Category: Baseball

All seven of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Tuesday. Here’s what happened!

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

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AAA Sacramento (40-27)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Oklahoma City Comets (Dodgers) 10-1
Box score

RHP Tyler Mahle began his rehab assignment on Tuesday, a few days later than planned (Mahle was supposed to begin his rehab on Sunday, but that game was rained out, and Monday was an off-day). Rehab assignments are all about ramping up and feeling healthy, so we’ll try to overlook the fact that Mahle was not very sharp. He only threw 33 of 63 pitches for strikes, while walking 5 batters in just 3 innings. He wasn’t particularly hittable, admittedly, as he only gave up 1 hit and 1 run, with 3 strikeouts, but still not the most encouraging outing. With RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL) struggling, and Mahle being a player who could be moved at the deadline, it seems likely that he’ll be back in the MLB rotation soon.

Also rehabbing was RHP Jason Foley, who pitched a perfect inning while throwing 8 of 10 pitches for strikes. Foley has pitched well in his rehab, though he had it hit the pause button when his arm struggled to recover from back-to-back outings. Now he’s rehabbing again, and could be helping the MLB bullpen soon.

RHP Carson Seymour, like Mahle, struggled with command, issuing 4 walks in 3 innings, though he gave up just 1 hit and 0 runs, while striking out 3. Seymour hasn’t looked particularly good in AAA (3.81 ERA, 4.70 FIP) or in the Majors (14.54 ERA, 6.56 FIP) this year. Already 27 years old, it’s fair to wonder if the Giants are thinking of moving on at some point.

LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 41 CPL) hasn’t had a very good season either, but has been really strong since returning from an unofficial (I believe) stint on the Development List. He was dominant in the 9th inning of this game, throwing 8 of 9 pitches for strikes in a perfect frame, while striking out 2. I’m still optimistic that we see him in the San Francisco bullpen in the second half of the season.

A lot of good days on offense. The hits just keep coming for second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL), who hit 4-6 with a double, a stolen base, and an error. Furman, a 24-year old lefty acquired in the Alex Cobb trade, has been living up to his billing as a contact maven in his debut AAA stint. He’s up to a .292 batting average and just a 12.5% strikeout rate, with a sensational 3.9% swinging strike rate … a mark that ranks 2nd out of 54 Pacific Coast League hitters with at least 200 plate appearances … and 3rd out of 674 Minor League hitters across all leagues and levels (min: 200 PA). It does seem logical to conclude that the Giants might want Furman to slide right into Luis Arráez’s spot when Arráez is inevitably traded, though for now that spot seems to be Casey Schmitt’s to take.

Nate Furman brings the lead to 9 runs 🫡 pic.twitter.com/QrY3tE0vrO

— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) June 17, 2026

In total, Furman has an .804 OPS, a 115 wRC+, and 10 stolen bases in 14 attempts.

The big hit belonged to third baseman Thomas Gavello, who hit 1-4 with a 3-run home run, a walk, a strikeout, and 4 runs driven in. Gavello is still trying to get off the interstate, and right now his biggest strength is that he plays all over the diamond and is a fantastic clubhouse guy. But we shouldn’t forget that there’s quite a bit of talent there, too! Sometimes it just comes out late.

3-RUN JACK FOR GAVELLO! 💥

Thomas Gavello makes it a 7-1 ballgame with an opposite-field homerun! pic.twitter.com/V94ceIw50i

— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) June 17, 2026

First baseman Jake Holton had a good but painful day, going 0-1 but drawing a walk and getting hit 3 times. Left fielder Jared Oliva continued his rehab and went 2-5 with a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout, while center fielder Turner Hill stated his case for that sort of a role, hitting 2-5 with a stolen base and an outfield assist.

Turner's 2-RBI knock makes it a 4-1 ballgame 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LaeyODuaBV

— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) June 17, 2026

Catcher Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) and designated hitter Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) drew to a draw in their race to be next man up behind the dish in San Francisco, as both players had a pair of singles and a walk.

AA Richmond (41-22)

Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles) 8-4
Box score

A fairly uninteresting day on either side of the diamond, save for big days from a pair of hitters: center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) and first baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL).

Davidson continued his June dominance. He only hit 1-4, but the hit was a 2-run home run, he didn’t strike out, and he continued his stellar defensive year with an outfield assist at third base and a robbery.

Bo Davidson just keeps hitting homers 🔥

We're on the board in the sixth thanks to another @Woodfin home run for your home team! pic.twitter.com/hCziZjKvA1

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 17, 2026

After a rough May that featured just 1 home run and a ton of strikeouts, the soon-to-turn 24-year old has spent June regaining any top prospect status that he had risked losing. He’s hit safely in 12 of the 13 games he’s played in this month, with the only exception being the weather-shortened game that ended in the 5th inning. In total, he’s hit a staggering 18-48 with 7 home runs in June, while striking out just 10 times. That’s given him not just an .854 OPS and a 120 wRC+ on the season, but has also put him in 1st place on the Giants farm system home run leaderboard. If he keeps this up, we’ll almost certainly see him in AAA by the end of the year, especially since he’s going to be Rule 5 eligible this winter.

BO DAVIDSON TAKES AWAY ANOTHER HOMER 😤 pic.twitter.com/X4TniHe8jU

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 17, 2026

As for Ceballos, who came to the Giants in the Jorge Soler trade, he showed off his power, hitting 1-2 with a 2-run home run and 2 walks.

Ceballos, a 23-year old taken in the 3rd round in 2023, is repeating AA, and is once again struggling with his batting average, which is just .228 after being .232 a year ago. But he’s found some of the power he lost last year … he now has 7 home runs on the season, surpassing last year’s total while barely having half as many plate appearances. He only has a .734 OPS and a 99 wRC+, but with his decent power, his ability to avoid strikeouts, and his excellent defense at both corners of the dirt, there’s something exciting there if he can just find a way to get more hits.

Sabin Say Goodbye-os strikes in Bowie 💪 pic.twitter.com/j67U70iuZe

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 17, 2026

Tough days for a pair of exciting players who are going through rough patches: left fielder Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) and shortstop Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL). Harber, who missed the start of the season due to injury, but was red hot when he got started, went 0-3 with a walk, 2 strikeouts, and an error. In his last 12 games, Harber is hitting just 8-43 with 0 home runs, 3 doubles, 9 walks, and 20 strikeouts, which has brought him down to an .871 OPS and a 130 wRC+ … still fantastic numbers! Ahuna went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, as the contact concerns continue to rear their heads. Ahuna has hit a lowly 5-39 with 21 strikeouts in June, and now has a .674 OPS and an 81 wRC+. The bigger concern, however, is the 36.5% strikeout rate and the 18.6% swinging strike rate … numbers that rank 102nd and 99th, respectively, out of 104 Eastern League hitters with at least 150 plate appearances this season.

Not a good pitching day, though RHP Mitch White tossed a perfect inning, which was great to see since he’s been struggling quite a bit. LHP Greg Farone continued to have a hard time adjusting to AA, as the 2024 7th-rounder gave up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs in 5 innings of action, while striking out just 3 batters. June has been a tiny bit better to Farone than the rest of the year, as he has a 5.14 ERA in the month, after ERAs in the 6s in the prior 2 months. The recently-turned 24-year old has a very interesting profile and could really develop into something exciting, but right now he’s not really doing anything well from a results standpoint: he has a 6.15 ERA, a 6.40 FIP, 8.5 strikeouts per 9 innings, and 5.1 walks.

High-A Eugene (42-22)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Tri-City Dust Devils (Angels) 10-6
Box score

In the Northwest League, however, there was a highly encouraging starting pitching performance, as RHP Niko Mazza took the mound for the Emeralds and struck out 7 Dust Devils in 5 innings of work, while allowing just 5 baserunners. It wasn’t a flawless performance, as 3 of the 5 baserunners he allowed (2 singles and a hit batter) came to the first 3 batters he faced. That, combined with a sacrifice fly, put 2 runs on his ledger. But he recovered to retire 15 of the next 17 batters he faced, with only a pair of walks reaching base.

Mazza, a 23-year old who was taken in the 8th round in 2024, has settled in fairly nicely with Eugene, where he has a 3.06 ERA and has struck out 11.3 batters per 9 innings. He’s had an issue with walks (5.9 per 9), which has led to a slightly bloated FIP (4.27), but it’s been a very strong 2nd season in the pros.

RHP Matt Dunaway made his 2nd appearance since getting returned to Eugene following an injury and a rehab appearance, and he tossed 2 perfect innings with 1 strikeout. LHP Esmerlin Vinicio, unfortunately, had a bad outing for one of the only times this year, ceding 8 baserunners and 4 runs in 2 innings … after having given up just 3 runs in 29.2 innings entering the game.

On offense, designated hitter Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) once again showed off the massive power leap he’s made this year, hitting 2-5 with a home run, a strikeout, and 3 runs batted in. Anyone who has been reading these roundups is aware that Gutierrez, one of the best hitters for average in all of the Minors last year, has given up some of that this season in pursuit of more power, and this was the latest example. The 21-year old lefty now has 7 home runs in 51 games with High-A … after just 3 in 85 games across the DSL, ACL, and Low-A.

A Lisbel Diaz triple, two infield singles from @tcohen_ and @Kota_1k, and @GavinKilen’s 50th RBI of the year set the stage for a Carlos Gutierrez 2-run HR. 4-2 in the third#RootedHerepic.twitter.com/Kly25JMUUx

— Eugene Emeralds (@EugeneEmeralds) June 17, 2026

There’s room for the batting average to come up for Gutierrez, as it’s just .263 right now. The low strikeout rate (18.9%) and decent speed certainly suggests that Guttierez can get that number a lot closer to .300 eventually. But for now, with the power increase, it’s still good for a .823 OPS and a 123 wRC+, and given Gutierrez’s age and inexperience, that’s really impressive.

Funnily enough, of Eugene’s 5 extra-base hits, 3 of them were triples, and they came from a trio of good prospects who had nice days: right fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) went 3-6 though he was caught stealing; center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) hit 2-5 with a stolen base and a strikeout; and left fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) went 2-5, albeit with 2 strikeouts.

Trevor Cohen is automatic

The Ems leadoff man bangs a triple off the wall to plate a pair of 6-2#RootedHere@tcohen_pic.twitter.com/H0NvDRIqOG

— Eugene Emeralds (@EugeneEmeralds) June 17, 2026

Not to be outdone, @Kota_1k adds a triple of his own. 8-2 Eugene#RootedHerepic.twitter.com/lt8UYKf68d

— Eugene Emeralds (@EugeneEmeralds) June 17, 2026

First baseman Jakob Christian (No. 40 CPL) continued his absurd streak of walk-drawing, as he went 1-1 and drew 4 walks. Christian has now drawn 9 walks in his last 4 games, boosting his walk rate to 13.6% on the year, with an .859 OPS and a 134 wRC+. His strikeout rate, however, remains a very high 30.3%.

Low-A San Jose (37-27)

San Jose Giants lost to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 2-1
Box score

A very funny pitching performance from RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL). Martinez has put his strength and his concern fully on display this year: strikeouts and walks, respectively. And that was true to an extreme on Tuesday, when he struck out 6 batters in just 4 innings … but walked 7.

Remarkably, despite giving up 11 baserunners in those 4 innings (he also hit a batter, and gave up a home run and 2 singles), Martinez was only tagged for 2 runs, and just 1 earned run. Just a strange game for the 21-year old from Venezuela.

Martinez has proved mostly unhittable this year, as he’s given up just 32 hits in 45.1 innings … with 73 strikeouts. His 14.5 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks 3rd out of the 509 Minor Leaguers with at least 40 innings thrown this year, and if you want to know why he’s emerged as arguably the top pitching prospect in the organization, well … that’s why! But if you want to know what’s keeping him from more success — such as a promotion, or a spot on a top 100 list — it sits with the 6.0 walks per 9 innings, which needs to be addressed in a big way.

Nice bullpen games from the 2 relievers who pitched, RHPs Alix Hernandez and Garrett Langrell. Both pitchers gave up 3 baserunners and 0 runs, with 3 strikeouts; Hernandez while pitching 3 innings, and Langrell while pitching 2. Both players have strong strikeout numbers this year, but haven’t been able to make the total package work.

A nothing-burger on offense, with the Baby Giants mustering just 4 hits on the day. Shortstop Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) had perhaps the best day, hitting 1-3 with a double, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Meola is still trying to overcome his slow start to the year, but last year’s 4th-round pick has been playing quite well lately, and seems to be enjoying getting to play shortstop regularly with Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) promoted to High-A.

Arizona Complex League (16-16)

ACL Giants lost to the ACL D-backs 5-4 (7 innings)
Box score

Not the most interesting game, but a few nice performances, especially on offense. Second baseman Anthony Marquez, a 19-year old in his 1st season stateside, hit 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base. After a pair of strong seasons in the DSL, Marquez has struggled a bit to adapt to the ACL, and has just a .673 OPS and a 78 wRC+. He’s still drawing a ton of walks, like always (15.9% walk rate), but is having a hard time hitting for average … he’s at just .216 for the year, after boasting a .279 average in 2024, and a .276 average last year. He does have 6 stolen bases though, and some strong defense.

Designated hitter Yosneiker Rivas, a 20-year old in his 1st ACL season after 3 years in the DSL, hit 2-2 with a double and a walk. The lefty from Venezuela has adapted very well to stateside ball, as he’s hitting for average (.343), drawing walks (16.7%), and limiting strikeouts (19.0%). He’s not hitting for much power at all, but the hits and walks have given him an .881 OPS and a 130 wRC+.

As for the big name prospects, recently-returned first baseman/DH Reggie Crawford didn’t play, while shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Shortstop Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) hit 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Dominican Summer League Black (7-5)

DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Mets Orange 4-1
Box score

A trio of hitters who reached base a bunch in this game. Center fielder Djean Macares, an 18-year old in his 2nd season, went 0-2, but drew 3 walks and stole 2 bases. Just as was the case in his debut last year, Macares — who was arguably the team’s 2nd-biggest signing last year after Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) — is doing a tremendous job of limiting strikeouts, but having a hard time doing damage with the bat. He has just an 8.9% strikeout rate this year, with a tremendous 19.6% walk rate … but has only a .233 batting average and a .070 isolated slugging, resulting in a .702 OPS and a 90 wRC+.

Designated hitter Diego Villegas hit 1-2 and drew 2 walks while getting caught stealing. A good game, but unfortunately the 22-year old has been unable to separate himself from the pack in his 6th DSL season. And catcher Diego Alambarrio, an 18-year old in his 2nd season, had a painfully successful game, hitting 0-1 but getting hit 3 times. He’s already been hit 7 times in his career, despite playing just 17 games. Catchers! They’re built different!

A really nice start by RHP Santiago Guerrero, an 18-year old from Mexico who is a member of the team’s very small signing class this year. Guerrero is an intriguing prospect, and in his 3rd professional game tossed 4 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts and 0 walks, while giving up just 3 singles. Very impressive stuff. He’s been excellent in 2 games, while having a dud sandwiched between them.

LHP Hector Dos Santos tossed 2 perfect innings with a strikeout. Through 4 games this year, the 20-year old in his 2nd season has given up just 3 baserunners and 0 runs in 4.1 innings.

Dominican Summer League Orange (8-4)

DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Mariners 9-8 (10 innings)
Box score

Despite the gaudy run total, the Giants Orange squad had just 1 extra-base hit on the day. Welcome to the DSL!

A few players had nice offensive games though: center fielder Jose Valdez, a 17-year old in his debut season, hit 2-3 with a walk, raising his OPS to .807 and his wRC+ to 97; first baseman Albert Jimenez, a 19-year old in his 3rd season, went 2-5 with a double and a strikeout, giving him a whopping 1.293 OPS and 180 wRC+; shortstop Jonathan Valle, an 18-year old debuting player, hit 1-3 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and a strikeout, and now has a .669 OPS, a 58 wRC+, and 3 stolen bases; second baseman Yeison Oviedo, an 18-year old in his 2nd season, hit 0-2 but drew 3 walks and stole a base, moving his OPS to .845 and his wRC+ to 116, with 2 stolen bases; and left fielder Angelo Ugueto, a 17-year old who was signed in January, hit 3-4 with a strikeout, bumping his OPS to .754 and his wRC+ to 96.

A pair of players pitched really well: RHPs Fernando Estrella and Abraham Utrera. Estrella, a 23-year old who is pitching for the first time since 2022, threw a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts in his 2nd appearance of the season. Utrera, a 21-year old in his 2nd season, gave up a hit and a walk in 2 shutout innings, with 3 strikeouts. He has 16 strikeouts in 9 innings this year.

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Home run tracker

13 — Bo Davidson — [AA]
7 — Sabin Ceballos — [AA]
7 — Carlos Gutierrez — [High-A]
5 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA]

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Wednesday schedule

Sacramento: 4:05 p.m. PT at Oklahoma City (SP: Matt Wilkinson)
Richmond: 3:35 p.m. PT at Chesapeake (SP: Charlie McDaniel)
Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Tri-City (SP: Tyler Switalski)
San Jose: 1:00 p.m. PT vs. Lake Elsinore (SP: Jordan Gottesman)

Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV.

Scoring was much more prevalent on Wednesday, but the Dodgers secured their third straight one-run win against the Tampa Bay Rays, taking the finale 5-4 to complete the sweep.

Just like on Tuesday, both teams were held scoreless over the first three innings, as Shohei Ohtani and Shane McClanahan allowed just two baserunners apiece over that span.

The Dodgers began the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts, giving them their first baserunner since the second inning. A dazzling defensive play from Richie Palacios robbed Kyle Tucker of a hit but moved Betts into scoring position, setting the table for an RBI single from Alex Call to help the Dodgers strike first against McClanahan.

A successful ABS challenge by Dalton Rushing helped him reach on a walk, and Alex Freeland kept the two-out rally alive with an RBI single to left to make it a two-run lead. After a walk to Tommy Edman loaded the bases, that marked the end for McClanahan’s day. Casey Legunima got out of the jam without any further trouble by getting Andy Pages to line out to leave the bases full.

Alex² pic.twitter.com/6sMVU3iho6

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 17, 2026

After Shohei Ohtani extended the Dodgers’ pitching scoreless streak to 20 innings against Tampa Bay, Ohtani allowed the first two to reach in the top of the fifth with a walk to Victor Mesa Jr. and a double from Hunter Feduccia. The shutout attempt fell by the wayside with a sacrifice fly from Taylor Walls, and an RBI single from Yandy Díaz tied the game at two to take McClanahan off the hook for the loss.

Ohtani induced a ground ball off the bat of Cedric Mullins that looked like a sure out at first, but Freddie Freeman hesitated on the play and Ohtani couldn’t cover the bag in time allowing Mullins to reach to load the bases. Tommy Edman made a fantastic play to rob Junior Caminero of a hit, but the throw nearly got away from Freeland to spoil the double play, score a run and help Tampa Bay take a 3-2 lead. Palacios followed up with a two-out RBI single to right to make it a two-run Rays lead.

The Dodgers responded by loading the bases against Legumina with nobody out to begin the bottom of the fifth which signaled the end of his afternoon. Tucker worked a nine-pitch walk against Garrett Cleavinger to bring the Dodgers down a run, but the left-hander got both Alex Call and Dalton Rushing to fly out before striking out Alex Freeland to get out of the jam.

Ohtani had better fortunes in the sixth inning, retiring the side in order to end his outing. Wednesday was the most struggling start for Ohtani as a Dodger, as his four earned runs were the most he’s allowed in any start this season. He’s allowed seven runs over his last 12 2/3 IP and his season ERA now sits at 1.47, which now ranks second behind Jacob Misiorowski for the lowest ERA among all pitchers with at least 70 innings.

Despite the poor start, the Dodgers took him off the hook for the loss and in line for the win, as Freddie Freeman clobbered a two-run home run to center field, giving the Dodgers the lead once again.

Freddie flips the script! pic.twitter.com/ODCZShidAI

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 17, 2026

Edgardo Henriquez worked around a leadoff infield single from Díaz in the top of the seventh and recorded four outs overall on the day. Jack Dreyer followed him out of the bullpen to secure the final two outs in the top of the eighth inning.

Instead of Tanner Scott attempting to record a third consecutive save against the Rays, Alex Vesia was called upon for the ninth. Vesia allowed a leadoff walk to pinch-hitter Austin Slater, and Slater took second on a stolen base to put the potential tying run in scoring position. The left-hander got pinch-hitter Ben Williamson to line out before inducing an infield pop fly out from Taylor Walls. Díaz was put on intentionally to fill the open bag at first and Aranda worked a seven-pitch walk to load the bases with two outs. Vesia found himself in a full count against Mullins, but a sharp slider sent him down swinging on strikes, securing the Dodgers’ first sweep since doing so against the Colorado Rockies from May 25-27.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Freddie Freeman (12)
• WP— Shohei Ohtani (7-2): 6 IP, 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
• LP—Kevin Kelly (4-3): 2 IP, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
• SV— Alex Vesia (3): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout

Up next

The Dodgers are off on Thursday but are back at home to welcome the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game set beginning Friday (7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Roki Sasaki goes for the Dodgers while the Orioles have yet to announce their starter.

Wednesday notes…

• SCORING FIRST IS USUALLY GOOD: Last night’s loss was just the Cubs’ second of the season at home after they had scored first. But it was their second in three such games since a 10-0 start. They are 24-9 in all games when they have scored first; 14-27 when they have not. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THREE IS THE NUMBER OF THE COUNTING: The Cubs are 35-16 when they have scored at least three runs; just 4-20 with no more than two. They lost last night despite making eight hits. They are 32-20 with at least seven. They lost despite hitting a homer. They are 33-20 with at least one. And they lost despite earning four walks. They are 32-23 with at least three. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THE NICO FILES: No Cub batter started the season hotter than Nico Hoerner. Through his first 12 games, his OPS was exactly 1.000. It was last above .900 after 24 games, at .908. It was last above .800 after 37 games: .809. It was last above .700 after 56 games: .705. It now stands at .641. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Jake Arrieta throws six shutout innings, striking out 11, and the Cubs defeat the Pirates 6-0 at PNC Park. They are 45-20 after this win and lead the NL Central by 10.5 games. It happened 10 years ago today, Friday, June 17, 2016.

Cubs lineup:

Last one of the series.

Tune in live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/LYsdiVII5T

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 17, 2026

Rockies lineup:

Going for the series win 😤 pic.twitter.com/w28eZ8DbIf

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 17, 2026

Javier Assad, RHP vs. Sean Sullivan, LHP

Javier Assad has had two straight outstanding outings, first after coming into a game at Wrigley Field in an emergency after Jameson Taillon was injured, then in a start against the Giants last Friday in San Francisco, where he threw six shutout innings.

Keep up the good work, Javier. Last year, he threw six innings and allowed three runs to the Rockies Aug. 30, 2025 in Coors Field. Perhaps Wrigley will be more pitcher-friendly to Assad.

Sean Sullivan was the Rockies’ second-round pick out of Wake Forest in 2023. He made his MLB debut last Friday against the A’s in Sacramento and threw three scoreless innings, which in Sacramento is pretty good!

Sullivan threw 49 pitches in that game. He was throwing 80-plus pitches for most of the year in his starts with Triple-A Albuquerque so he is likely going a bit longer tonight.

Obviously he’s never faced the Cubs or anyone on their active roster.

Based on the pitch chart below — and remember, it’s just 49 pitches — he appears to be a soft-tossing lefty.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Rockies site Purple Row. If you do go there to interact with Rockies fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Phillies play a three-game series in Philadelphia starting on Thursday night at 6:40 on SNY...

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5 things to watch

The return of Francisco Lindor?

As Lindor continues to play simulated games at Citi Field, his return from a nearly two-month long absence appears imminent.

There's a chance Lindor is back as early as Saturday against the Phillies, in the second game of the series. 

When Lindor does return, it will be just the 12th time that both he and Juan Soto are in the lineup together this season -- with Lindor having suffered his calf injury in the same April game where Soto returned from his. 

The Mets' offense has been better lately, with them averaging roughly 4.7 runs per game over the last week -- including their nine-run eruption on Wednesday against the Reds.

Lindor being back should add a serious jolt to that. If he isn't activated from the IL in Philadelphia, it stands to reason that he'll return during New York's homestand that opens this coming Monday against the Cubs. 

Bo Bichette is on fire

Bichette entered play on Wednesday having slashed .412 with a 1.222 OPS in 53 plate appearances over his last 12 games.

On Wednesday, he had another huge day, going 3-for-4 with a walk, RBI, and two runs scored. Bichette's OPS, which was .531 on May 17,is up to .677.

The return to form by Bichette has been enormous for the lineup, which is also getting strong contributions lately from Juan Soto (who has been on a tear for most of the season), Francisco Alvarez, Carson Benge, and A.J. Ewing.

Once Lindor returns, Bichette -- who has been holding down shortstop in Lindor's absence -- will slide back to third base.

Can Sean Manaea continue to excel?

New York's starting rotation is a tricky jigsaw puzzle right now, but Manaea has been sharp lately -- taking a bit of pressure off.

After working in a bulk role for a while, Manaea returned to the rotation on June 13 against the Braves and was strong, allowing two runs in six innings while striking out six.

Manaea gets the start in Thursday's series-opener, with Freddy Peralta slated to start on Saturday and New York possibly going with a bullpen game on Sunday night. 

Kyle Schwarber is on another level

Schwarber, fresh off re-signing with the Phillies this offseason after being pursued by the Mets and others, is having another monster year.

He entered play on Wednesday with an MLB-leading 25 homers, putting him on pace to come close to the career-high 56 he slugged last season.

Overall, Schwarber is hitting .249/.368/.574 in 70 games, with his slugging percentage leading the National League.

Strikeouts continue to be Schwarber's kryptonite, with him fanning a league-worst 107 times already. He's on pace to strike out 237 times this season, which would shatter his career-worst to this point (215 strikeouts in 2023).

Can the Mets get to Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler?

After the Mets face Aaron Nola (5.86 ERA, 1.47 WHIP), they draw Philadelphia's aces.

Sanchez, one of the early favorites for the NL Cy Young award, has a 1.82 ERA (2.14 FIP) and 1.09 WHIP while striking out 10.5 batters per nine in a league-best 99.0 innings.

Wheeler, who missed the start of the season as he finished his recovery from thoracic outlet surgery, has been nearly as good.

In 62.2 innings over 10 starts, Wheeler has allowed just 38 hits. He has a 2.01 ERA (3.38 FIP) and 0.84 WHIP, though his strikeout rate (8.9) has taken a serious dip from where it was in 2025 (11.7 per nine) and is the lowest it's been since the shortened 2020 campaign. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Bo Bichette

Bichette is sure to get a rude welcome after spurning the Phillies in the offseason. He'll use it as fuel. 

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Freddy Peralta

Peralta locked in during his last outing, allowing just one run in five innings against the Braves. 

Which Phillies player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Brandon Marsh

Marsh is in the midst of the best season of his career.

After he was virtually untouchable in his first nine appearances of the season, Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher, is mired in a two-start funk on the mound.

Ohtani, who gave up one or no runs in eight of his first nine starts, gave up more runs in one inning — four — on Wednesday, June 17 than he did in his first five starts. And now he has a pair of nagging physical issues to monitor.

Making his first start since sitting out a game as a hitter due to left knee inflammation, Ohtani was peppered for four singles, a double and a walk as the Tampa Bay Rays batted around in the fifth inning.

After the inning, cameras caught small traces of blood on his pants, from the middle finger on his pitching hand, although Ohtani came out to pitch a scoreless sixth and even served as pinch-hitter in the bottom of the inning.

More: From Ohtani to Luka to Myles Garrett, LA gets what it wants | Opinion

Despite his struggles he ended up the winning pitcher, after Freddie Freeman clubbed a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, erasing a deficit and giving the Dodgers a 5-4 lead that the bullpen preserved.

L.A.'s relievers pitched nine scoreless innings in the three-game sweep of the Rays.

Yet the good vibes were at least partially tempered by the notion Ohtani - now 7-2 - hasn't been as indomitable of late as he was in the season's first third. He was sanguine about his dual health concerns.

"It’s just part of the game. Not a lot of situations where you feel 100% so I took it as that,' Ohtani told reporters via translator Will Ireton. "It was big we were able to win a game like this."

The bad inning Wednesday was fueled in part by his tardiness covering first base on a groundball to Freeman, who glanced momentarily toward second, freezing Ohtani in his journey off the mound. Soon, a 2-0 Dodgers lead was a 4-2 deficit.

And after Ohtani's six innings of seven-hit, four-run, one-walk, five-strikeout work against the Rays, his ERA stood at 1.47. Elite, to be sure, but when he took the mound in Pittsburgh one week ago, it was at an absurd 0.74.

Ohtani allowed a season-high 10 baserunners and gave up a season-high three earned runs to the Pirates in that game and a day later, was removed from the game due to left knee inflammation.

Ohtani sat out just one game as DH, and manager Dave Roberts said he remained on track to make his assignment against the Rays. That he did, though it went south after four innings, and now the finger issue may be one to further monitor for the Dodgers.

"My every intention was to start today’s game.," says Ohtani. "Didn’t really feel like that was not going to be an option not to pitch."

Roberts felt confident sending Ohtani out for the sixth despite his rough fifth inning and the knee and finger issues, citing a desire to avoid lower-leverage relievers before aligning for the seventh, eighth and ninth.

"He still always finds a way to manage innings and make pitches when he needs to," says Roberts. "I think he’s still kind of working through delivery stuff with the knee."

Roberts said that "right now," Ohtani would be fine to make his next start one week from now, and says they will revisit his use of a topical skin adhesive on the middle finger. As for the past two starts?

"I don’t think anyone expected him," says Roberts, "to never give up any runs."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani's ERA has doubled in last two starts after tough June 17 outing

The controversy around the Pride Night protest by three San Francisco Giants pitchers continues to grow.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) entered the fray Tuesday, demanding answers from Major League Baseball after it issued warnings to Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker about writing on their uniforms. The players added a Bible verse on their specialty caps for the night.

In a letter addressed to MLB commissioner Robert Manfred, the Republican senator also accused the league of “a pattern of discrimination ... against baseball players who profess their Christian faith.”

“I write with grave concern over your reported decision to issue a formal warning to three Major League Baseball (MLB) players for publicly expressing their Christian faith,” Hawley says in his letter. “MLB has said this is a content-neutral policy and that MLB ‘respect[s] players’ right to free expression.’ But this is dubious, given that MLB is openly promoting a political viewpoint and possibly compelling adherence to that viewpoint.”

Read more:Swanson: Dodgers show courage by permanently honoring LGBTQ+ pioneers Glenn Burke and Billy Bean

The Missouri senator referenced the league’s “sweeping, judicially manufactured exemption from the federal antitrust laws” as justification for his inquiries.

A number of other Republican politicians also called out MLB for its actions, including North Carolina Rep. Greg Murphy, Florida Atty. Gen. James Uthmeier and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

“Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media.

In Friday’s Pride Night game against the Chicago Cubs, Roupp, the Giants’ starting pitcher, wore a hat with “Gen 9:12-16” written alongside the rainbow “SF” logo. Relief pitchers Brubaker and Walker also added similar references to the Old Testament passage about rainbows being a “covenant between God and every living creature” on their caps. (Fellow Giants pitcher Sam Hentges chose to wear a cap with the team’s standard logo instead of the Pride Night version.)

“That’s just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that,” Roupp told reporters after the game. “I’m thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want ... and express what we want.

“The verse says ... the rainbow is a symbol of God’s covenant to us, and us as believers to stand firm in that,” he added after confirming he never had previously inscribed it on his cap before. “There’s no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for and what I stand in. I believe in God, and that’s me.”

Rainbows have been associated with LGBTQ+ pride since the rainbow flag was introduced by activists and artists in San Francisco in the 1970s. The verse Roupp mentions often is cited by Christian conservatives in their effort to “reclaim” the rainbow’s symbolism. (Former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw added the same Bible verse to his Pride Night cap last season.)

Read more:Dodgers' Pride Night is back. Will there be protests after 2023 event honored drag nuns?

Following the Pride Night actions of Roupp and his fellow Giants pitchers, the team’s fans, members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies expressed their hurt, anger and disappointment in the players and the organization. The Giants have a history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community and causes.

The MLB issued the players who added inscriptions to their caps a warning Monday for violating the league’s uniform policy.

“To be clear, this routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games is not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message,” MLB clarified in a widely reported follow-up statement issued Tuesday.

“We respect players’ right to free expression. However, writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited per Major League Baseball’s Uniform Regulations which provides in part that, ‘(a) Player may not write, attach, affix, embroider or otherwise display nicknames or messages on apparel or playing equipment…’. We have given the same warning numerous times in the past to players for messages such as ‘Dad’, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, I Love Mom,’ and names of family members.”

The Giants have not addressed the fallout beyond their statement following the game Friday.

“The San Francisco Giants are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community. Baseball should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued,” the statement provided to numerousoutlets reads. “We also respect that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations. We understand that the choices by individual players has caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that. Those choices do not change our organization’s commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all. We remain grateful to our fans, partners, employees, players and coaches who help make Pride Night a meaningful celebration.”

Read more:Full coverage: Dodgers to honor Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on Pride Night

The team was among the first in professional sports to host an HIV/AIDS awareness game in the 1990s and the first MLB team to incorporate the Pride rainbow in its on-field uniforms for its Pride game in 2021.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener has continued to call out both the Giants and Republican politicians regarding the Pride Night protest and the aftermath.

“MAGA leaders like JD Vance and Josh Hawley are now glomming on and declaring an anti-LGBTQ culture war, in an attempt to bully MLB from enforcing its rules,” Wiener wrote in an lengthy post on social media, calling them out for their “Bigotry against LGBTQ people.”

“This isn’t an issue of religious freedom. People have a right to whatever religious beliefs they want — even if those beliefs dehumanize other people — but they don’t have a right to hijack their employer to promote those hateful beliefs at a job-related event.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

With high school baseball seasons across the country coming to a close, attention now turns to the 2026 MLB Draft.

On Monday, June 15, hundreds of the nation’s top prospects received invitations to the MLB Draft Combine, a three-day event that gives players the chance to showcase their skills in front of Major League baseball operations departments, scouting directors and other personnel.

Of the 334 draft-eligible players invited, 140 are high school athletes representing numerous schools. The event begins with a high school sim game on June 23 before players participate in on-field workouts, strength and conditioning assessments and biomechanical testing.

While those players represent programs from across the country, nine schools placed multiple athletes on this year’s invite list. Here’s a look at the high schools with the most players invited to the 2026 MLB Draft Combine.

TNXL Academy: Ocoee, Florida (4)

TNXL Academy is a baseball-focused high school program that allows athletes to train in a professional style environment. Since the academy was founded in 2014, it has produced eight MLB draft picks and 93 college commits. It's no surprise that TNXL produced the most invites this year, but it has not yet had four players drafted in the same year.

• Coleton Brady – RHP (No. 178)
• Genson Veras – OF (No. 184)
• Spencer Evans – LHP (No. 194)
• Kaleb Traylor – 3B

Orange Lutheran High School: Orange, California (3)

Orange Lutheran has long been one of the nation's top high school baseball programs, producing several notable MLB players, including AL Cy Young Award winner Gerit Cole. The Lancers continued that tradition this year, placing three players on the MLB Draft Combine list after also producing 10 Division I signees this year.

• Cooper Sides -- RHP (No. 99)
• Gary Morse -- RHP (No. 137)
• CJ Weinstein -- SS (No. 149)

Etowah High School: Woodstock, Georgia (2)

Fresh off of its third state championship in program history, Etowah High School enters the draft season as Georgia's top-ranked baseball program. The Eagles captured the 2026 GHSA Class 6A State Championship, marking its second title in three years, and placed two players on the Combine invite list. Senior outfielder Trevor Condon is one of the top high school prospects invited to the Combine.

• Trevor Condon -- OF (No. 22)
• Matthew Sharman -- RHP

Casteel High School: Queen Creek, Arizona (2)

Despite being founded just 11 years ago in 2015, Casteel High School has established itself as a powerhouse in Arizona. After earning back-to-back AIA 5A state championship titles in 2023 and 2024, the Colts moved up to the 6A classification last season.

• Ryne Barker -- 3B (No. 195)
• Ryan Harwood -- OF

De La Salle High School: Concord, California (2)

De La Salle High School is another one of California's premier baseball programs. The Spartan's won their second-consecutive NCS Division I Championship this season, securing the program's 16th North Coast Section. De La Salle has produced numerous MLB draft picks and will look to add a pair of teammates to that list.

• Tyler Spangler -- SS (No. 49)
• Graham Schlicht -- RHP (No. 139)

Corona High School: Corona, California (2)

Corona High School made MLB history last year after three of its players were drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Two of the three were drafted in the top-10, which was also a historic feat. The program hasn't always been dominate, but has become a national powerhouse under head coach Andy Wise. Trey Ebel hopes to follow in the footsteps of his brother Brady who was the No. 32 overall pick last year.

• Anthony Murphy -- OF (No. 107)
• Trey Ebel -- SS (No. 113)

St. John Bosco: Bellflower, California (2)

While St. John Bosco isn't the first California school to enter this list, it is the top-ranked program in the state. The program claimed back-to-back CIF Southern Section Division 1 Championship titles, with draft prospect Julian Garcia paving the path this year. He threw a complete game and struck out 14 en route to the championship title.

• James Clark -- SS (No. 53)
• Julian Garcia -- RHP (No. 117)

South Walton: Santa Rosa Beach, Florida (2)

The South Walton Seahawks emerged as one of the nation's top teams this season, finishing 30-4 and capturing the first state championship in program history. Ranked No. 4 nationally, the Seahawks also boast one of the top MLB draft prospects in the country in right-handed pitcher Coleman Borthwick, who could be a first-round pick this year.

• Coleman Borthwick -- RHP (No. 35)
• Denton Lord -- RHP (No. 72)

Jesuit High School: Tampa, Florida (2)

Jesuit High School Tampa has one of the most historically dominant baseball programs in the nation. The Tigers have captured seven state titles and have produced hundreds of Major Leaguers, including Hall of Famer Al Lopez Sr. In last year's draft, Jesuit High School graduate Jamie Arnold was drafted 11th overall, becoming the second-highest Jesuit alumnus ever drafted.

• Kaden Waechter -- RHP (No. 52)
• Wilson Andersen -- RHP (No. 108)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB Draft Combine invites, high schools with the most invites in 2026

The Braves are firmly mired in their first extended skid of the 2026 season.

After an uncompetitive 7-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants — who have the second-worst record in the National League —in a game concluded Wednesday after it was delayed a few innings in on Tuesday, the Braves have lost five of their last six games.

To put it in perspective, they hadn’t even lost four games of a six-game span before this slump.

Atlanta turns to rookie righty JR Ritchie (1-1, 3.82 ERA) to look to earn a Wednesday split and set up a Thursday rubber match, weather permitting.

Ritchie was sent back down to Gwinnett last month after making his first five career major league starts. It wasn’t clear if Ritchie was going to be a starter or reliever upon his return to Atlanta, but Spencer Strider being sidelined with elbow inflammation made that choice for the Braves, thrusting Ritchie back into the rotation for the time being.

His first outing back was a relief appearance, just the second of his professional career. It was also his best career major league outing to date as he replaced Strider and allowed two hits and two walks over five scoreless innings —his first outing without allowing a run — while striking out five.

The hope is that appearance can be something to build around as he enters his first career game against a NL West team.

The Giants will be starting a similarly new pitcher to this level in Carson Whisenhunt, who will be making his season debut at the major league level in this start. The 25-year-old 11th-ranked prospect in the Giants organization made his first five starts in the majors last season, posting a 2-1 record and 5.01 ERA with 16 strikeouts, 12 walks and six home runs allowed in 23 1/3 innings.

The southpaw has a 5-2 record and 3.65 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) this season for Triple-A Sacramento, with 77 strikeouts and 30 walks in 69 innings.

No member of the Braves’ offense has faced Whisenhunt, just like no Giants player has faced Ritchie.

Lineups aren’t up for the nightcap yet. It seems unlikely Michael Harris II will be available after he exited Tuesday night with lower back tightness. Walt Weiss also confirmed between games that Drake Baldwin won’t catch the nightcap either after he returned from his oblique injury Tuesday night.

Game Info

Game Time: Wednesday June 17, 7:15 pm EDT

Location: Truist Park, , Atlanta, Ga

Watch: BravesVision / Gray TV

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

The White Sox are looking to bounce back from last night’s 12-2 thumping. Standing in their way is an old friend, Carlos Rodón, who has quietly put together another strong, albeit brief, season since returning from left elbow surgery.

First, though, the Sox need a solid outing from Anthony Kay. The southpaw’s season has been a roller coaster. April was rough, May was excellent, and June has gotten off to a rocky start. The veteran definitely has an intriguing profile. His average fastball velocity of 95.5 mph ranks above average for a lefty, and his 71st-percentile chase rate shows he has the stuff to entice hitters into swinging at pitches outside the zone. The challenge has been converting those chases into outs.

Kay’s 5.65 xERA ranks among the bottom tier, and his strikeout numbers aren’t great. His 21.9% whiff rate and 17.6% strikeout rate both sit well below league average as well, meaning hitters are often making contact when they decide to swing. Against a Yankees’ lineup that demonstrated exactly how dangerous it can be when putting balls in play last night, that is not an ideal recipe.

The good news is that Kay’s 9.0% walk rate is manageable, and he generates ground balls at an above-average clip. If he can get Yankees hitters to chase while keeping the ball on the ground, the White Sox have a chance to keep this one close.

Here’s how the Yankees will line up against Kay.

On the other side stands Rodón, whose profile is almost the exact opposite. While Kay’s underlying metrics suggest a pitcher searching for answers, Rodón’s numbers paint the picture of a legitimate front-line starter. Opponents own only a .184 expected batting average against him, ranking in the 97th percentile. He still misses bats at an elite rate, striking out 26.4% of hitters while generating a 27.8% whiff rate.

The velocity isn’t quite what White Sox fans remember from his dominant 2021 campaign. Rodón now averages 94.1 mph rather than the upper-90s heat he once featured. Yet his fastball remains one of the game’s most effective weapons, ranking in the 87th percentile in run value.

If there is a crack in Rodón’s armor, it is his control. His 14.7% walk rate ranks among the worst in baseball, and that may provide the White Sox with their clearest path to victory. Chicago has done a better job this season of grinding out at-bats and forcing pitchers to work, but that approach will be tested tonight. If the Sox come out chasing early-count pitches and expanding the zone, Rodón’s swing-and-miss arsenal could make for a very long evening. If they stay patient, force him into hitter’s counts, and capitalize on the free passes he occasionally offers, they may be able to drive up his pitch count and expose the Yankees’ bullpen.

Here is the Sox lineup that skipper Will Venable hopes can grind out some offense against Rodón.

The matchup tonight feels like a battle of opposites: Kay needs hitters to chase, while Rodón needs hitters to swing. The team that best executes its offensive approach may very well decide who walks away with the W.

First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. CST. Tune in to the TV broadcast on CHSN or listen in at ESPN Chicago AM 1000.

Peter Lambert (W, 6-4) almost wasn’t a part of this team. He’s been their second best starting pitcher despite not making the team out of Spring Training.

Lambert was nails for the Astros yet again, in a terrific 7 inning performance in which he allowed just one run on 2 hits, he struck out 5 and did not walk a batter. He threw 60 of his 89 pitches for strikes, leading the Houston Astros (35-41) to a series-clinching 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers (30-44) at Daikin Park.

Jeremy Pena got the Astros on the board first in the bottom of the third with a 2-out solo shot to left for his 4th HR of the season, giving Houston a 1-0 lead.

The Astros would tack on 2 more in the bottom of the 5th. After Christian Vazquez singled to lead off the inning, Yordan Alvarez drilled a one-out RBI double to drive Vazquez home. After Christian Walker lined out, the Tigers replaced SP Casey Mize (L, 2-4) with Kyle Finnegan.

Isaac Paredes greeted Finnegan with an RBI double to score Alvarez, and make it a 3-0 lead for Houston.

In the 6th, the Astros loaded the bases for Jeremy Pena, who delivered an RBI single scoring Joey Loperfido to increase the lead to 4-0.

In the top of the 7th, the Tigers would finally get to Lambert, as Kerry Carpenter snuck a fly ball into the Crawford Boxes for his 10th HR of the season, cutting the lead to 4-1. That HR would not have been a HR in any other park except Daikin.

In the 9th, Josh Hader (S, 4) was brought in to close the game out. Hader was working on back-to-back days for the first time since coming off the IL. He allowed a solo HR to Kevin McGonigle that went all of 3 feet further than Carpenter’s Crawford Boxes special, and followed it up by striking out the next 3 batters on 14 pitches with 7 swings and misses. It was the first run Hader has allowed this season.

With the win, the Astros are back to 6 games under .500. They are currently 4 games behind the Seattle Mariners, who play later this evening. They are 2.5 games behind the Athletics for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. The Athletics also play later this evening.

NOTES:

Cristian Javier is expected to make one more rehab start before being activated. Javier pitched for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys last night, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits (including a HR) in 3.1 IP. He walked 1 and struck out 6.

Javier worked the first two innings primarily with a fastball at 92-93, hitting 94 once. In the last two innings of his appearance, his velocity deteriorated to 91-92.

Mike Burrows will have his next turn through the rotation skipped, and will be available out of the bullpen. He is ready to piggyback on Tatsuya Imai on his next turn in the rotation which is scheduled for Friday.

Astros probables for the upcoming series with the Cleveland Guardians that runs Fri-Sun:

Fri: Tatsuya Imai (3-3, 6.43) vs Tanner Bibee (2-7, 3.96)

Sat: Spencer Arrighetti (7-2, 2.57) vs Joey Cantillo (5-3, 4.38)

Sun: Kai-Wei Teng (3-6, 4.31) vs Slade Cecconi (3-5, 4.60)

Game Summary

Kyle Leahy battled spotty command in the early going. He ends up working through to a quality start with 6 IP, 3 runs allowed with 7 strikeouts. But the Cardinal offense musters but a single run on a ground, losing multiple runners on the bases in a game where there weren’t a lot of base runners. The Cardinals were outhit 14-6 on the day.

Pre-game notes

• Here we are again on a Wednesday. A day game. Getaway day. You probably don’t want to hear their record on such days.
• The Cardinals go for a home sweep over the San Diego Padres. Perhaps you would not like to hear their record on “sweep day”.
• It is also their fourth crack at vaulting to the mark of ten games over .500. You definitely don’t want to hear their record on days when they are 9 games over .500.
• So, with the odds stacked against them, Kyle Leahy toes the rubber and leads the team to battle against…TBA? Turns out to be Bradley Rodriguez as the opener. I expect him to be followed by Griffin Canning, who if I recall mesmerized in San Diego twice through the line-up and then blew up the third time through. That was a different line-up, though.
• Speaking of line-ups, today will be a typical L-R-L lineup.
• For those that track such things, Fangraphs now projects the Cardinals to win 84 games, which would be the result of a projection that has them playing slightly less than .500 baseball the rest of the way.
• Marinaccio is unavailable today. He pitched last night and takes his suspension day. Without him and Miller, the Padres bullpen seems short.

The first innings

The Padres came out swinging against Leahy. A fine stop by Blaze saved a bigger inning, but a Leahy walk complicated the inning and ultimately scored on a SacFly following an advancing single. I hate walks! Leahy navigates the first three innings, working around 3 hits and a walk, with a lot of hanging pitches that a poor offense could do little with. He did accumulate 4 K’s in the early going.

In the Cardinals’ first, Herrera nearly decapitated the pitcher with a hit, then made two base running mistakes to remove the advantage. The first mistake was he started and stopped when trying to steal second, but got away with it when the C threw the ball into CF. Herrera was unable to advance (never make the third out at third base is a good rule of thumb). But, then he promptly ran into the 3rd out at third when Walker hit a nubber to the third baseman, who had to do nothing other than tag the incoming Herrera.

Griffin Canning indeed replaced Rodriguez in the second, and he mesmerized again. Through four innings, the Cardinals mustered 3 singles and a walk, none in the same inning.

The middle innings

More hits and more hanging pitches combined to add to the Padres score in the fourth inning. A double play builds Leady a pathway out of the inning, though. A single on a 0-2 count and a misplay by Church in CF scores a third Padre run in the fifth. It was scored a double, but it was a poor read and route taken.

Blaze Jordan gets his first MLB walk as he leads off the fifth. Church follows that with a single. Wetherholt advances them with an infield out. The Cardinals lose a runner at the plate on Herrera’s infield out. Burleson gets a nice 2-out RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 17 games. After five innings the score is 3-1 Padres.

Leahy ends up with a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. Overall, he battles through six innings, giving up 7 hits, 1 walk and 3 runs. He recorded 7 K’s as well. 81 pitches. His command appeared to improve as he got deeper into the game.

In the sixth, Winn walks and gets picked off. Been difficult to get any offensive continuity today.

The decisive and bitter end

Svanson effectively pitches the seventh and 1 out into the eighth. Bruihl then comes in for the left-right matchups. Sure enough, he gets the RH hitter and loses the LH hitters. Hey, wait a minute….

Roycroft comes in for Bruihl. HBP on the first hitter but retires the next of a fly to left to end the 8th inning.

Very little occurred offensively in the later third. An eighth inning HBP on Herrera (again!) is quickly erased by a GIDP.

The Padres tack on runs in the ninth against Roycroft. In a surprising turn of events, Roycroft had an inning spin out of control. A single followed by another single off the wall by Tatis Jr. who was thrown out (by Walker) trying to make it a double but still garners the RBI, followed by another single and a long home run by Merrill. Then a walk. Roycroft was out on an island with no one warming. Then another walk. Then came an error on a routine grounder by Winn to continue the misery. A strikeout to the ninth batter of the inning brings a merciful end.

Nootbaar leads off the ninth with a single, but Winn quickly erases him with a GIDP. Pages ends the game with a ground out. Padres win 6-1. Back to 8 games over .500.

Post-Game Notes

• Check out Today on the Farm – Wednesday 6.17 for updates on MiLB action.
• The Cardinals head to Kansas City for that crucial cross-state, inter-league rivalry match-up with the Royals. Games are Thursday, Friday and Sunday with an odd Saturday off to accommodate a soccer game.
• It’s funny how a bullpen can go from over-used to well-rested and rusty in such a short span, huh? And back again…
• Have you noticed the trend of openers against the Cardinals? That seems to me to be a league-wide recognition of the top 3-4 hitters in the line-up. Teams find value in trying to neutralize them the first time through that line-up. Seems like the investment is a scripted one inning appearance with the chosen matchups and payoff is you give the starter a shot to go two times through the line-up and get deep enough into the game to avoid the chase/bridge guys and go straight to the leverage/closer guys.
• I think we need an update on Blaze Jordan’s defensive prowess at third base. He has been better than advertised.

The San Francisco Giants’ 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday was a story of two games. No, literally. A story of two games, played on two days. Two games that the Giants won, resulting in — stay with me — one game that the Giants won.

It began on Tuesday night when, against the the judgement of nearly everyone at the park, the game was started despite pouring rain in Atlanta. The rain seemed to benefit the hitters on each side, as they jumped on pitches that were lacking in their usual spin. Luis Arráez led off the game with a double, and moved to third when Bryce Eldridge singled. After an unproductive out by Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers loaded the bases with a walk, before a Jung Hoo Lee sacrifice fly put the first run on the board. In all, Grant Holmes threw 28 pitches in the first inning, and looked entirely uncomfortable in the storm, though his long, soaked hair looked fairly majestic.

In the bottom half of the inning, it became abundantly clear that the struggles in the top half had been due to the weather, as Adrian Houser immediately suffered the same fate. The first batter he faced, Drake Baldwin, absolutely annihilated the baseball, hitting one of the longest home runs in the Majors this year (473 feet!!!), despite it being his first at-bat in roughly a month.

A single, a walk (by former Giant Dominic Smith), and another single (by former Giant Mauricio Dubón) later, and Atlanta had not just equalized, but taken a 2-1 lead. Houser, like Holmes, had thrown 28 pitches in the first inning, and looked equally uncomfortable in the downpour.

Yet the game continued into the second inning, where the wetness continued to favor the hitters. Casey Schmitt led off with a single, and Drew Gilbert followed with a walk. Following an atrocious at-bat by Daniel Susac (a three-pitch strikeout that featured two failed bunts, and a whiff at a pitch in a different area code), Arráez loaded the bases with a Sandovalian golfed single. In one of the best at-bats of the season, Eldridge tied the game by working a walk, which featured a tremendous ABS challenge. Chapman, having failed in his prior attempt, exacted revenge this time around, successfully achieving a sacrifice fly (though sacrifice liner is a more accurate term, with Dubón making a brilliant catch in center to rob Chapman of a hit).

With that, the Giants not only led, but won the first game 3-2.

That was all the baseball that would be played, though we didn’t know it for a while. The rain had stopped, and the game had not entered a delay, but the baseball was over. The grounds crew took the field in an attempt to restore the soaked infield, and they stayed there for a good 45 minutes. At no point did the game ever officially enter a rain delay, to the confusion of the fans at Truist Park and the ire of the broadcasters and reporters in attendance. Finally, roughly an hour and a half after play had been paused (but not delayed!), it was announced that the game had been postponed, and would resume on Wednesday before the scheduled game.

In doing so, a gift was handed to Robbie Ray, a player in dire need of some help. Because the game was postponed after it began, the lineups were already set … which means Atlanta’s lineup was full of left-handed hitters to combat Houser. Ray, who doesn’t get to face left-handed hitters all that often, found the tonic he was searching for in Atlanta’s arrangement.

He struck out his former teammate Mike Yastrzemski to begin the second half of the first game, and then struck out Ha-Seong Kim, en route to a three-up, three-down first/second inning. He handled the third easily, giving up just a walk. In the fourth, he set down the side in order on just 12 pitches, finishing things off with another strikeout of Yastrzemski. He opened the fifth with back-to-back strikeouts, before issuing a walk that he easily worked around. Only eight pitches were required for a dominant sixth.

Ray was cruising, and he was cruising for the first time in a while. It was a delight to see. He resembled the Ray of early last year, who was both dominant and unfazed. In the seventh, he gave up a leadoff double, but looked completely unbothered, never letting the runner reach third while striking out Yastrzemski for a third time, and also the ever-dangerous Baldwin.

After opening the eighth with an out, Ray ceded a single to Matt Olson. With 94 pitches thrown, Tony Vitello deemed that a good enough effort for Ray, who left the mound having thrown 6.1 scoreless frames, while allowing just four baserunners and striking out eight.

It was a performance worth admiring, even if such performances are a little bittersweet right now. Ray finding his form doesn’t really help the Giants this year, given the hole they’ve dug; right now his success correlates mostly with the return the Giants will get when they presumably trade him next month.

So until then: enjoy the strikeouts, and enjoy the grunts.

While San Francisco opted to move up their scheduled Wednesday starter (Carson Whisenhunt has been recalled from AAA Sacramento to pitch the evening game), Atlanta chose to keep their rotation in order, and handle Wednesday’s resumption with a bullpen game.

For a while, it worked. James Karinchak handled the third inning, and set down the Giants in order. Dylan Dodd came on for the fourth, and did the same. With a pair of lefties due up in the fifth, the southpaw Dodd was given a second inning, and that’s where the Braves’ plan went awry. He retired Eldridge and Chapman easily, but Devers had different plans. Despite generally struggling against lefties this year, Devers jumped on a 1-1 sinker at the top of the zone, and comfortably cleared the fence with it.

What came next was even more surprising: on the very next pitch (a nearly identical pitch, I might add), Lee followed Devers and did the exact same thing.

It was a stunning sequence of events, and the context from the broadcast only made it more stunning: it was the first time since Barry Bonds and A.J. Pierzynski, a whole 22 years ago, that a pair of Giants lefties had gone back-to-back off of a left-hander. What a beautiful thing.

The Giants continued to rely on the long ball, getting their next run in the eighth inning, when Willy Adames took Anthony Molina deep for an awe-inspiring 424-foot solo bomb. By the time the ninth inning rolled around, not only did the Giants have a cozy lead, but they had scored all of their resumption runs on homers.

That would finally change in the ninth with a rally befitting the start of the game on Tuesday: Arráez and Eldridge hit back-to-back singles, with the former scoring on a Chapman ground ball, locking in the final score at 7-2.

Meanwhile, the bullpen held strong enough. Dylan Smith took over when Ray departed with one on and one out in the eighth, and quickly got out of the inning, though he did give up a single. Smith stayed in for the ninth and impressively struck out Riley, as he looked to be cooking.

It came to a screeching halt after that, though, when he gave up a single to Yastrzemski, before issuing a four-pitch walk to Kim, who currently boasts an .089 batting average. Even with the five-run cushion, and even with another nine innings to cover in a few hours, Vitello decided to take no chances, and brought in his recently-appointed closer, Caleb Kilian.

I’ve had my quips with Vitello opting to name Kilian the closer, but one of my favorite things is when the Giants make me look dumb. And Kilian made me look dumb. With two on and the top of the lineup stepping up, Kilian pounded the strike zone with a flurry of unhittable pitches, striking out Baldwin and Eli White to end the game.

It might have taken a few days, but the Giants won, and even managed to look great doing it.

As expected, the Atlanta Braves are likely going to take things very cautiously with Ronald Acuña Jr. and his most recent Grade 1 hamstring. Walt Weiss spoke with the media following Wednesday afternoon’s tough loss against the Giants and he was asked about Acuña’s status at the moment. If you were thinking that Acuña would be making a quick return, you can probably put a pause to that speculation right now.

Weiss said Acuña is a “long way” from returning. Because the hamstring strain is in the same spot, the Braves will be more cautious than they were when Acuña missed nearly three weeks with the previous strain

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 17, 2026

As frustrating as this is to see, it’s likely the right decision. While it’s hard to predict injuries, this is the safer route than rushing to get him back out there. Despite the current rough patch that the Braves have hit, they’re still comfortably ahead in the NL East and 20 games over .500 so they can afford to give Acuña as much time as he needs to get fully healthy again. It’s what I suggested in earlier posts about him and it’ll likely be the path that the Braves take when it comes to getting theri star outfielder right again.

So yeah, it’s a bummer but it’s likely the right path for the Braves to take. I’d imagine that we’ll probably see Acuña back in action after the All-Star break, maybe a little bit sooner if he’s further along in his recovery thane expected. We’re definitely not going to be seeing him in the field for the rest of June and it’s looking likely that he’ll be out for most of July as well. Again, it’s rough but it’s the sensible course of action.

Meanwhile, we also got some news on who the 27th man will be for the second game of today’s doubleheader. It’ll be Jair Camargo, who will likely serve as the emergency catcher while Sandy León likely starts tonight’s game as the catcher. If Drake Baldwin does play, it’ll likely be as the DH.

Cookie Carrasco and catcher Jair Camargo (27th man) will join the Braves roster for the second game. Camargo provides length in the pen. Camargo’s presence will allow Baldwin to stay in the DH spot if something happens to Leon in the second game

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 17, 2026

Also, Carlos Carrasco is back with the big league Braves. Welcome back, Cookie — hopefully the DFA cycle continues to work out for both parties since it’s almost certain that it’ll be happening again at some point in the near future. For now, the Braves have covered themselves depth-wise for tonight’s night cap and hopefully the decisions will help to yield results for Atlanta as they attempt to get this series evened up.