Baseball News
You can’t really end June on a particularly high note if you’re the Braves, given the standard you’ve set… but a win’s better than not a win and a loss would, once again, suck.
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The Dodgers scratched Shohei Ohtani from his scheduled Wednesday start against the Athletics, in a move that all but ensures he will not pitch in the All-Star Game.
The Dodgers delayed Ohtani’s start until Friday. The team plans a bullpen game Wednesday, with Roki Sasaki expected to start Thursday’s opener of a four-game series against the San Diego Padres and Ohtani lined up to follow the next day.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the move did not reflect any health concerns. Ohtani was in Tuesday’s lineup at designated hitter, and Roberts said he would DH on Wednesday as well.
Read more:Wife, kids of Dodgers' Miguel Rojas in Caracas when earthquakes hit Venezuela
Instead, Roberts said, the move affords Ohtani extra rest and two starts against the teams closest to the Dodgers in the National League West standings, the Padres this weekend and the Arizona Diamondbacks the following weekend, rather than making his last two starts before the All-Star break against the A’s and Colorado Rockies. Ohtani would still available when the Dodgers resume play after the All-Star break against the New York Yankees.
“There’s just no downside,” Roberts said. “This just made too much sense.”
However, by starting on the weekend before the All-Star Game, Ohtani would no longer be lined up to pitch in the game. Roberts previously had said that Ohtani, already elected as the NL designated hitter, would not pitch in the game unless he were the starting pitcher, as it would be impractical for Ohtani to warm up during a game in which he was the DH.
The top candidates to start for the NL: Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, the major league leader with a 1.45 earned-run average, and Cristopher Sanchez (9-3, 2.13) of the host Philadelphia Phillies.
Ohtani would have been starting Wednesday on his usual six days’ rest. However, with the Dodgers on a run of 13 consecutive games without an off day, Roberts said pushing Ohtani back would allow the Dodgers to better manage his workload.
He is 8-2 with a 1.58 earned-run average this season. Among NL pitchers with at least 70 innings, his ERA is bettered only by Misiorowski.
Read more:Fernando Valenzuela did the impossible 36 years ago today
Ohtani already has pitched 79 2/3 innings this season, his most in three years. He spent all of the 2024 season and the first half of the 2025 season rehabilitating from elbow surgery.
For all that Ohtani has accomplished and will accomplish during his career, he might have missed out on his one chance to pitch in Sacramento. This series marks the Dodgers’ lone scheduled visit during the A’s three-year stay here. The A’s plan to move into a new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028, the next time the teams are scheduled to face off.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Nats got into a hole against a hot Red Sox team yesterday and were unable to come back. Today, they will look to find a foothold in this series. It will be a battle between two exciting young pitchers in Cade Cavalli and Connelly Early.
While Luis Garcia Jr. got to face a lefty yesterday, he will not be in the lineup today. Instead, Andres Chaparro will play first base. James Wood will take Chaparro’s spot at DH. The outfield will consist of the struggling duo of Daylen Lile and Jacob Young, as well as Dylan Crews. As mentioned, Cade Cavalli will take the ball tonight.
The Red Sox are only making one personnel change. Romy Gonzalez will be in the DH spot instead of Masataka Yoshida. Interestingly, Anthony Seigler will be in the leadoff spot for them. Willson Contreras is a name to watch after he homered and then was later ejected yesterday. Former UVA pitcher Connelly Early will be on the mound today.
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Game Info:
Stadium: Fenway Park
Time: 7:10 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
The Nats will look to stay above .500 in what is a relatively important game. They have not been quite as convincing lately, so a big win would be nice. With Payton Tolle on the mound tomorrow, this might be their best shot at a win this series as well. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
The eyes of the baseball world turn to the Bronx tonight, with a two-time defending Cy Young winner taking on the odds-on favorite for this year’s award. Cam Schlittler will look to outduel Tarik Skubal and halt this five-game losing streak the Yankees are on, and if the offense can respond they way the team did when they last saw Skubal, they stand a good chance to.
Skubal hasn’t been quite his unhittable self for most of the year, and continues to work his way back from elbow surgery earlier this spring. A 3.32 ERA is nothing to sneeze at, and a brilliant walk rate means his FIP is even lower than that, but the Yankees knocked him for three home runs last week at Comerica Park. The club has seen a lot of left handed pitching lately, and stacking their lineup with as many righties as they can find certainly paid off against Skubal last time. A repeat performance would go a long way to tying up this series.
As for Cam Schlittler, one wonders how happy he is about Amed Rosario being back at third base tonight. Remember that it was Rosario’s error on what should have been a double play Friday night that led to four runs being scored on Cam. All four were unearned and so he retains the inside track on the AL ERA title (he’s running a 1.62, almost a full run better than Drew Rasmussen), but those extra pitches limited his night and those runs could very well have cost him and the team a win.
Cody Bellinger is the most notable name missing from the team’s starting lineup tonight. The versatile usual-cleanup hitter has struggled over the past two weeks, managing just a 92 wRC+ although still able to provide plus value defensively. He gets the day off with Max Schuemann, Spencer Jones, and Jasson Domínguez left to right in the outfield. José Caballero will get the start at second with Jazz Chisholm Jr. off after that midgame collision with the Martian last night. Clearly, Skubal is not exactly facing Murderers’ Row today, so the pressure will be on Cam to keep the Tigers down in turn.
Do note this is the weekly Amazon Prime game.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: Amazon Prime Video, Detroit SportsNet
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | WXYT 97.1 FM (DET)
Streaming: MLB.TV (out-of-market only)
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TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros will play the middle game of their three-game series against the visiting Twins tonight at Daikin Park.
RHP Mike Burrows (3-8) will make his team-leading 16th start of the season tonight opposite the Twins and their ace RHP Joe Ryan (5-4).
ABOUT BURROWS: RHP Mike Burrows is coming off a strong start his last time out on June 24 at Toronto, in which he worked 6.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits and one walk.
Burrows has been a durable starter in his first season in Houston, as he leads the Astros in starts (15) and innings (85.1).
He joined the club from the Pirates this offseason as part of a three-team, six-player trade in which the Astros sent OF Jacob Melton and minor leaguer RHP Anderson Brito to the Rays, while the Rays sent IF Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum and LHP Mason Montgomery to the Pirates.
THE SLOW TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 22-14 since May 21, which is the best record in the AL in that span.
On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.
RECENT ‘STROS: The Astros have won five of seven, six of nine, and are 9-4 in their last 13 games.
The Astros 15-11 record in June ties as the best in the AL, along with their rival Rangers.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Astros have won five consecutive series dating back to June 12, posting a 11-5 record in those games.
The last time the Astros won five straight series was from June 20- July 6 of last season (went 12-3 in that stretch).
WINNING THE CLOSE CALLS: The Astros are 9-5 in one-run games and 18-10 in two-run games.
Each of the Astros last six wins and 11 of their last 12 victories have come by two-or-fewer runs.
PEN PALS: Since May 15 the Astros are 25-17 thanks in part to their bullpen, which has posted the lowest ERA in the AL in that span at 2.62 (45ER/154.2P).
They’ve been led by their lefties since that date with LHP Josh Hader (0.75 ERA), LHP Bryan King (2.25 ERA) and LHP Steven Okert (2.29 ERA) all posting low ERAs.
GET ‘EM EARLY: The Astros lead the AL in 1st inning runs with 60 runs scored in their 87 games.
Overall, the Astros rank fifth in the American League in runs scored (391), with their opponent tonight, the Twins, leading the AL in runs (417).
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros dropped the opener of their six-game homestand last night by a score of 5-4 to the visiting Twins.
Houston made it close late, scoring three runs in the 9th on a pair of back-to-back homers by CF Taylor Trammell (2×4, HR, 2RBI) and RF Cam Smith (2×4, 2HR, 2RBI).
RHP Peter Lambert (4ER/5.2IP) started for Houston and was handed the loss, snapping his four-game winning streak.
RHP Miguel Ullola (0ER/2IP) made his Major League debut in relief, working 2.0 scoreless frames.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have placed IF Jeremy Peña on the 10-day IL with a left calf strain and have recalled IF Raynel Delgado from Triple A Sugar Land.
OUT ON ASSIGNMENT: The Astros have several players out on minor league rehab assignments and are adding to that group today.
OF LaMonte Wade Jr. (right hamstring strain) will begin a minor league rehab assignment tonight for Triple A Sugar Land in their series opener at OKC.
RHP Hayden Wesneski (right elbow surgery) began his minor league rehab assignment today for the FCL Astros, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings.
MVP-CALIBER: DH Yordan Alvarez has had a torrid first half to his season, currently leading all of baseball in OPS (1.031), OBP (.424), SLG (.607) and total bases (185).
Additionally, he ranks tied for first in the AL in homers (25) and extra-base hits (41), while ranking second in batting average (.308), tied for second in hits (94), third in runs (58), fourth in walks (58), and tied for fifth in RBI (56).
ALL-STAR UPDATE: DH Yordan Alvarez has been named a finalists for the 2026 KONAMI eBaseball MLB All-Star Ballot with second-phase fan voting available now through Thursday, July 2 at 11 a.m. CT.
Alvarez has been an All-Star three times thus far in his career.
Since 2017, the Astros 37 All-Star selections are tops in the AL in that span.
ASTROS-TWINS: Tonight is the 100th regular season game between the Astros and Twins in their franchise histories, with Houston owning the all-time advantage with a 52-47 record.
There are several connections between the two clubs including both team’s catchers, with C Victor Caratini spending his last two seasons (2024-25) in Houston and C Christian Vázquez spending his last three years (2023-25) in Minnesota.
ROAD WARRIORS: With their win on Sunday in Detroit, the Astros completed a seven-game road trip with a 5-2 record after stops in Toronto (2-1) and Detroit (3-1).
The Astros are 15-8 in their last three road trips combined and are 21-14 on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the 2026 season.
ON THE RADIO: The Astros English radio broadcast on KBME SportsTalk 790 for this series will feature Steve Sparks and Garrett Greene, who’s subbing for Robert Ford.
Green currently serves as the Triple A Sugar Land Space Cowboys Media Relations Manager and Radio Broadcaster.
DOWN AT TRIPLE A: The Astros have several players performing great down at Triple A Sugar Land, including RHP Ethan Pecko and IF Cavan Biggio.
In June, Pecko has gone 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA (2ER/24IP) in four games, while Biggio has hit .321 (26×81) with nine extra-base hits, a .476 OBP and a 1.032 OPS in 21 games in June.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, June 30, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Here’s the Rangers lineup:
Here’s the Guardians lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
Because of the timing, we’ll have the Game Thread with some notes.
There is news:
The Yankee’s defense is having a rough time of it:
As well as Vlad being out, Okamoto is having a scheduled day off. Everyone should be allowed a day off on their birthday….though if you gamble, always bet on the birthday boy.
The Red Sox have a couple of streaks on the line tonight as they’ve won five games in a row and are also riding a string of 12 consecutive quality starts from their starters. Extending each will be tricky business though because the Nationals lead all of baseball in both runs scored and RBI. Even worse for Connelly Early is they’ve hit lefties particularly hard, posting a record of five games above .500 (16-11) when facing southpaws and five games below .500 (27-32) when facing a righty.
Another thing working against the Red Sox tonight is the heavy bullpen usage of the high leverage relievers during the last handful of games. At one point last night, it looked like they might give all those guys a full rest and reset day when they jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, but because they failed to score any additional runs the rest of the way and allowed Miles Mikolas to worm his way through seven innings, they had to use both Tyron Guerrero and Garrett Whitlock to finish the job, creating a stickier situation 24 hours later.
So to summarize, the Sox have a pitcher on the mound who has at times struggled to go deep into games, an opposing lineup that’s been excellent all year, a bullpen that might be light on bullets, and a much better opposing starting pitcher on the mound than last night in Cade Cavalli. If Boston manages to pull this one out and extend the winning streak to six, this team might really be onto something.
Let’s see how it turns out!
⚾️ First Pitch: 7:10pm — Fenway Park, Boston, MA
📺 TV: NESN
📻 Radio: WEEI
For a team that has struggled on the road, the White Sox managed a commanding victory in Monday’s opener in Baltimore, and they will look to snag the series with a win tonight. At present, the Good Guys have a one-game lead in the AL Central, and picking up any games in the race would be ideal before heading to Cleveland for four division games.
After using an opener last time out, the South Siders will turn the ball over to Erick Fedde, who will be making his ninth official start and 17th appearance of the season. The righty has been much better over the last month (five games), holding a 1.69 ERA in June while allowing just six runs (four earned) with seven walks and 16 strikeouts. Fedde has gotten into quite a few jams with his WHIP sitting around 1.27, but he’s still been able to work through them, and he has only given up one homer this month (knock on wood).
Over the past week, the South Siders have been hot at the plate, which could end up being a problem for Baltimore righthander Trey Gibson. The White Sox lead MLB over the last seven days in batting average (.326) and on-base percentage (.399), while ranking third in OPS (.915). They also rank fifth in baseball in season OPS. Gibson has posted a 5.64 ERA in 30 1/3 innings (six starts), holding just a 17.9% K rate while also having one of the highest walk rates in MLB (13.6%). Gibson is Baltimore’s No. 4 prospect in the system, and the 24-year-old still has plenty of time to work through any improvements, just after this game, of course.
The Sox have shuffled the lineup a bit tonight as Sam Antonacci gets the night off. Junior Perez takes over in left field and will bat ninth, while Kyle Teel moves into the leadoff spot after hitting third or fourth in recent games. Miguel Vargas remains in the second position as he has been on an absolute tear this last week: ranking first in the American League in OPS (1.530) with two home runs, seven RBIs, five walks, and just one strikeout. Andrew Benintendi is also back in as the DH in the three-hole, and both Montgomerys follow him up with Colson batting cleanup while Braden moves up to the five-spot. Gibson could have some trouble with this lineup, especially as seven of nine starters currently hold a .725-or-above OPS, with Jacob Gonzalez and Kyle Teel not too far behind.
Chicago White Sox Lineup
As someone who gives up quite a few home runs, Fedde will need to be careful with Pete Alonso, who has posted a .965 OPS in the past week – ranking seventh in the AL – and is tied for sixth in the league with 19 home runs on the season. And not far behind him is Gunnar Henderson, who went 2-for-3 with a double yesterday and also has mashed 16 bombs this season. Perhaps the deep fences at Camden Yards will be enough to keep some balls in play, and Fedde will keep cruising through the month as he has been.
Baltimore Orioles Lineup
As the first MLB game of the day, first pitch will take place at 5:35 p.m. CT in Baltimore, and it’s set to be a hot one with the temperature right around 90º at game time. Tune in to CHSN for the TV broadcast, or listen in on the radio at ESPN Chicago AM 1000. Let’s get a road series W!
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Carson Benge – RF
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Jared Young – 1B
A.J. Ewing – CF
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Brett Baty – 2B
Luis Torrens – C
SP: Nolan McLean – RHP
George Springer – DH
Nathan Lukes – RF
Alejandro Kirk – C
Sean Keys – 1B
Ernie Clement – 3B
Daulton Varsho – CF
Luis Urias – 2B
Yohendrick Pinango – LF
Andres Gimenez – SS
SP: Kevin Gausman – RHP
First pitch: 7:07 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Probable pitchers: RHP Trey Gibson (1-2, 5.64 ERA, 25 Ks) vs. RHP Erick Fedde (2-6, 4.34 ERA, 50 Ks)
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
Last night, the Orioles lost the series opener to the White Sox, dropping their third game in a row and falling eight games below .500. Baltimore’s current 39-47 record matches their season high for most games under .500, last achieved when they were 21-29 after losing to Tampa on May 20th.
It was after that game against the Rays that color commentator Ben McDonald gave his impassioned monologue, essentially saying analytics be damned, the O’s weren’t playing good baseball then and there. The quote that rang true through Birdland was “You either you do or you don’t, and right now the Orioles don’t.”
The former Oriole ended his criticism by saying, “I don’t know where the Orioles go from here other than they have to start playing more consistent baseball. That’s the bottom line.” And despite playing exactly .500 ball (18-18) since that loss to the Rays, this is by no means a more consistent baseball team. Last night’s loss—where the only two runs came via sac fly, the offense wasted a great start by Shane Baz and the bullpen imploded late—epitomized the inconsistent nature of this Baltimore team.
Should the Orioles lose tonight, they’d drop nine games below .500 for the first time all season. Trying to prevent that is rookie right-hander Trey Gibson. The 24-year-old has struggled in June, posting a 7.00 ERA over his last four outing while allowing 12 walks over 18 innings. Gibson has been at his best when he’s generating ground balls, and the White Sox come into the matchup 12th in baseball in ground-ball rate.
Opposing Gibson is longtime former National Erik Fedde, who is in his second stint with the White Sox. The O’s faced Fedde and only managed five hits and two runs across six innings. Baltimore stars Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson have had success against the Chicago right-hander, with Alonso posting a .969 OPS in 24 ABs and Gunnar putting up a 1.333 OPS in six ABs.
Tuesday notes…
Cubs lineup:
Padres lineup:
Matthew Boyd’s return to action after his freak knee injury was pretty good, 4.2 shutout innings against the Mets last Thursday. He did walk four and threw 76 pitches, so perhaps he can ramp up to 90+ tonight.
Boyd’s outing vs. the Padres April 27 in San Diego wasn’t good, so don’t click on that boxscore link. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Hoping for better tonight.
JP Sears spent all of this year at Triple-A El Paso, making 14 starts there, before being recalled to start June 24 against the Braves, where he allowed two runs in 5.2 innings.
This is his first career start against the Cubs. One current Cub, Alex Bregman, has faced him quite a bit, going 7-for-20 (.350) with two doubles and two home runs. Perhaps Bregman can get going this week.
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.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Padres site Gaslamp Ball. If you do go there to interact with Padres 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.
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MLB All-Star voting has advanced to its second phase, with three Yankees, Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Cody Bellinger, still in the running after moving on from Phase 1. All three are trailing in the polls with two days left in the voting.
Phase 1 of All-Star voting concluded last week, with the Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement leading the American League in voting and earning an automatic bid as the AL’s starting second baseman. The top two vote-getters at every other position (and the top six in the outfield) moved on to Phase 2, where the slate is wiped clean and the top vote-getter at each position (top three in the outfield) will earn a starting nod at the All-Star Game.
Rice is up against Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, and trails 55 percent to 45 percent according to MLB’s latest update. The Yankee first baseman has lapped his Toronto counterpart in terms of on-field production this year, but Guerrero has had a leg up in voting the whole way.
Over in the outfield, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger are in third and fourth, with 19 percent and 16 percent of the vote, respectively. Mike Trout, who like Judge is on the shelf with an injury, leads with 23 percent, and Byron Buxton is in second at 20 percent. Jesús Sánchez and Daulton Varsho round out the outfield ballot in fifth and sixth.
Judge would likely lead the way save for injury (in fact, he may have simply won the Phase 1 voting), but his time on the IL has certainly dinged his chances. Bellinger has slumped lately, but his overall production on the year is still superb, his 3.7 rWAR leading AL outfielders.
As things stand, Judge would squeeze in as a starting outfielder, but he’d be the only Yankee to make it through to the All-Star Game by way of fan vote. The likes of Rice and Bellinger would still look like good bets to make the team via the player/coach ballots, as would Cam Schlittler on the pitching side. For now, it’s Judge, Rice and Bellinger on the ballots, which will remain open until noon ET on Thursday.
The Mets delivered a positive update on Clay Holmes as the right-hander looks to return to the team.
Interim manager Andy Green told the media prior to Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto that Holmes is set to throw a bullpen session this week.
"He’s progressing well. Love to say he’s ahead of schedule, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself and actually make that kind of declaration," Green said. "It’s going well and we’re encouraged by that. He should get on a mound in the next couple of days and then we’ll figure out what the next step is after that."
Holmes suffered a fractured fibula after taking a line drive to his leg against the Yankees back in May. While still weeks away, the latest update on Holmes, as Green said, is encouraging for a few reasons. If Holmes can return to the team sooner than expected, it boosts a starting rotation that has struggled to find consistency.
It also provides the Mets a potential trade piece ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. In nine starts, Holmes pitched to a 2.39 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP while consistently going deep into games. He was arguably the Mets' best starter this season and could help a team looking to bolster their rotation for the second half and a potential playoff run.
Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:
For the Pirates:
Let’s talk about it.