles, four walks, four stolen bases). This is a strong lineup with some recent draftees and still-young players. The team earned its first half title and guys like these were part of why.

The pitching staff isn’t too shabby either! Frederick’s 4.07 team ERA leads the South Atlantic League. They are close to the league lead in strikeouts and have a league-best home run allowed rate. Notable over this past week was six shutout innings pitched by Yeiber Cartaya (1.99 ERA in 12 games), a Boston Bateman start with seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings, and JT Quinn striking out six in a game where he allowed two runs over five innings.

Others of interest

• SS Wehiwa Aloy – Did not join in the hitting party this week, just 5-22, all singles
• RHP Kiefer Lord – Nine strikeouts and no walks over a 6.2 inning start; Lord’s struggled for the season so hopefully there’s something to build on from this outing

Frederick season-to-date stats.

Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds

• Last week’s results: 2-4 vs. Myrtle Beach (Cubs)
• This week’s opponent: at Fayetteville (Astros)
• Second half record: 2-1, t-first place in Carolina League North (first half: 23-43, last place)

The records getting wiped between the first and second half of a minor league season is great news for Delmarva. They are off to a nice start in the first handful of games that count as the second half.

Recent attention here has been paid to a couple of infielders, DJ Layton and Jaiden Lo Re. These guys are walking a lot. That continued over these games, with Layton drawing six walks to help his weekly OPS even though he batted just 3-15. Lo Re went 6-20 with three walks. Another young infielder, Elvin Garcia, hit his first homer of the season as part of a 5-17 week. Garcia is up to a .770 OPS for the season after this performance.

Outfielder Jordan Sanchez led the way with seven hits in only four games. Sanchez is batting .500 and slugging .750 in the month of June. The 20-year-old Cuban outfielder is not among the more heralded guys in the system, but if he can sustain a hot stretch of baseball, he might be able to make more of a prospect name for himself.

Delmarva’s pitchers… look, the team has a 5.60 ERA. There are some tough stat lines every week and for the season overall. One of the preseason hype prospects was 19-year-old righty Esteban Mejia. He walked six batters in a 1.1 inning start. This is not an outlier start for his season: He has a 12.3 BB/9. Geez.

Delmarva season-to-date stats.

**

In last week’s minor league player of the week poll, Delmarva’s Jaiden Lo Re was the choice of 50% of voters to make our seventh different winner in seven weeks of the poll. Other winners have been: Victor Figueroa, Payton Eeles, Braylin Tavera, Caden Hunter, Ike Irish, and Wehiwa Aloy.

We could have a repeat winner this week as at least one prior winner has played well enough to end up on this poll. Will this be the first two-time champion of the season? The choice is yours.

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (43-32)

Opponent this week: @ Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals)

Record this week: 2-4

Standout performances:

Jeferson Quero (No. 7): 9-for-21, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Luke Adams (No. 11): 6-for-16, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Akil Baddoo: 5-for-15, 1 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K
Tyler Black: 5-for-15, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Garrett Stallings: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Tyson Hardin (No. 16): 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Jeferson Quero is now slashing .274/.372/,452 over the last month. That line is good for an .824 OPS, which ranks second on the Sounds (among qualified batters) to only Akil Baddoo (1.027).

One batter who doesn’t qualify is 1B/3B Luke Adams. Since he was activated from the injured list on June 2nd, Adams is slashing .300/.470/.760 (1.230 OPS) in 50 at-bats. This stretch, as you might be able to tell from his sky-high slugging percentage, has coincided with the best power surge in Adams’ professional career. The twenty two-year-old Adams has hit exactly 11 home runs in each of his three full seasons with the Brewers’ organization, but after hitting three this week (in the same game, nonetheless) he’s now hit seven over the last three weeks.

Baddoo was activated from the IL a little over a week prior to Adams, and he’s also been one of the Sounds’ best hitters since. Baddoo is hitting .275 with a .992 OPS in 24 games (80 at-bats) this season. At twenty seven-years-old, he’s not the future, but he’s been playing well enough to warrant a look should one of the Brewers’ backup outfielders go down.

Deja Baddoo

This one is GRAND though. pic.twitter.com/Cgu3UNcoZF

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 17, 2026

If a starting outfielder were to miss time, it’s likely the call would go to the recently-extended Luis Lara (No. 5). Lara had a rough week (3-for-21, 5K), but he still ranks second on the Sounds in OPS with an .873 OPS. Jett Williams (No. 3) also went 3-for-21, but all of his hits were home runs, giving him a .788 OPS on the week despite a .143 batting average. Williams is now hitting just .217 with a .702 OPS this season.

Tyson Hardin went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out five as he picked up a win. In seven starts since his promotion to Triple-A, Hardin sports a 2.25 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He’s struck out 41 batters in 40 innings with only twelve walks. Not bad for a pitcher who started more games in High-A (11) than Double-A (10) last season. It’s looking more and more likely that Hardin will make his first big-league appearance sometime this year.

Garrett Stallings also had a solid start for the Sounds, going 5 2/3 innings while giving up six hits, but only two earned runs. Mark Manfredi struck out five in three relief appearances (3 1/3 innings).

Next week’s opponent: vs. Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves)

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (35-30)

Opponent this week: vs. Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves)

Record this week: 3-1

Standout performances:

Dylan O’Rae: 8-for-16, 2 2B, 2 3B, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Jesús Made: 8-for-16, 1 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Eric Brown Jr.: 6-for-14, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Mike Boeve: 6-for-15, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Josh Adamczewski: 6-for-18, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K
Cameron Wagoner: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Bishop Letson: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Yorman Galindez: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Jaron DeBerry: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

The Shuckers’ week was extremely chaotic due to inclement weather rolling through the Biloxi area. Originally, this series was supposed to have seven games — as opposed to the usual six — because of a makeup game that was first scheduled for May 9th.

Five different games this week got suspended, cancelled, or pushed to later in the week because of weather, so Biloxi and Columbus only ended up with four completed games. The first game of the series, originally scheduled for June 16th, got rescheduled two different times. It was a crazy week down in Mississippi, but the Shuckers managed to pull through and win three of the four games.

Jesús Made hit .500 with 10 RBIs in 16 at-bats. That sentence speaks for itself. Biloxi scored 30 runs this week, so Made personally knocked in 1/3 of the Shuckers’ runs.

Jesús Made HAMMERS one to right.

With this homer, MLB's No. 1 overall prospect (@Brewers) has 10 hits and 9 RBIs in his past 7 games for the Double-A @BiloxiShuckers. pic.twitter.com/tkzThoaYw4

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 21, 2026

Dylan O’Rae, the Brewers’ third round-pick back in 2022, has continued to produce this year after missing all of 2025 due to a wrist injury. O’Rae, who’s still only twenty two-years-old, is now hitting .318 with an .853 OPS in 201 at-bats. As I’ve said before in previous editions of this column, keep an eye on him.

Let’s check in on Josh Adamczewski and Andrew Fischer in their first week in Double-A:

Adamczewski: 6-for-18, 2B, 3 K

Fischer: 4-for-14, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 5 K

As a reminder, the jump from High-A to Double-A is often cited as the hardest jump for a prospect to make. Nothing but encouraging results from both players so far.

Andrew Fischer? Fishing for a triple 🎣

📻 https://t.co/LIZcF8bIA9
📺 @bally__sports, https://t.co/5dYqzkzNIs#ShuckYeah#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/RPYq3aTofj

— Biloxi Shuckers (@BiloxiShuckers) June 19, 2026

Blake Burke (4-for-15, 2 2B, HR) and Mike Boeve (6-for-15, 2B, HR) both continue to hit. Burke has been one of the biggest breakouts in the organization over the last calendar year and deserves all the love that he gets. Boeve, despite being ranked as a top-10 organizational prospect just last year, hasn’t gotten the love that he deserves. Over the last month (80 at-bats), Boeve has hit exactly .300 with a .753 OPS. Not Burke numbers, at least power-wise, but he’s producing while showing off his plate discipline and ability to get on base — two of the tools that scouts loved coming into the 2023 draft.

As for the pitching staff, Cameron Wagoner, Bishop Letson, and Yorman Galindez all impressed in their outings. Letson, the Brewers’ highest-ranked pitching prospect, struggled early in his first Double-A season and still owns a 4.60 ERA and 1.43 WHIP on the year. However, he’s looked much sharper of late. Over his last four starts (21.1 innings), Letson has posted a 2.11 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while striking out more than a batter per inning. He appears to be settling in at Double-A, making the Brewers’ No. 8 prospect one to watch over the coming weeks.

Next week’s opponent: @ Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays)

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (34-28)

Opponent this week: @ Quad Cities River Bandits (Kansas City Royals)

Record this week: 3-2

Standout performances:

Braylon Payne: 8-for-15, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K
Josiah Ragsdale: 8-for-21, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Daniel Dickinson (No. 27): 5-for-14, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Eric Bitonti: 7-for-21, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K
Wande Torres: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Jayden Dubanewicz (No. 24): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Josh Knoth (No. 21): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

With Adamczewski and Fischer now in Double-A, offensive firepower will be a bit harder to come by up in Appleton. Luckily, the T-Rats still have Braylon Payne and Josiah Ragsdale, although they won’t for long if both keep hitting the way they have this season.

After this week, Payne is now hitting .282 with a .989 OPS, 13 home runs, and 10 doubles. That’s a significant step forward from his first full season in the Brewers’ organization last year, when he hit .240 with a .736 OPS, eight home runs, and nine doubles. Payne is beginning to look like a player worthy of the first-round pick Milwaukee spent on him in 2024, and if he continues producing at this level, he could join Adamczewski and Fischer in Double-A before long.

PAYNE WITH SOME POWER🏋️‍♂️💥

A two-run homer from Braylon Payne extends the lead. He's homered in back-to-back games!

8th Inning: Wisconsin 11 | Quad Cities 5 #tratnation@payne_braylonpic.twitter.com/JaTYAKYDz7

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) June 17, 2026

Payne’s stats are ridiculous, but Ragsdale — drafted in the seventh round in 2025 — isn’t far behind. He’s hitting .316 (.357 over the last month) with a .919 OPS and five home runs in 190 at-bats this year. Ragsdale is already twenty-two, so he’ll probably get moved up relatively soon if he keeps producing.

☄️‼️ RAGSDALE GOES YARD ‼️☄️

Josiah Ragsdale launches a lead-off home run and the Rattlers jump out in front.

Rattlers 1 | River Bandits 0#tratnationpic.twitter.com/F9fIir9sdH

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) June 17, 2026

Former LSU star Daniel Dickinson, the Brewers’ sixth-round pick in 2025, has quietly brought his OPS up to .655 after hitting .241 with a .795 OPS over the last month. The season-long numbers don’t look great yet for Dickinson, especially given that he’s the same age as Ragsdale (and Andrew Fischer), but he appears to be figuring things out at the plate.

Jayden Dubanewicz went five innings in his second start with the Timber Rattlers, giving up six hits but just a single earned run. He didn’t walk anybody and struck out six. Josh Knoth gave up a pair of earned runs in 4.1 innings, but only gave up three hits and struck out seven. Knoth, who missed last season due to Tommy John surgery, now has a 2.70 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP through his first five starts (16 2/3 innings) this season.

Brewers No. 21 Prospect Josh Knoth was DEALING on the mound this week 🔥

Josh threw a season high of 7 K in 4.1 IP and had 2 ER. #tratnation@joshknoth1pic.twitter.com/CyOgcm2CdB

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) June 19, 2026

Next week’s opponent: vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins)

Single-A Wilson Warbirds (36-30)

Opponent this week: vs. Charleston RiverDogs (Tampa Bay Rays)

Record this week: 3-3

Standout performances:
Filippo Di Turi: 6-for-17, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Juan Ortuno: 6-for-20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 0 K
Handelfry Encarnacion: 7-for-24, 3 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K
Joey Broughton: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Jarrette Bonet: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Andrew Healy: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Hayden Robinson: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Di Turi, Ortuno, and Encarnacion were the only Warbirds to hit .292 or better in more than 10 at-bats. While the stats out of Wilson aren’t as impressive as some of the Brewers’ other affiliates, there’s still a lot to look forward to down in North Carolina.

The nineteen-year-old Encarnacion is only hitting .227 on the season, but he’s one extra base hit away from being tied with Jose Anderson for the most on the team. He’s also walked 53 times in 65 games (251 at-bats). Brady Ebel (No. 13) isn’t hitting for average either, but he’s showing enough power (18 extra-base hits, including four home runs). Ebel’s also walking a lot, with 57 walks in 234 at-bats. Despite their youth, both hitters have shown patience at the plate and have been making good swing decisions — things the Brewers look for in their players.

Handelfry Encarnacion threw a runner out at the plate in the top of the first, and then led off the bottom half with a homer. pic.twitter.com/wtFlcnhwrX

— Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) June 17, 2026

Ortuno, a nineteen-year-old infielder, now has a .738 OPS on the season. His .250 batting average ranks third on the Warbirds after Luis Lameda (.303) and Pedro Ibarguen (.280). None of those prospects are ranked as top-30 prospects, but all are producing despite being too young to order a beer at a bar in North Carolina. With a system as deep as the Brewers’, sometimes prospects get lost in the shuffle, and sometimes prospects come from seemingly out of nowhere (Tyson Hardin, for example) to become legitimate prospects. All three of those players are producing at a young age — I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the three, or Encarnacion, ended up as as a top-30 guy sometime in the future.

Juan Ortuno had slowed down a bit of late, but he just went deep for the third time this season. He’s got a .741 OPS with 16 SB and a K% of 18.8% as a 19 year old in Low-A. pic.twitter.com/dDfmK8GlEI

— Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) June 18, 2026

Same goes for the pitching — Joey Broughton, Jarrett Bonet, and Andrew Healy all went at least four innings this week while allowing one run or less. Even if you’ve heard of Bonet, you may not have heard of the other two. Keep an eye on Broughton, who was part of the same 2024 class as Hardin, Dubanewicz, and Ethan Dorchies. The left-hander, signed out of high school, hadn’t pitched until this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. In eight appearances this year between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A, Broughton has a 2.24 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings.

Next week’s opponent: @ Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals)

Player of the Week

Adams, who spent two months on the injured list last season and missed another six weeks this season. As I touched on earlier, Adams has found his power stroke since returning. The twenty two-year-old has always had raw power, but — much like Blake Burke — it hadn’t really translated to games yet.

I haven’t been able to dive into his film much in recent weeks, but aside from any mechanical adjustments, what we’re seeing now may be the natural progression of a prospect who’s getting older and beginning to turn more of that raw power into in-game power. Adams has posted some seriously impressive exit velocities since his return, including a home run on Sunday that left his bat at 113.3 mph. That’s not a flukey minor-league homer, that’s legitimate plus raw power and a significant development for a player that has always had elite plate discipline. If his power surge is for real, watch out.

Luke nukes 🚀⚾️ Luke Adams slugged three out of the park today for his first career multi-HR game. pic.twitter.com/NacJqAQEol

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 21, 2026

Play of the Week

This is the second time Blake Burke has won Play of the Week in the last five weeks. I don’t want to hear another “yeah, but he’ll need to hit enough to DH” take for a while.

Oh, did we mention Blake Burke can play one heck of a first base too??

📻 https://t.co/LIZcF8bIA9
📺 @bally__sports, https://t.co/5dYqzkzNIs#ShuckYeah#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/uFtAaNuyNd

— Biloxi Shuckers (@BiloxiShuckers) June 21, 2026

Good morning, baseball fans!

Phase one of the 2026 MLB All Star voting ends later this week. If we want to see a San Francisco Giants player on the starting line-up, we have got to keep our push for Luis Arraez going! As of the last update, Arraez was in fifth place among National League second basemen. And he was (unsurprisingly) the only member of the team to appear in any of the races.

Fans can vote up to five times per day over here on the MLB website. You can vote up to five times per day, and Phase one runs through Thursday, June 25th.

So vote early, vote often, and vote Arraez!

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants welcome the A’s to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series at 6:45 p.m. PT.

Today’s Reflections

With a rainout Sunday and a night game on Monday (which ended up getting rained out), PCA-Mania is continuing (not complaining!). Everybody has a slightly different take, but Brett Taylor’s article is a must-read.

Speaking of PCA-Mania — I’m quite aware that the All-Star Game has lost 98 percent of the allure it had when I was a kid. But I’m rather shocked as to the recent results of voting for PCA. I can only think that it is that bad weekend+ he had with fans and his reaction to it that is holding him back. And the overall malaise of the Cubs. But I thought it would shock some (smart) people into voting for the first time in a while, like myself, and make a difference. I’m hoping that when it comes time to pick the reserves or injury replacements, PCA will be the first outfielder taken. Read the story at the bottom of the PCA section and go vote.

Just like Ben Brown’s great pitching performance was overshadowed by the offensive onslaught Friday, Matt Shaw’s three-run homer was overshadowed by the bullpen’s collapse Saturday. So here’s shout-out to him. Also, when Seiya Suzuki got hurt, he was on an impressive defensive run in right field. Shaw took over the spot and there has been no drop-off. A cap-tip to him for that as well.

I’m sorry, but I don’t remember who asked what would it take to acquire Sonny Gray. A couple of options are listed below.

A very interesting Cub-take from Carson Kelly about the new catching style and its results. It was brought up last week by this article by the Athletic {$}.

And this speaks for itself:

Classic.@WatchMarqueepic.twitter.com/fx0JHCVqSp

— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) June 20, 2026

I’ll let you get to reading, but remember — Go Vote!

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

More PCA-Mania:

• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): My Favorite Bit of Context on Just How Blisteringly Good Pete Crow-Armstrong Has Been, “Given his unbelievable June, on the heels of what was quietly excellent performance at the plate going back to mid-April, it’s been unsurprising to see all manner of “holy crap did you see this!” about Pete Crow-Armstrong.
• Brian Sandalow (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong more willing to take walks this season. “Center fielder has been more selective at the plate and already has 28 walks, compared with 29 in all of last season.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Inside the numbers of Crow-Armstrong’s incredible hot streak. “This is must-see TV.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Looking at Mechanical Changes Behind Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Unprecedented Tear. “Pete Crow-Armstrong has been MLB’s best player in June, and it’s not even close.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Shocking MLB All-Star voting update tells you exactly how Cubs fans feel right now. “Tell me you’re checked out without telling me you’re checked out.”

Trade Talk:

• Garrett Kerman (Clutch Points): Cubs’ perfect trade offer for Red Sox’s Sonny Gray. “Discover the perfect trade proposal sending Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray to the Chicago Cubs for two high-upside prospects.”
• Nick Deeds (Cubbies Crib): Cubs have every reason to dismiss insane Red Sox Matt Shaw trade idea. “Things have changed since the offseason.”
• Casey McAleer (Da Windy City): Cubs’ upcoming Mets series could decide their trade deadline plans. “Chicago has little room for error as it chases the Brewers in the NL Central race.”
• Nick Deeds (Cubbies Crib): Cubs can’t brush aside growing Seiya Suzuki trade rumors thanks to Jeff Passan. “Suzuki playing elsewhere this summer seems even more likely than we thought.”
• Rich Eberwein (Cubbies Crib): Cubs given nightmare fuel after seeing Jeff Passan’s best fits for Tarik Skubal. “If the Brewers acquire Tarik Skubal, the Cubs will be even more cooked than they already are.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Cubs Trade for Some Relief Help, Acquiring Astros RHP Jayden Murray. “The Chicago Cubs executed what can technically be called a buy-side trade for a real big league reliever.”

Assorted (and painful) stories:

• Alex House (Clutch Points): Cubs left-handed starting pitcher Matthew Boyd is taking a big step in his recovery from left knee surgery. “Cubs left-handed starting pitcher Matthew Boyd is taking a big step in his recovery from left knee surgery.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ Justin Steele on losing years of what should’ve been his prime — and the success he ‘knows’ is coming. “Another ramp-up is right in front of the lefty, who hasn’t pitched in a game in more than 14 months. If Steele is going to help this Cubs team find its groove later in the summer, it’s now or never.”
• Tommy Erbe (OnTapSportsNet): Why Letting Kyle Schwarber Walk Will Forever Haunt The Chicago Cubs. “With every home run hit, Kyle Schwarber sends a dagger through the Chicago Cubs organization, reminding them what they opted against.”
• Gorden Edes (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs catcher Carson Kelly can’t mask his pain. “Many catchers have abandoned the crouch in favor of one knee down, but they are getting drilled by balls more often.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Can top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins return from injury in time to help the Cubs this season? “When he’s healthy, Wiggins is one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the game.”
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Seiya Suzuki Has Turned a Quick Release into a Real Run-Stopping Outfield Arm. “When it comes to Seiya Suzuki’s arm, the question has never been whether he could throw hard enough. He’s learned to get rid of the ball faster, though, and that’s made a big difference.”
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): PCA keeps hitting, but sluggish Cubs can’t muster any momentum. “It’s late June, and though Crow-Armstrong is showing he’s worth the hype, you can’t say the same about the Cubs.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): A first look at the Chicago Cubs’ Champions Gate — plus more on its architectural details. “The Chicago Cubs’ Champions Gate will be installed at the entrance to Gallagher Way on Clark Street.”

Saturday’s game and wrap-up of short Blue Jays’ series:

• Andy Martinez (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs bullpen blows late 5-run lead in 8-6 loss to Toronto Blue Jays: ‘We just didn’t get it done’. “The Chicago Cubs bullpen blew a five-run lead, surrendering eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings in an 8-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.”

• Mike McGraw (Daily Herald): So much for momentum: Cubs bullpen flubs 5-run lead. “In baseball, it’s often said, momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. Sometimes the starting pitcher is very good, though, and the bullpen messes it up.”
• Jeff Vorva (Chicago Tribune {$}): 3 Chicago Cubs takeaways from a Toronto Blue Jays series featuring sunshine and rain — on and off the field. “The Chicago Cubs hosted Toronto at Wrigley Field on Friday and Saturday, outscoring the Blue Jays 21-2 in the first 15 innings of the series.”

Food For Thought:

Jack de Keyzer is a British-born Canadian blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer.[1] He has twice won the Juno Award, Canada’s highest musical honour and seven times received Maple Blues Awards, including for Blues Album of the Year in 2000 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. Real Blues Magazine crowned him Live Act of the Year in 2001 and named him Guitarist of the Year twice.

As a solo artist, he has released eleven CDs and one DVD and has appeared as a session guitarist on hundreds of recordings. As a session guitarist, he worked with Etta James, Otis Rush, John Hammond, Jr., Ronnie Hawkins, Duke Robillard, Robert Gordon, Willy Big Eyes Smith, Bo Diddley, and Blue Rodeo.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

If you didn’t know any better, if you hadn’t been watching the rest of the 2026 Orioles season, you could be tempted after a game like this one to conclude that things are definitely going to be okay with the Orioles. Maybe we are in the middle of where they’re finally doing it. Maybe. They certainly need games like this one to happen more often than they have been. Kyle Bradish had a masterful outing against his former organization, pitching eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts to help push the Orioles to a relatively easy 6-1 win over the Angels.

The Orioles led this game from their very first batter. Taylor Ward, who hit 36 home runs for the Angels a year ago, greeted his former team with a 419 foot home run over the center field fence. Ward, traded for Grayson Rodriguez over the offseason, has not been homering at such a mighty rate for the Orioles. This was just his fifth long ball of the season.

One run was nearly enough for Bradish to do the thing on its own. That’s not to say that it always looked that way. The Angels threatened to get the run right back in the bottom half of the first after a couple of one-out singles. We’ve seen many a game this year where the defense or the pitcher or both just collapse and give up the lead they just got.

On Monday night, Bradish did not do the collapse. He rocked. That first inning was the closest they ever got to scoring against him. He rolled through the next seven innings, never allowing more than one runner to reach in any other inning. The only time he let the leadoff batter reach base, he induced a ground ball double play immediately afterwards. And, crucially, he was fairly efficient with his pitches, the real thing that let him get through eight. In all, Bradish tossed 101 pitches. It wasn’t a complete game, but it was the kind of start the O’s have been sorely lacking from him and others this year.

While Bradish was dominating, the Orioles offense did not do that thing where they score early and then fall asleep. Well, mostly. Angels starting pitcher Sam Aldegheri did retire nine straight Orioles after giving up the leadoff homer to Ward. That streak came to an end as Gunnar Henderson drew a walk leading off the fourth inning. Pete Alonso muscled a soft liner that floated over the shortstop’s head into left field.

We’ve seen the Orioles blow plenty of “two on, none out” rallies this season. Coby Mayo ended any question about that happening by connecting on a bottom-of-the-zone changeup and driving it out into the seats in left field. It didn’t clear the fence by too much, but enough is enough. This would have been a home run in 28 stadiums, but not Camden Yards. On the road, count it as an Earl Weaver special, with the Orioles now holding a 4-0 lead.

The offense continued to add on for Bradish with a run apiece in the fifth and seventh innings, not that he needed it. In all, it was a strong, 11-hit effort. Henderson collected three of those hits, dragging his on-base percentage back over .300 for the first time since, if you can believe this, April 15. That’s another guy that the Orioles need to be able to have “back” if they’re going to sustain good things this season. Each of the top four hitters in the lineup scored at least one run and drove in at least one run.

Unfortunately, the win did not come without a cost, as there was an in-game injury that caused more than a little bit of chaos. Starting third baseman Blaze Alexander fouled a ball off of his knee on the way to striking out in the second inning. An inning later, Alexander was unable to take the field and the Orioles had to put in a sub for him.

Problem: With Jackson Holliday apparently not available due to groin tightness, with recent Orioles roster decisions leaving them bereft of any further bench infielders, and with Mayo already in as the designated hitter, that meant it was emergency substitute time. I’m talking Leody Taveras playing third base level of emergency, the first time Taveras has ever played anywhere on the infield in a professional career that spans back to 2016. Naturally, the very first ball in play after Taveras entered the game was a grounder to third. He fielded it and threw it to first. Alonso had to make a nice save to stop it from being an error, but still, the chance was completed.

After the game, manager Craig Albernaz said that Alexander suffered a contusion from the foul ball and it locked up on him an inning later. The Orioles don’t seem to be concerned about a long-term injury problem here, but unless Alexander and Holliday can play tonight, they might need to make a roster move for an infielder so they don’t have to get weird again. Taveras only got the one ground ball chance before the Orioles gave up the DH to shift Mayo to third in the eighth inning.

The Angels finally got on board in the ninth. Jorge Soler hit a leadoff homer against Rico Garcia. That continues a tough June for Garcia, as he’s allowed five earned runs in seven innings pitched. Even so, his ERA remains low at 1.95, and in Monday’s game that was the only guy he let on base, so the game never got too dramatic there towards the end.

This is the sixth time this season that the Orioles have won three straight games. They have failed to win a fourth straight the previous five times. Is this the time they can change that, facing the team with the worst record in the AL? Tuesday’s game will answer the question one way or the other. Shane Baz is set to start the 9:38 Eastern game for the Orioles, with the Angels sending Ryan Anderson to the mound. Anderson has a 12.83 ERA in five games. It’s time to finally do this thing, Orioles. It’s long past time.

**

It is the longtime tradition on Camden Chat to choose the Most Birdland Player after each victory. What is “Most Birdland”? It cannot be explained. You just have to feel it. Sometimes, this is the most valuable player of a game, and other times, it is not. Let us know your pick for this excellent victory in the comments below.

After a rousing review of everyone’s favorite Mariners conspiracy theories last week, I decided to come back to a familiar topic: how much we, as Mariners fans, dislike the rest of the AL West. I asked everyone rank the other AL West teams from most hated to least hated in order to get the pulse of the general Mariners fan consensus these days, and the results had a few surprises!

I’ll throw some hot take rankings on the results using my patented and very scientific Mariners Hot Take Ranking System:

Okay, let’s get into it.

THE RESULTS:

• Most votes for #1 most hated rival: the Houston Astros
• Second most votes for #1 most hated rival: the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• Most votes for #2 most hated rival: the Texas Rangers
• Least amount of votes for any of the top 3 most hated rival spots: the West Sacramento Athletics

ANALYSIS:

Gonna go ahead and give a BEAVAN to ranking the A’s as the least hated rival. We all could have guessed this. Most of us still feel bad for all the fans who had their team sold and moved on them, only to have to suffer the further injustice of seeing the A’s play in a minor league stadium for at least two seasons a few hours away from the Bay Area in Sacramento. It’s a lousy situation all around and the final scores at that lil’ bandbox stadium reflect that. Whatever is going on in West Sacramento right now is none of our business as Mariners fans, even when the Mariners play there. I hope A’s fans find peace.

The Texas Rangers got a lot of votes for number two most hated rival, inserting themselves between the Astros and Angels in some fashion for most. I feel like hatred for the Rangers has increased in last 8 years or so due to their World Series run and their continued refusal to not have a pride night (the only team in MLB!), among other dubious choices and political signaling which I will not be getting into further. In fact, I can’t say any of the other things I despise about the Rangers without inviting commentary that will break the site guideLLines and make Sweezo want to Albert Belle me at the next softbaLL game (details coming soon!). Anyways, I give this one an IWAKUMA.

Ultimately I figured the Astros would continue their legacy of being hated for the top-to-bottom shitbirds they are, but the currently 32-48 (!!!) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim getting so many most hated votes surprised me a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I loathe them. They are a stain upon all that is good and just in the world of baseball. They are the last stop on countless players’ career journeys and have proven repeatedly to be extremely hazardous to pitcher health, even downright hostile. And that’s without even diving into the tragic death of Tyler Skaggs. Nevertheless, I thought that the Angel’s complete nosedive in irrelevancy (more so that usual even!) would have spared them some hatred, but nope! Mariners fans do not forget.

Speaking of not forgetting, ha ha oh yes the Astros. Boy, do we still hate the team that still fields players from the 2019 cheating scandal who were never actually punished. And we should because while MLB fined and suspended the owners, executives, and coaches, it’s still up to the court of public opinion to let these players know that a line was crossed and we still do not approve.

Giving these rankings of the Angels and Astros a BOSIO because to me there is nothing more workmanlike than clocking in to hate these bastards on any given day.

What did we miss? Any other personal pet peeves about the AL West rivals? Disagree with the rankings? Let’s hear it in the comments!