Category: Baseball

The Rays were looking to wrap up their four-game homestand against the Royals with a split series, and they would have to do it bright and early, so hopefully they all had their coffee before the game. The Rays had Casey Legumina in an Opener role on the mound, up against Seth Lugo for the Royals,

Legumina got things going with a three-up, three-down first. In the home half, the Rays wasted little time getting on the board. Jonathan Aranda got a one-out single, followed by a home run from Junior Caminero to set the tone for the game. Two outs followed, but the Rays had the early lead.

Legumina’s job was done after one out in the second, and Ian Seymour stepped in to take over the bulk innings role. He got the next two outs to send the Royals back to the dugout. In the home half, Victor Mesa Jr. made wise use of an ABS challenge to earn himself a walk, but he ended up stranded, and no runs scored.

The Royals went 1-2-3 again in the third, and if the Rays’ pitching staff keeps this up, it won’t matter how early this game started because it’ll be done by lunch. The Rays, meanwhile, went 1-2-3 themselves in the bottom of the inning.

By the fourth, it was starting to look like a bit of a pattern as the Royals once again went down in order. Cedric Mullins got a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, then stole second base. The Rays won another meaningful ABS challenge, this time a challenge by the Royals, sending Taylor Walls to first with a walk. Mesa Jr. then came out and like he wanted to get his opportunity back after being left on base in the second, he hit a three-run homer.

The Royals went three-up, three-down in the fifth. In the bottom of the inning, with two outs, Caminero came out and got his second home run of the game.

They weren’t done yet, though. Richie Palacios singled, then advanced to second on what feels like a made-up thing, but is a real rule, and got the free base thanks to a disengagement violation. It worked out great for the Rays, because Chandler Simpson then singled and brought Palacios home.

In the top of the sixth the Royals got their first baserunner of the game with a one-out walk to Starling Marte, but two quick outs followed to leave him stranded. Seth Lugo’s day was done for the Royals, probably for obvious reasons, and he was replaced by Matt Strahm, who came in and got the Rays out in order.

The Royals went 1-2-3 again in the seventh. The Royals dipped back into their bullpen for Connor Seabold, who gave up a leadoff double to Yandy Diaz, followed by a double to Aranda to score the runner and bump the score up to 8-0. Three outs in a row followed to end the inning.

In the top of the eighth the Royals went down in order. Seymour has looked incredible today, really dialled in, very in control. The Royals made another pitching change in the home half, bringing in Tyler Tolbert. He gave up back-to-back singles to Mullins and Taylor Walls. A groundout from Hunter Feduccia scored Mullins, and then a pinch-hitting Nick Fortes came in for Yandy Diaz and singled, scoring Walls. But if you thought the Rays were going to go easy on the Royals with a ten-run lead, think again. Aranda singled. Then Caminero, bless him, hit his third home run of the game.

Palacios snuck in with a single, but the Rays weren’t able to score any additional runs. The score heading into the ninth was 13-0.

Seymour’s day was done, fairly. He went 6.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K on 90 pitches. Craig Kimbrel came in from the bullpen and gave up a leadoff walk to Marte. Then with one out, the no-hitter that had lasted through 8.1 innings was over as Carter Jensen hit a two-run homer, ending both the no-hit bid and the shutout. Kimbrel got out of the inning with just the one slip-up, unfortunately it was a big one. The Rays still walked away with the win, though, and the series split 2-2.

Final: Rays 13, Royals 2

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Toronto Blue Jays slugger Kazuma Okamoto draws a favorable matchup against Texas Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore, and his power profile makes his total base prop my favorite play for today’s matchup.

Read on for my Blue Jays vs. Rangers predictions and MLB picks for tonight's matchup.

Rangers vs Blue Jays predictions

Rangers vs Blue Jays best bet: Kazuma Okamoto Over 1.5 total bases (+115)

Kazuma Okamoto profiles well against lefty MacKenzie Gore, who gets barreled up hard and often, allowing a 9.6% solid-contact rating, far above the 5.1% league average. 

The Toronto Blue Jays third baseman leads the team with a 12% barrel-rate against Gore’s pitch mix, which has led him to a .298 batting average and a .577 slug-rate this season against the four-seamer and curveball. 

That average clubs to .360 and a .640 slug-rate when facing a left-handed pitcher, which strengthens my conviction in this matchup against Gore.

Additionally, Okamoto has eclipsed his 1.5 base total in 12 of his 19 outings this month. This consistency gives me confidence to play this market down to +105.

COVERS INTEL: Kazuma Okamoto has a 1.000 OPS, averaging 2.2 bases per game in 19 appearances since June 1.

Rangers vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

Okamoto has a hit in five of his last six games and profiles well against Gore’s pitch mix, owning a .360 average against them since June 1. He also had a .421 average with RISP over that stretch, with a team-high 16 RBI in that stretch. 

I’ll also add Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 hits. He’s eclipsed this mark in 11 of 13 outings, and owns a .363 average and a .491 slug-rate against Gore’s primary pitch mix.

Astros vs Blue Jays SGP

• Kazuma Okamoto Over 1.5 total bases
• Kazuma Okamoto Over 0.5 RBI
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 hits

Rangers vs Blue Jays home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+295)

We’ll continue to bet on Okamoto tonight in a great matchup against Gore. Okamoto’s combination of barreling the baseball with power against Gore’s inability to miss bats and 45% hard-hit rate makes him a home run threat tonight.

However, Gore has only allowed two home runs over his last seven starts, so I’ll make this a half-unit play

Rangers vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Texas +125 | Toronto -150
• Run line: Texas +1.5 (-170) | Toronto -1.5 (+145)
• Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8

Rangers vs Blue Jays trend

The Blue Jays have covered the first five innings run line in seven of their last 11 games for +2.55 units and a 20% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Rangers vs Blue Jays and game info

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If you posted a .364 OBP during the 2025 Major League Baseball season, you were in pretty elite company. Among the 108 MLB players who logged at least 550 PA last season, that number would’ve sandwiched you right between perennial All Star Jose Ramirez (.360) and slugger Kyle Schwarber (.365). The small number of names ahead of that mark is the who’s who of the sport – Ohtani, Tatis, Freeman, Soto, Judge, etc.

That was just last season! The Cincinnati Reds aren’t even 80 games into this season! It’s all such a recent memory, isn’t it?

The baseball world evolves incredibly fast, however. That .364 OBP from 2025? That’s precisely the mark posted by TJ Friedl in his most recent full season, and last year he served as a perfectly good on-base machine and run scorer atop the lineup for a club that actually participated in postseason baseball.

You’d think a guy like that would have some value, especially since he’s just making $3.8 million this season and comes with two additional years of team control through the arbitration process. If the Reds had tried trading him over the winter with that kind of profile – he even got down-ballot MVP votes in 2023, all as a player playing CF – you’d think there would’ve been a number of teams jumping at the opportunity.

When I posed the question earlier in the week whether you thought Friedl had played his last game in a Reds uniform, very little of all that seemed to matter anymore. An overwhelming 68% percent of respondents think Friedl’s time with the Reds at the big league level is effectively over, the litany of complicating administrative and roster issues hanging over his head right now too much for his recent poor play to overcome.

Poor play is putting it mildly. From the heights of his OBP prowess in 2025 he fell to just .179/.259/.256 (.515 OPS) in 178 PA to start 2026 before the Reds mercifully optioned him to AAA.

He’s almost 31 and his speed has evaporated. With little power to his game, speed – and the good defense that supported – were two key aspects of his game that don’t seem to be there any longer. If that means he’s a LF now – which the Reds pretty much admitted in-game early this season – that’s an overall profile that doesn’t really work. Now, he’s been passed on the OF depth chart by the likes of JJ Bleday, Noelvi Marte, Blake Dunn, and Dane Myers, with Spencer Steer still very much an option in LF, and the idea of keeping that player around on an arbitration raise over the $3.8 million he’s making right now seems impossible on Cincinnati’s budget.

Barring serious injury elsewhere, he’s not getting called back up anytime soon, and we’re now just over 5 weeks from the MLB trade deadline on August 3rd. If the Reds aren’t going to keep him around and tender him a contract at season’s end, they might as well try to trade him to someone who’s willing to take a flyer on him, and that means there’s precious few games in which Friedl would actually have a chance to make a return to Cincinnati.

Maybe that’s not how it plays out. Maybe they sell other pieces at the deadline (seeing as they’re once again in last place), and that opens a path back for him to finish the season at the big league level if he turns it around down in Louisville. Then, the Reds could shop him for something this winter. At this rate, though, that sure seems unplausible.

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In trading David Peterson, the Mets have dealt from a position of weakness, as their starting rotation was already more or less in shambles. With yesterday’s poor performances from Nolan McLean and Sean Manaea, plus the demotion of Kodai Senga to the bullpen and Peterson’s departure, the Mets have to rebuild their starting staff mid-season, and there aren’t too many options.

What is known is that, at least for now, McLean, Manaea, and Freddy Peralta are going to hold down the top three slots of the Mets’ rotation. Peralta is coming off one of his worst starts as a Met, and McLean was left in too long against the Cubs yesterday, but both are as close to a ‘sure thing’ as the Mets have right now, even if that pains me to say it. Manaea has improved his velocity since rejoining the rotation, but he’s still a shakier third starter than the Mets would like.

Now here comes the tricky part. Reports are that the Mets are calling Zach Thornton to start on Friday in Peterson’s stead, but whether this is a spot start of an invitation to prove himself in the rotation remains to be seen. In 12 appearances (11 starts) across both Double and Triple-A, Thornton has a 4.25 ERA. In his one big league appearance, he went four and a third innings, giving up three earned runs and striking out three.

Replacing Senga in the rotation will be the returning Christian Scott, after serving time on the IL with a hip issue. Scott has been a rare bright spot on this club, putting up a 3.10 ERA across nine starts. His first start of the year was an abject disaster (5 earned runs in one and a third innings pitched), but since then, he’s settled in nicely.

With Clay Holmes likely not back until August (and being one of the best trade chips the Mets have, broken fibula or not), the Mets are going to need to make this group, or this group plus or minus Jonah Tong and/or Jack Wenninger, work for them. It looks like the Mets are likely out of the playoff race, and so players like the aforementioned Holmes and Peralta might be on the block. If that’s the case, the Mets’ rotation will get very young, but the results may even look, somehow, worse than they do right now.

Sunday July 9th, 2006 was last day before the All-Star Break. The Red Sox were 53-32 entering that game. First place in the AL East. They won the first two games against the Chicago White Sox 7-2 and 9-6. Up 3-2 in the 9th, closer Jonathan Papelbon came in for the save. He blew it, allowing Chicago to tie the game. The Sox then scored 2 in the 11th inning. Mike Timlin came in and blew the save, allowing 2 runs to tie the game. In the bottom of the 19th, Rudy Seánez, in his third inning of work, allowed a walkoff run. Boston was still in first place but the season had, more or less, ended. The Red Sox would go 33-43 over the remainder of the season and suffer injuries to Trot Nixon, Jason Varitek, Jon Lester, and Jonathan Papelbon. They would finish in third place. 2007 would, of course, still be exciting.

Similarly crushing losses in Colorado are the departing memories as the Sox fly back to Boston to face the first place Yankees. At home. Where they have struggled mightily.

Cam Schlittler once again takes on the Red Sox. In April, Schlittler went 8 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned). In June the Sox got him out of the game in 5.2 innings but he still only allowed 1 earned run. Last time out he struck out 13. Vaunted “draft guy” Chaim Bloom selected Caleb Bolden with the pick right before the Yankees in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. Bolden currently has s 4.50 ERA for the Portland SeaDogs. He is not in their top 60 prospects according to SoxProspects. He wasn’t that great in college so that’s more on Bloom than on the pitching development program. Connelly Early bounced back from his worst start of the season to hold the Mariners to 1 run in 6.0 innings. In April he allowed 3 runs in 5.1 to the Yankees.

Will Warren hasn’t been bad but hasn’t been great either. This is probably the Sox best chance to prevent a four-game sweep if we want to consider that possibility. He has six starts of fewer than 5.0 innings on the season including two of the last three. He hasn’t faced the Red Sox this season but last year allowed 15 runs in 14.1 innings against Boston. Payton Tolle had a low-strikeout (2) 6.0 inning start where he allowed 3 runs to the Mariners but the Sox only scored one time. He faced NY in his first start of the season when he struck out 11 over 6.0 innings only to have Danny Columbe and Greg Weissert lose the game.

Gerritt Cole is back after missing a season. Will Garrett Crochet return to face him someday? Who can say. Sadly, Cole looks healthy and possibly good. Though the Tigers hit him for 5 runs in 4.1 last time out. He returned in May in two 6.0 inning shutouts. Jake Bennett was the hard luck loser (he didn’t get an L but was denied a W) in the Aroldis Chapman Collapse game. Six shutout innings and 9Ks while not issuing a single walk? More of that, please. A steal by Craig Breslow here.

Not to be confused with Rodan, a foe of Godzilla, Rodón has recovered from his 6 ERA introduction to the Yankees. He missed the start of the season and hasn’t faced the Red Sox thus year. He hasn’t gone more than 6.0 innings and has allowed 3 runs exactly in five of his eight starts. Sonny Gray is coming off a dominant start against the Colorado Rockies going 7.0 innings, allowing 1 run, and striking out 11. Boston won his game in Yankee Stadium on June 5th where he allowd 3 runs in 6.1 innings. The Sox won 7-1 but are missing Ryan Weathers this time around.

Aaron Judge is still out but it hasn’t slowed them down, sadly.

Spencer Jones has come up and hit .220/.324/.356 with 2 home runs and 29 strikeouts in 23 games. Totally irrelevant but Nick Sogard and Spencer Jones are each worth 0.2 bWAR this year and Sogard needed only 12 games.

Cody Bellinger is the most valuable bat by WAR for New York at 3.8. He’s slashing .271/.370/.464 with 11 homers and 10 steals.

In the last 14 days Ben Rice is at just .220/.304/.460 for a .764 OPS. Maybe they catch him in a slump and the lineup becomes a bit less scary. The Red Sox took pitcher Chris Troye (7.20 ERA in Portland this season) in the same round that the Yankees took Rice. Prospects are random. Tanking won’t improve the team any time soon. Better luck will.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Thursday, June 25: Cam Schlittler (1.71 ERA / 2.13 FIP) vs. Connelly Early (3.64 ERA / 4.87 FIP

Friday, June 26: Will Warren (3.45 ERA / 3.36 FIP) vs. Payton Tolle (3.08 ERA / 3.32 FIP)

Saturday, June 27: Garritt Cole (3.62 ERA / 4.25 FIP) vs. Jake Bennett (3.71 ERA / 2.62 FIP)

Sunday, June 28: Carlos Rodón(3.70 ERA / 3.49 FIP) vs. Sonny Gray (2.95 ERA / 3.81 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Thursday, June 25: 7:10 PM ET on NESN

Friday, June 26: 7:10 PM ET on NESN

Saturday, June 27: 1:10 PM ET on ABC/ESPN

Sunday, June 28: 7:20 PM ET on NBC/Peacock

In what seems almost comically timed after an all-time terrible performance on his souvenir jersey night, Marcus Semien hit the Injured List with a left hip flexor strain. In his place, the Mets are calling up Ronny Mauricio, who was just activated yesterday after a stint on the IL with a thumb injury.

To replace the now traded David Peterson on the active roster, Daniel Duarte is joining the club. And in one final move (for now), Jonathan Pintaro was returned to Syracuse after acting as the 27th man during yesterday’s painful doubleheader.

Duarte has thrown five scoreless innings so far for the Mets this year, striking out three and allowing one hit and one walk.

Semien had a truly terrible night in the field in Game 2 of the doubleheader, misplaying a number of balls beyond just the two errors he was charged with; for a player known for his defense, this was an especially embarrassing performance.

Mauricio will likely get many of the second base reps until Semien’s return, while the also newly reinstated Francisco Lindor holds down shortstop, allowing Bo Bichette to play third base. Brett Baty will likely play some second base in Semien’s stead as well.

Over the past two weeks the Jays are 6-5. The offense has scored 4.3 runs per game, a little better than the 4.1 they’ve averaged this year.

Hot

Andrés Giménez: Started 10 of 11. Hit .313/.343/.500 with 1 home runs, 3 doubles, with 3 RBI, 0 walk and 7 strikeouts.

His RISP numbers are continuing to drop .667 OPS now on the season, four weeks ago it was .973 and we were told how great he was with RISP. Now he’s hitting about the same with RISP or not. Still excellent defense. FanGraphs has him +8 outs above average, which is 8th in the MLB. Now if he could hit like he has the last two weeks and play that defense, we’d really have something.

Kazuma Okamoto: Started 11 of the 11 games. Hit .289/.400/.684 with 3 double, 4 home runs, 11 RBI, 6 walks, and 12 strikeouts.

He’s been amazing. And his defense looks fine. Fangraphs has him at a -1 outs above average. I think it will come up some. The play last night was terrible. Apparently he expect the throw to come from the catchers, not from the pitcher. I don’t know if it was a language thing or just a misunderstanding. I hate pickoff plays at second or third. I don’t understand the point. Pickoffs at first have enough errors to make any value you get out of it a wash, but I’m sure that at second and third, it is a negative value to the defense.

Davis Schneider: Played in 9 games, starting 7. Hit .250/.280/.583 with 2 home runs, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.

Maybe the time in Buffalo did do him well. Not many walked in the last two weeks but 4 extra base hits. And the team likes his defense in the outfield more than Sanchez’s. I’m not sure, FanGraphs has him at a -2 outs above average in the outfield (limited inning), Sanchez at a -6, in three times the innings. I guess they have a point, but it is close. Neither will be getting a Gold Glove anytime soon. But I wouldn’t be against giving Davis more playing time against RHP.

Daulton Varsho: Started 4 games. Hit .389/.421/.833, with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 5 RBI, 1 walks, 5 strikeouts and 2 steals.

Just four games, but they have been four very good games.

George Springer: Started all 11 games,. Hit .302/.404/.535 with 1 double, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, 7 walks and 9 strikeouts, with 3 steals and 0 caught.

Nice to see him hitting. The problem, when you have started the season poorly, no one notices when you start hitting. They talk about having him play outfield, but I don’t really think that’s a great idea. Of course, we have several guys who should DH.

Nathan Lukes: He’s played in all 12 games, starting 10. Hit .270/.289/.486 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBI, 3 walk and 8 strikeouts.

Not very hot, but hitting well. Good bat, good defense, not all that much to complain about. He isn’t hitting lefties at all, but that’s very limited at bats.

Yohendrick Pinango: Played in 6 games, starting 4. Hit .143/.294/.286 with 2 double, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

And now he’s in Buffalo. He’ll be back.

Cold

Ernie Clement: Played in 9 games, starting 7. Hit .188/.212/.219 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 walks and 4 strikeouts. And a caught stealing.

Started 6 games at second, 1 at short and played short in a couple of other games. He’s been dealing with a hip injury of some sort, which would make it tough to hit. Hopefully it will improve soon.

Brandon Valenzuela: Started 4 games. Hit .250/.333/.313 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts.

He threw out 1 of 2 base stealers. Cold is a little unfair, but his .646 OPS isn’t great, in very few at bats.

Vladimir Guerrero: Started 9 of 11. Hit .243/.256/.351 with 1 double, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. And 1 steal.

He’s looked worse in the last couple of weeks, not even talking walks, which he’s always been able to do. He had one hard hit ball, yesterday 100.3 mph line out the opposite way that Baseball Savant had as a .700 expected BA, but that was his only hard hit ball on the day. And nothing hit hard the day before either.

Jesús Sánchez: Started 7 games. Hit .130/.259/.174 with 1 doubles, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 9 strikeouts.

He’s had a bad couple of weeks in all ways. Seems to have lost his starting job in the outfield, because his fielding is so bad. He should DH. The two weeks before these two, he hit great. I wonder if the defensive issues are following him to the plate. He hasn’t always been this bad defensively. We were told that they are working with him.

Myles Straw: Played in 10 games, 5 starts. Hit .158/.227/.211 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts..

One of a number of guys not hitting well.

Alejandro Kirk: Played in 8 games, starting 7. Hit .222/.267/.259 with 1 double, 4 RBI, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.

14 steals against, no caught steal. He hasn’t been great since coming back.

Yohendrick Pinango: Played in 6 games, starting 4. Hit .143/.294/.286 with 2 double, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

And now he’s in Buffalo. He’ll be back.

IL

Anthony Santander: Might get into a game before the end of the season. Who knows..

Addison Barger: He is to meet with ‘Blue Jays staff’ because ‘some soreness has crept in. Hopefully it is nothing. If they decide he’s ok, he’ll start a rehab assignment.

The Mets have placed second baseman Marcus Semien on the 10-day IL with a hip flexor strain.

Infielder Ronny Mauricio, who was just activated and assigned to Triple-A on Wednesday, has been recalled from Syracuse.

Additionally, right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte has been recalled, while Jonathan Pintaro, who served as Wednesday's 27th man, has been returned to Syracuse.

Semien played all of Wednesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs, committing two of the Mets' six errors as a team.

"It’s always going to be attention to detail with defense," Semien explained. "First step was not great on the first [error]. Seems like when I’m trying to pick the ball up and rush, the throw isn’t good. I feel like it’s a play that I could have saved and got the out and I didn’t. Those ones hurt. 

"Pop-up, same thing, drifted to the ball. The wind was a little funky out there, and just took my eyes off the ball. Those are plays that I want to make, plays that I want to make tomorrow to help us win."

Acquired this offseason in the trade that sent Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers, Semien has struggled offensively, hitting .214 with a 71 OPS+.

The A’s announced on Thursday morning that infielder/outfielder Zack Gelof will head to the injured list due to the hand injury he suffered on Tuesday night, with Alika Williams coming up to take his place:

The team evidently felt that Gelof’s hand injury was too severe to avoid a stint on the IL. Luckily there wasn’t any reported fractures or need for stitches so the team will hope he can avoid being on the shelf for any more than the minimum. He’ll be eligible to return next weekend at home against the Miami Marlins.

Taking his place on the roster will be Williams, who has spent the past couple of weeks down at Triple-A Las Vegas. He’ll likely return to his semi-regular duty with the big league team with Gelof down for a bit. He performed admirably during his first stint with the club so hopefully he can keep that going this time around.

On the bright side of things, the club did not place shortstop Jacob Wilson on the IL after he left last nights game. It seemed he had reaggravated the shoulder injury that placed him on the IL earlier this month. No word yet on his status so keep your fingers crossed for him.

We won’t get the results until they are announced on MLB Network on Thursday night at 5:00 p.m. ET, but the first phase of All-Star voting wrapped up at noon today. The leading vote getter from each league will earn a spot in the starting lineup. Currently that is Shohei Ohtani, who had a significant lead over fellow Dodger Max Muncy as of Monday’s last vote count update. Somewhat hilariously, Blue Jays’ utility player Ernie Clement is leading the American League over Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. As usual, the voting process is being overrun by a particular team or fanbase, this time with the whole nation of Canada behind them.

Of course, this is why the All-Star Game doesn’t really move the needle the way it used to. On the one hand, it’s good engagement for the league to have fans voting on a whole ballot of options. On the other hand, a little pre-selection process wouldn’t hurt to keep fanbase size from dominating who makes the final cut. Of course, with the American League in general looking rough this season, and stars like Aaron Judge and Mike Trout, who are third and fourth in voting at last count, both injured, this was always going to be a wide open field in terms of who actually takes the field.

The top two vote getters at each position in each league, with six outfielder spots per league open, will advance to the second phase of voting. Phase 2 voting for fans will open at noon on Monday, June 29, with 72 hours for voting to be completed. This will be a whole new ballot, with Phase 1 votes not included. We’ll keep you updated on how the Tigers’ top players do, because fans will need to pile into that 72 hour window to get them the rest of the way.

Obviously Dillon Dingler and Kevin McGonigle deserve major consideration. Dingler has been the best all around catcher in the game this season but was last seen third behind the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers and the Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk, while McGonigle was third at the shortstop position behind the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., and Blue Jays’ shortstop Andrés Giménez at last report. Riley Greene is still in the mix among AL outfielders, and considering that six outfielders will make it to Phase 2, there’s still a chance Greene will make it into the second round of voting as well, although he was in ninth place as of Monday’s last released vote totals.

Considering how things went for the Tigers’ All-Star Game players last summer, it may be for the best if none of them make it. Blue Jays fans are stuffing the ballot box like crazy, and while it’s a nice honor, taking a break for a week wouldn’t hurt the three Tigers, as they’ve been carrying the load for the struggling Tigers in an injury plagued first half of the season.

The AL squad will be managed by the Blue Jays’ John Schneider, as the manager of last year’s World Series contending squad from the junior circuit. He’ll have Twins’ manager Derek Shelton as his backup along with the Blue Jays’ coaching staff. NL manager Dave Roberts has added Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol and Phillies manager Don Mattingly to his staff.

MLB All-Star Week will include the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11-12, the All-Star Futures Game for prospects on July 12, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 13, and the All-Star Game itself on July 14.

Monday night saw the conclusion of the 2026 North Carolina Tar Heels baseball season. While Carolina made it to the very last game possible, it ended in sadness. A defeat to Oklahoma in Game 3 of the College World Series championship series left the Heels a victory short of the program’s first ever national championship.

Understandably, that’s probably taken up a lot of your sports-watching attention of late, especially when it comes to baseball. However, as that’s been happening, there have been other Tar Heels out there playing baseball: the ones in the professional ranks, especially MLB. Now that the college season has come to a close, let’s check in on how the Carolina alumni in the majors have done while your attention has been elsewhere.

(Note: any stats mentioned are through games played on Monday.)

Michael Busch has been arguably the best UNC alumnus in the majors in recent years, having broken out as a legitimately good player after getting traded to the Cubs in 2024. While he’s a bit off the pace he set in 2025, especially in the home run column, he’s been pretty good for Chicago again this year. He’s put up a .773 OPS with 42 RBI on the season. However that being said, both he and the Cubs have been a bit off where they were expected to be coming into the season.

Busch was joined in Chicago by another Tar Heel this past offseason, when pitcher Trent Thornton signed there. He’s proven to be a very solid middle reliever for the Cubs to this point, posting a 3.15 ERA.

Pitcher Zac Gallen has been an ace for the Arizona Diamondbacks over the years, including helping them to the 2023 World Series. He was a free agent after last season but ultimately re-upped in Arizona. Unfortunately for him, it’s not been the prettiest of years. He’s made 16 starts on the season, but has an ERA over six and has seen his strikeout rate plummet from past years.

Having spent the last couple years with the Red Sox, pitcher Cooper Criswell joined the Mariners this past offseason and has been solid for them. He’s currently on the injured list, but he has a better-than-average 3.52 ERA out of Seattle’s bullpen over his 26 appearances.

Brendon Little appeared in 79 games out of the bullpen last year, helping the Blue Jays to an eventual World Series appearance. This season has not been as kind to him, as he’s given up 14 earned runs in 4.2 innings and is currently in the minors.

Ben Casparius and Nick Raquet are both pitchers who started their college careers at UNC and ended them elsewhere, but we’ll still give them a small check in. Both have been a bit iffy for their respective teams and are no longer on the major league rosters; Casparius on the injured list and Raquet in the minors.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on the MLB Tar Heels for the rest of this season, so best of luck to them.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Earlier this week, I asked you what the Cubs’ biggest need is right now: Starting pitching, relief pitching or improvement for the offense.

That article was posted before the Cubs lost two more starting pitchers, Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown, to the injured list.

Even so, you correctly identified starting pitching as the biggest need:

The hitters have bounced back in a big way against the Mets, scoring 29 runs in the first three games of the four-game series that concludes at Citi Field this evening.

The Cubs have, in part, addressed the starting pitching need by acquiring left-hander David Peterson from the Mets, as Josh noted in After Dark. The team announced this signing late this morning and I’d expect Peterson to start one of the games against the Brewers in Milwaukee this weekend. He last pitched for the Mets on Sunday. To make room for Peterson on the 40-man roster, right-handed reliever Yosver Zulueta was designated for assignment.

The Cubs still do need some relief help, as well, Hopefully they can add someone at or before the trade deadline.

Here are the results of the four national questions asked in the SB Nation Reacts survey this week.

This is fairly evenly split among the top three. The Guardians, who have won six AL Central titles over the last 10 seasons, always seem to find a way to win.

That’s worded a bit differently, to take into account all contenders. Honestly, I think the Cubs should have been included here. The Mariners have struggled this year after making the ALCS and coming agonizingly close to the World Series in 2025. They’ve had injury issues like the Cubs have, though not to their pitching staff. I think in the end they run away with the AL West.

Personally, I can take or leave either method. The “swing based” system they are returning to (as opposed to the timer system used for the last several years) is something that should help players, many of whom report feeling exhausted after trying to take as many swings as they can with a time limit.

I have seen four no-hitters in person: Jack Morris of the Tigers over the White Sox in 1984, Carlos Zambrano for the Cubs in 2008, Cole Hamels no-hitting the Cubs in 2015 and the combined no-hitter for the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 2024.

I’ve seen three cycles: Willie McGee in the Sandberg Game in 1984, Mark Grace’s for the Cubs in 1993 and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s for the Cubs last week.

Cycles and no-hitters are about equally rare. There have been 352 cycles in MLB history and 327 no-hitters.

Triple plays are about twice as common: 740 of them since 1876. I’ve seen one, turned by the Cubs in June 1983 — noted here on its 40th anniversary three years ago.

The four-homer game is the rarest of these. There have been only 21 four-homer games in MLB history. One of them was at Wrigley Field, by Mike Schmidt of the Phillies in 1976. I wrote that up here, too, on its 50th anniversary earlier this year. But I wasn’t at that game. So the four-homer game is the one I’d most like to see. Which would be yours?

This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.

If there is one thing New Yorkers love more than anything, it is a good headline. From the front page to the back of the tabloids, to the names lit up in the marquee lights that inspire the city that never sleeps. In a place that is never starved for things to do or people to see, Cam Schlittler’s starts have become a weekly must-watch event. Tonight’s feature in Boston brings Schlittler back home for another early chapter in a story that is already becoming special.

Schlittler has already inked his name into the history pages of one of the greatest rivalries in sports. However, after tonight, two of those three chapters will notably have the same opposition toeing the rubber: Connelly Early. Schlittler vs. Early. It is not Ali vs. Frazier, yet, but one can dream.

In the five-man rotation era, and with the reduced number of division games played each year, long gone are the days of consistently seeing the same starters line up against each other. Now fans are lucky if they get to watch their ace face the opposing ace more than a handful of times each season. That reality helps build the storyline tonight as, for the second time in four months, the Yankees’ top young arm will square off against one of Boston’s best young pitchers.

This got me thinking about some classic matchups of the past. What showdowns did each generation get to enjoy? Who measured themselves against each other within the rivalry, and how did they fare?

With apologies to Jack Chesbro and Cy Young himself, what feels right to call the first true “our guy versus their guy” matchup is Red Ruffing in the blue corner and Lefty Grove in the red. I decided to count no-decisions as ties or at least list them as such, so the records listed are wins-losses-no decisions. Over the course of the 1930s and 1940s, the former Red Sox righty Ruffing went 11-14-6 in 31 starts opposite his fellow Hall of Famer. Those 31 matchups were the most head-to-head meetings between Yankees and Red Sox starting pitchers that I could find.

Making a season’s worth of today’s starts against one opposing pitcher alone is an almost unbelievable concept. For reference, Gerrit Cole has made only 12 starts against the Red Sox during his entire Yankees tenure.

Another common matchup featured Mel Stottlemyre and Luis Tiant. These two faced off 12 times in the early 1970s around the same time five-man rotations became standard. In fact, they may have developed some type of common-law bond, as they faced each other four times between July 16th and September 17th of 1972 and then five more times during the 1973 season.

Stottlemyre went 6-5-1 in those matchups. The pair also combined for 13 complete games. Stottlemyre held the edge there as well, throwing seven of them.

Around the turn of the century, the rivalry featured one of its greatest pitching showdowns. Two of the fiercest competitors to ever take the mound squared off six times: Roger Clemens and Pedro Martínez. The number of matchups declines dramatically the closer you get to the present day, but this one stands out because of the October battles.

Clemens went 1-2-3 as a Yankee when facing Pedro and his former club, including getting obliterated in Game 3 of the 1999 ALCS at Fenway. However, that lone victory was a big one, coming four years later during another Game 3 rumble in Beantown. He later got a no-decision in the unforgettable Game 7, as his offense bailed him out of a tough start with a huge rally off Martínez in the eighth. Clemens and Pedro were both larger-than-life figures who ran hot, making them a dream pairing for New York media and fans alike.

Jump ahead another decade or so and we arrive at the modern version of longevity. CC Sabathia and Jon Lester faced each other eight times while serving as the staffs’ respective left-handed aces.

Sabathia held a 3-2-3 advantage. The matchup was fittingly even considering the two finished their careers with similar ERAs and WHIPs, though Sabathia accumulated 51 more wins and 837.1 more innings pitched.

Now Schlittler and Early take the stage for Round 2. For the next several years, barring injuries, lockouts, or other misfortune, there is a chance Yankees and Red Sox fans will get to watch these two continue building their own chapter in the rivalry.

Here’s hoping, more often than not, that the Yankees win.