Category: Baseball

As you might expect with a team that has hovered around .500 all season, signs point upwards, downwards, and downright sideways, all at the same time, with regard to the 2026 A’s and the rest of the season.

Make no mistake about it, there are positives. The A’s have not hit the way they expected to, but joining the already superb Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, and Carlos Cortes is the sizzling hot Tyler Soderstrom and Brent Rooker has shown signs of life this week as well. The A’s will ultimately hit. And the emergence of Gage Jump, along with the good arm of Jack Perkins and breakout of JT Ginn, gives the A’s renewed hope around their beleaguered rotation.

But there are still more questions than answers around the final 95 games as the A’s sit 3.5 back of 1st place and 0.5 game out of a crowded field of wild card mediocrity. Here’s an updated look around the diamond…

Third Base

Leo De Vries looked so good in spring training that it felt realistic to think he might push for a spot on the big league roster as soon as this month. He didn’t miss that fast-track by a hair, he missed it more by a finger. De Vries suffered a bone bruise in his finger that probably explains his big drop in slugging so far in 2026, with an ISO of just .107 compared to the impressive .196 of last season. All his other stats are still looking elite and he’s on his way — but not imminently anymore.

Meanwhile, Zack Gelof has been a revelation, with his .266/.315/.462 batting line pretty close to his enticing rookie season stats (.267/.337/.504) that had him looking like a core piece for years to come. His defense has been the best of any A’s candidate, night and day better than Max Muncy and superior to that of other players, e.g., Darell Hernaiz, trying to play it as their second or third best position.

So why hasn’t Gelof stabilized 3B going forward? Not because of anything he has done wrong, but because of what Jeff McNeil has done wrong. McNeil went to bed April 30th a wily 34 year old veteran and woke up on May 1st a 54 year old trapped in a horror movie best described as “Freaky Friday meets The 100 Year Old Man”. Point being the A’s might need Gelof to stabilize 2B, where his defense is even better, leaving a hole still at 3B.

As for Muncy, who is being given opportunities again to show he is capable of manning 3B every day, he brings questions on both sides of the ball. He has yet to prove he can play 3B (or 2B) adequately and the bat has not shown up since he was hit on the hand, played through it, rested, rehabbed, and returned to go 1 for 8 — and the one should have been ruled an E6.

Bottom Line: Really you want to put players at their best positions when possible, especially if there is a hole at that position. For Gelof that is 2B, not 3B, so it leaves 3B still highly uncertain given that De Vries is not yet in the picture. It continues to be the place where the A’s should probably focus if they consider a trade or waiver acquisition for the rest of the 2026 season — but they know help is on the way so they would only be looking at a stopgap of an upgrade, which is an unlikely fit. Especially for a team whose focus will be on pitching if it’s on anything.

Second Base:

Once lovingly referred to as Squirrel, then also Graybeard as a tribute to his “mature profile,” lately Jeff McNeil’s nickname has simply been Your Expletive Here. Another possible one would be This ISO Intentionally Left Blank, as McNeil’s last extra base hit came on May 20th and he has had just two since May 3rd.

It’s hard to overstate how bad McNeil has been the past 6 weeks, as his swings themselves are actually more alarming than the results, which are putrid enough. May’s terrible .216/.278/.284, 54 wRC+ performance has been followed by an even more frightening June: .091/.130/.091, good for the ol’ -44 wRC+. He is now 4 for his last 48 with 4 singles.

Perhaps McNeil’s most recent PA shines a spotlight on just how far the former batting champion has fallen. With the game on the line in the bottom of the 12th, McNeil swung at the first pitch even though it was several inches inside and he could not have possibly done anything with it but pull it weakly foul as he did. Then he took a strike which he challenged even though most of the ball was clearly in the zone. Then he waved late at a pitch up around his neck. It was a PA you couldn’t fathom in April, but have come to expect in June.

If the A’s sit McNeil they solve 2B immediately with Gelof. Only the hole it leaves at 3B, and the “what to do with McNeil?” questions remain — but both are significant queries. So 2B remains as unsettled as 3B unless the A’s can figure out a way to clone Gelof (hey, he does have a brother in the minors…).

Bottom Line: The A’s need to figure out what they do with McNeil and if it’s the Gio Urshela “It’s been fun…” treatment then they have solved 2B with Gelof, but if not most likely we will continue to see some sort of platoon that bounced Gelof around the infield.

Center Field

This is probably the least unsettled of the 5 in that Henry Bolte is off to a somewhat rollicking start — so long as you don’t look too deep under the hood. Bolte smashed his first HR last night, which is a welcome development, but he also struck out twice to raise his K rate to 31.5%. His BABIP now sits at .440.

Bolte also committed errors in each of the first 2 games of the series, first making an unnecessary throw that skipped past 3B and then getting his footwork a bit tangled as he fanned on a base hit he was charging. Bolte is still only 25 games and 89 PAs into his career, and there are clear signs of success (a .295 BA and .371 OBP) as well as red flags for regression ahead (he has struck out in 14 of his 28 June PAs).

Bolte’s job is safe in that Denzel Clarke is out for a long time and Lawrence Butler is a terrible CFer who also happens to be hitting worse than Clarke offered. But what lies ahead for Bolte, both at the plate and in the field, is anybody’s guess.

Bottom Line: The A’s will pretty much “sink or swim” with Bolte for the next 2 months. It’s just unclear which it will be.

Starting Pitching

Gage Jump has been sensational and JT Ginn has been a true “breakout SP” — including last night when he was charged with 5 ER in 5.2 IP but in the context of the hitting environment offered the best start of any of the 4 SP in the series so far. Jack Perkins is still an unknown but offers a third “plus arm” the A’s can hope to lean on to create a young “big 3” of sorts.

It’s after that things get even dicier than wishcasting great success on Perkins before he has fully shown it. Jeffrey Springs began the season with an ERA of 1.46 for his first 4 starts and hasn’t won a game since. His season ERA now stands at 4.68 and the dreaded HR ball has shown up 16 times in just 75 IP. He has pitched very much like JP Sears did for the A’s, and while Sears was useful to the A’s he was clearly a “back of the rotation innings eater”. The 5th SP is a revolving door of recently Kade Morris, potentially Joey “You think Springs gives up a lot of HRs?” Estes, and soon the return of Aaron Civale, who out pitched his peripherals for a while and then didn’t.

It feels like the A’s SP, going forward, could be anything from “surprisingly solid” — like the bullpen was last season following the Mason Miller trade — to “predictably godawful” as you can get when you rely on pitchers who have made 3 big league starts, haven’t been able to stay healthy for a full season, have pitched to poor predictive stats but better results, and so on. It’s a wild card to match the playoff spot the A’s are a half game away from.

Bottom Line: The A’s are going to lean heavily on 3 very inexperienced SPs to lead them into the post-season picture at more than a cursory level.

Bullpen

Oh the bullpen. This is a group that can throw 6.1 IP scoreless innings across 6 different relievers one day and then the very next day turn a comfortable 5-1 7th inning lead into a devastating walk-off loss. After last night, fans are bullish about the prospect of Mason Barnett and Elvis Alvarado blowing away the competition in high leverage, but how many felt this way a week ago?

Justin Sterner (3.19 ERA with underlying metrics to support his success) has probably been the A’s most consistently effective reliever from day 1 to day 67. Certainly Alvarado has the stuff as he unleashed yesterday. Hogan Harris has a team leading 5 saves but he has also walked 23 in his 32.1 IP. Barnett has been a revelation, but only for 3 appearances so far. Luis Medina has been solid in lower leverage and brings good stuff to go with erratic results throughout his career. The rest of the bullpen crew (Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Barlow, Jose Suarez) are veterans who rely on guile more than plus offerings.

Best case scenario is that a couple arms emerge to give the A’s one thing they have sorely lacked all season: a clear set-up man and a clear closer to build the rest of the pen around. 2 of Alvarado, Sterner, and Barnett could potentially seize these roles, but whether they will is still anybody’s guess.

Bottom Line: “Closer and set-up man by committee” just doesn’t usually work well at all, so look for the A’s to settle on 2 guys soon and then we’ll find out if they made good choices.

A lot of uncertainty, and also a lot of potential and upside, as the A’s spend the next month or so learning whether they are contenders, pretenders, buyers or sellers, in a mediocre AL that is there for the taking — but is also not going to be taken by most of the middling teams. Your thoughts and suggested plans of action moving forward? One thing is clear: it’s not early anymore and the wheat and chaff are about to separate in the American League.

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

There’s a little over a third of the season in the books, with the Pittsburgh Pirates sitting at 34-33. They’ve been wobbling back and forth between .500 and a few games over all season. However, it’s better baseball overall than we’ve seen in a while, minus some hiccups.

What we want to know is, who do you consider to be the Bucs MVP with a third of the season in the books?

There’s some newcomers, a stud pitcher, a guy finally coming into his own at the plate. You decide.

We’ll be back soon with the results. Thanks for voting!

Freddie Freeman doubled and singled in Tuesday night’s win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, bringing the Dodgers first baseman to 2,500 career hits, just the 102nd player in major league history to reach that milestone.

“It does mean a lot,” Freeman told reporters in Pittsburgh after his 2,500th hit, as shown on SportsNet LA. “There’s always another [milestone] to get to, but to step back and realize how long you have to play, the consistency over the course of that, to play at a high level for many, many years to get there, it does mean a lot.”

Freeman is the first new member of the 2,500-hit club since Robinson Canó on May 7, 2019 while with the New York Mets. The 2010s were a fruitful decade in gaining new members to this exclusive club, with 11 players getting their 2,500th hit between 2010-19.

There have been double-digit players reaching 2,500 career hits every decade dating back to the 1970s, topping out at 14 players between 2000-09.

Freeman is the first player to reach 2,500 hits in the 2020s, and we’re already in our seventh season of this 10-year stretch.

Jose Altuve is next in line on the active career leaderboard, with 2,430 hits. The Houston Astros second baseman will likely reach 2,500 hits at some point later this season. But the rest of the active hit leaderboard quickly runs out of steam when it comes to potential players reaching 2,500 hits by the end of 2029.

MLB active hit leaders

1. Freddie Freeman 2,500 hits
2. Jose Altuve 2,430 hits
3. Andrew McCutchen 2,280 hits (39 years old, released by Rangers on May 28)
4. Paul Goldschmidt 2,229 hits (turns 39 in Septmber)
5. Manny Machado 2,109 hits (turns 34 in July)
6. Nolan Arenado 1,973 hits (age 35, had 453 hits since start of 2023, ~3.5 years)
7. Carlos Santana 1,882 hits (age 40)
8. Xander Bogaerts 1,874 hits (age 33, last had 170 hits in a season in 2023)
9. Bryce Harper 1,862 hits (age 33, topped 150 hits twice since 2021)

Of that group, Altuve and Machado look likely to reach 2,500 hits in the next three-plus seasons, and maybe Arenado depending on how he finishes out this year. Bogaerts and Harper still very well could reach 2,500 hits, but perhaps not until 2030 or later.

The 2020s might end up being the decade that sees the fewest new entrants to the 2,500-hit club since the 1950s, when only two players did so. They were upper-echelon Hall of Famers Stan Musial and Ted Williams, so maybe it’s not all bad to be in such select company.

By all accounts, the San Diego Padres should have won Tuesday night’s game. With the bases loaded in the sixth inning, the Friars grounded into an inning-ending double play. With runners on first and second in the eighth, the Cincinnati Reds struck out Samad Taylor before inducing a flyout from Jase Bowen to end the inning.

But the biggest situation came in the bottom of the ninth, where three consecutive singles loaded the bases with one out for the Padres. Manny Machado struck out to bring up Gavin Sheets. Sheets promptly struck out as well to send the game to bonus baseball.

San Diego quickly tied the game in the 10th on an RBI-single from Taylor. But they wouldn’t get any more than that, setting up a dramatic 11th inning. The Reds’ Sal Stewart slugged a two-run shot against Yuki Matsui that would be the difference maker.

That said, this was a productive game for the Friars. The superstars showed up tonight, with Fernando Tatis Jr., Machado and Jackson Merrill going 8-for-17 at the plate. Unfortunately, that production didn’t translate into a win for San Diego. They’ll now face off against Cincinnati in the rubber match today.

Taking the mound

Brady Singer (CIN) v. Michael King (SD)

Singer spent the 2025 season as a productive back-end starter for the Reds but has not been the same in ‘26. Through 55 innings, Singer owns a 5.89 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and an incredibly high .316 opponent batting average.

Most of the Friars haven’t faced the righty, so Cincinnati will be hoping that it takes some time to figure him out. San Diego will need to put up runs quick to take the rubber match and win their first series of June.

On the other side, King has been San Diego’s ace through this season. Despite a recent rough stretch, the righty has posted a 3.41 ERA through 74 innings. His last three starts have been tough, giving up 13 runs in just 15 2/3 innings.

Unlike Singer, King has faced a majority of the Cincinnati lineup. He’s had success against most of them, but catcher Tyler Stephenson boasts a .286 batting average and a team-high seven at-bats against the righty.

Batter up!

Samad Taylor has looked fantastic in his first week with San Diego. Across 11 at-bats, the speedster boasts a .364 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage. It’s a small sample, but he’s been a veritable spark for a Padres’ offense that had gone dark.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
2. Jackson Merrill, CF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Gavin Sheets, DH
5. Ty France, 1B
6. Samad Taylor, LF
7. Jase Bowen, RF
8. Sung-Mun Song, SS
9. Rodolfo Durán, C

The stars showed up last night, but the rest of the lineup didn’t do much to help. The Padres went a blistering 3-for-20 with RISP, cutting short any hope of scoring opportunities. They’ll need to do much better tonight to win the series.

Relief corps

With the game going into extras (and Lucas Giolito going just four innings), the Friars’ bullpen looks pretty depleted after last night. David Morgan, Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, Mason Miller, Bradgley Rodriguez and Matsui covered a total of seven innings to finish out the game.

That leaves just Ron Marinaccio and Wandy Peralta in the ‘pen for the Friars. Thankfully, King has a track record of working deeper into games than most of the San Diego rotation. The Padres hope he’ll be able to do so against a middling Cincinnati lineup.

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Here’s my trio of top MLB same-game parlay predictions for three night games Wednesday, June 10.

The MLB picks begin with the Arizona Diamondbacks taking down the Miami Marlins and wrap up with the nightcap between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels tonight.

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Game	SGP Odds
ARI vs  MIA	+390
PHI vs  TOR	+320
HOU vs  LAA	+455

Diamondbacks vs Marlins SGP: Snakes sink Fish

The Miami Marlins rank 26th in overall xwOBA across the past 30 days, while the Arizona Diamondbacks check in sixth, so I’m expecting the Snakes to put enough runs on the board to pull away tonight.

Arizona star Corbin Carroll has hit the Over in this market in 19 of his past 26 games, and he’s also posted a monster .375 wOBA against righties since the beginning of 2025.

Turning to Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson, he’s dipped to a 16.8 K% across his past seven starts while throwing fewer fastballs and adding a sinker to his pitch mix. It’s a clear recipe for success with his solid 2.89 ERA and 0.99 WHIP during the stretch, too.

This SGP is playable down to +375.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MIAM, ARID

Phillies vs Blue Jays SGP: Philly maxes Scherzer

With the Toronto Blue Jays ranking 27th in xwOBA across the past 30 days and 26th in wOBA against lefties this season, I’m anticipating Philadelphia Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo to cash in on pending statistical correction. His 3.15 xFIP is miles below his 4.56 ERA, after all.

Phils first baseman Bryce Harper also lands in a favorable matchup with his high-end .418 wOBA and .292 ISO against righties, and Toronto turning to Max Scherzer (6.26 xFIP).

The final leg is uncorrelated to boost the odds, and Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sports an elite .318 batting average against southpaws since the beginning of the 2024 campaign.

I’d play this SGP down to +300.

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SN1, NBCSP

Astros vs Angels SGP: L.A. bats tee up Lambert 

Los Angeles Angels right-handed hitters Zach Neto and Oswald Peraza have a sneaky matchup with Houston Astros starter Peter Lambert sporting reverse splits and allowing a healthy .365 wOBA to righty bats. 

Neto and Peraza both hit in the top half of the Los Angeles lineup and check in with respective .372 and .375 wOBAs against right-handed arms this season.

While Angels starter Reid Detmers sports an impressive 28.5 K% this season, I’m anticipating him having a tougher time racking up punchouts with the Houston Astros ranking sixth in wOBA while striking out at the fourth-lowest clip against southpaws.

This SGP is in play to +425.

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ABTV, SCHN

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

We were traveling through southern Missouri last week. Interesting country. Super nice people. Loved the scenery.

On Highway 160, we drove past what appeared to be an old salvage yard, and on the chain-link fence was a sign that said:

Business closed

Do not enter

Dog will bite

I loved the simplicity of that sign. “Dog will bite” was a nice touch. I immediately thought about the 2026 Royals. If you think fans are not bought into their favorite team, think again.

What does that sign have to do with the current edition of the Royals?

For one, they are a bit of a salvage yard. Every offseason, the front office convinces itself that it can resurrect the careers of aging players on the downslope of the game. It rarely works out. I can think of a few in the past. Raul Ibanez worked out nicely. Same with Jeff Francoeur. They squeezed a few games out of Jose Lima. The problem is those guys last played here well over a decade ago. The Royals have a handful of those guys clogging up the roster.

Second, business does appear to be closed. This season has been a dumpster fire since Opening Day. Here we are, in the first week of June, and any playoff hopes we had before the season have long been vanquished. You’d think some heads would roll, but you’d be wrong about that. Ladies and gentlemen, this business appears to be closed.

Forget for a moment that they’re a terrible hitting team. Forget for another moment that their bullpen starts more fires than an arsonist. They run the bases worse than some of the 12-year-olds I’ve coached, and occasionally, they forget how to field the ball.

Say what you will, but they’re consistent.

The general manager who assembled this ill-fitting puzzle remains. So do the manager and coaches. And the scouting department. The hitting and pitching coaches seem to have lifetime employment. I’m exasperated. Are you exasperated?

I’m not sure if the team’s lack of performance will eventually affect attendance. Do not enter.

Will the dog bite? Doesn’t look like it. The Royals’ top dogs appear to be napping. GMJJ isn’t biting anyone. His comments to the media have taken on a surreal Baghdad Bob quality:

“I have a lot of confidence in our staff. There’s not a lot of strong data on changing coaching staffs midseason leading to what you need to do. It appeases the fan base because you’ve made a change, but we have to be logical in our thinking.”

Really? Are we even watching the same team? I write this when the Royals are mired in a brutal losing streak. Naturally, as the baseball Gods would have it, the story runs while the Royals are on a mini-heater.

Owner John Sherman could clean house, and perhaps he’s thinking about it. The losing has to be grating on him. He’s a Kansas City guy and a baseball fan. I can’t imagine that he’s happy with what he’s seen. So far, he’s not biting anyone yet, either.

I like Sherman. It’s fashionable right now to hate on wealthy people, but envy and jealousy are ugly emotions. Sherman and his wife are active in the metro community, and that’s admirable. I can remember a time after Ewing Kauffman’s death when we couldn’t find a local with enough money to buy the team. Sherman is a Kansas City guy, he has the wealth to own the team long term, and I don’t question his love for the Royals. We may disagree with his approach, but I’m glad we have him.

He takes some arrows for not spending enough on talent, but look at the Mets. Their owner has spent a pile, and where are they? As of this writing, the Mets are 29-36. Do you think their fans are happy?

If Sherman were to clean house, who would they hire as replacements? I have no idea. Even worse, do you trust the Royals’ decision-makers enough to believe they won’t screw it up worse?

Quick quiz: Who is the best GM the Royals have ever had? That would be Cedric Tallis, whose tenure ran from 1968 to 1974.

Who was their best manager? This is debatable. Many will say Ned Yost. He did win a World Series, but over his 16-year managerial career, he was just a .477 manager. My vote goes to Whitey Herzog, but Bob Lemon deserves some consideration.

Who was their worst manager? Take your pick; there are six or seven strong candidates.

Two years ago, I would have advocated for Terry Francona, but the Reds snapped him up. Prior to the season, I made a vow to myself that I wasn’t going to get emotionally involved with this team and was just going to enjoy the summer, win or lose. Easier said than done.

This road trip eventually led us to Kansas City. We went to the Arabia Steamboat Museum and loved every bit of it. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend making a stop. Kansas City has some terrific museums, and this one is as good as any in the metro area. The staff is top-notch.

On the drive to the museum, I got a chance to look over the future home of Royals Stadium. It’s hard to imagine all that concrete and metal somehow fitting into that space, but they’ll make it happen, and it’ll be terrific when it’s done.

I will miss Royals/Kauffman Stadium. Most of us will. It’s a special place, a place where many of us attended our first games. We’ve had our share of heartbreak, and there have been some fun times. The stadium itself is still beautiful, one of the best in the game, but it is in its 54th year of service, which is longer than Municipal Stadium stood. It’s funny, the memories we carry with a stadium.

I love driving east on I-70 and coming around the hill and catching sight of the stadium. It always takes my breath away for a few seconds.

In my mind’s eye, I still see Amos Otis running down fly balls. I see George Brett lacing a ball into the right-center gap and hustling out a triple. I see Hal McRae stroking the longest home run I’ve ever seen. I still see a ragtag group of Royals in 2009 mounting a rally through a rainstorm and overcoming an early Red Sox lead while drenched KC fans went wild and their equally drenched Red Sox brethren sat quietly, absorbing the loss.

Many of our older fans feel the same about Municipal. Every time I’m in the city, I drive to 22nd and Brooklyn. I can see Cookie Rojas and Freddie Patek turning two. I see Otis Taylor slugging Ben Davidson. I see Garo Yepremian kicking that field goal.

Someday, we’ll drive to I-70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff and see the memories.

About the new ballpark, the thing that concerned me during my drive to the Arabia was this: How is the team planning to move 20,000 to 30,000 fans in and out of the area 81 times a year?

Midwesterners are well known for their love of automobiles and driving to every event, especially those of us from out of town. We’re spoiled by Kauffman. Relatively easy access off I-70 and 435 into a series of enormous parking lots. Short walk to the gate. Piece of cake.

Local political leaders and Royals brass are working overtime trying to convince us that the light rail is the answer. Uh-huh.

About that rail. I’ve ridden a few in my life. Boston. Chicago. Denver. San Diego. One thing those rail systems have in common is that the line runs with minimal interference from traffic, and vice versa.

Not so with the KC rail line.

Driving north on Main, traffic and rail share the same lane for long stretches. How is that going to work on game day, when the streets are plugged with cars and SUVs looking for a parking garage? I can see impatient rail riders stranded behind a long line of slow-moving vehicles.

The KC rail seemed to function like a metro bus, stopping every few blocks to pick up or disgorge riders. The rail systems in other cities move people, rolling at least half a mile between stops. When their train stops close to where you want to be, you get out and walk the remaining distance.

San Diego’s, which to me is the gold standard of rail, stops directly outside of Petco Park and will disgorge hundreds of riders at a time. The stops are short and efficient. Traffic continues to move on either side of the rail line.

We rode the train into downtown Denver for a game a few summers ago. Coming in was relatively easy. Leaving after the game was a nightmare. Too many riders, not enough train. After that fiasco, I vowed never again. Next time, I drove in, paid to park in a lot, and walked a few blocks to the stadium.

Every train I saw in Kansas City only had three cars. You’re not moving tens of thousands of people efficiently with three-car trains. Most of the trains in San Diego pull eight to ten cars. They arrive on track that is separated from street traffic. Where they do cross the street, a guardrail drops, blocking vehicle and pedestrian traffic so the train can speed away.

Maybe there are places in Kansas City that have this safety feature. I didn’t see any.

Rail approaching the new ballpark from the south appears to have a cleaner shot. From Crown Center north, whew. That’s some ugly city planning. I can see that, short of tearing down a lot of buildings, there wasn’t much space to work with. Maybe an elevated line like Chicago uses would have been a better choice?

Regardless, it appears that the city has a ton of infrastructure work in front of it before this thing opens. Who knows? Maybe it’ll work like a Swiss watch. I have some serious doubts.

As with anything, time will tell. There will certainly be things about the new ballpark that we will grow to love. There will also be things that we curse to high heaven. Putting together a team that wins consistently will cure most of those travel and parking concerns.

Diamondbacks News

Arizona’s Comeback Stymied
Arizona managed to come back from a four-run deficit, tying the game up with a three-run eighth. Unfortunately, the bullpen had a rough afternoon and allowed four runs in the bottom of the inning.

Kayson Cunningham Moving Up Ladder
Last year’s first pick in the draft and one of Arizona’s top prospects has managed to do something other highly-rated prospects of late have had trouble with, staying healthy and thus moving up quickly through the minors.

They Came to the U.S. for Baseball, Diamondbacks’ School Covers the Rest
The development of Latin American players begins at the Diamondbacks Dominican Academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. There, alongside constant baseball training, there is a strong emphasis on academic preparation.

Lovullo Defends Marte Amongst Swirling Criticisms and Rumours
Torey Lovullo threw a sea of frigid water on Bob Nightengale’s latest Ketel Marte hit piece.

Other Baseball News

What All 30 Teams Should Do Before Trade Deadline
The Diamondbacks’ lineup needs to make it abundantly clear that Mike Hazen can focus on pitching upgrades at the deadline.

Do Catchers Challenge Well Where They Frame Well?
It is still early days, but which catchers are better at challenging and are they also the ones with good framing tendencies?

Minnesota Waited a Decade for this Byron Buxton
Better late than never in this case. But what do they do now?

White Sox are in Midst of Impressive Turnaround
While there’s a long way to go in the 2026 season, at their current pace the White Sox could post this century’s second-largest improvement in winning percentage among the teams that lost at least 108 games two years prior.

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Our MLB experts have you covered on the diamond tonight, and one of our featured picks includes a mispriced divisional showdown in Anaheim.

With Polymarket listing every game to trade on, let's dive into our MLB picks for Wednesday, June 10.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: MIL/ATH u13.5	+122
Jon Metler: PHI ML	-135
Joe Osborne: HOU ML	+102

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Brewers/Athletics Under 13.5

Price: 45¢ (+122) at Polymarket

This series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Athletics has seen 41 runs through two games, but these totals are getting out of hand. Between Games 1 and 2, the total jumped from 10.5 to 13.5.

I don't see today's pitching matchup as any worse than last night's, which closed with a lower implied total. It's hot, but the hitting conditions aren't significantly better today either, so I don't agree with adding nearly a full run to the implied total.

Last night, both bullpens were taxed, but they're in much better shape today after relatively light usage on both sides. Milwaukee also has all of its high-leverage arms available, which should help keep a lid on the scoring.

• Time: 9:05 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Brewers.TV,NBCS California

Jon Metler's expert pick: Phillies moneyline

Price: 57¢ (-135) at Polymarket

Facing Max Scherzer makes it hard not to like the Philadelphia Phillies in this spot, especially given the gauntlet of left-handed bats at the top of their order.

While the sample size is still small this season, Scherzer has already allowed five home runs in 51 at-bats and is giving up a .314 average and 1.037 OPS to left-handed hitters. When you combine that with a Phillies lineup featuring Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Brandon Marsh in three of the top four spots, the matchup becomes even more concerning for him.

Scherzer's fading slider tends to leak into the barrels of left-handed bats and is particularly vulnerable in this park and against this type of lineup. Against that profile, his arsenal starts to look highly exploitable in this spot. At this price point, there’s a clear edge, as I make the Phillies closer to a 65-cent favorite against the Toronto Blue Jays.

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
• How to watch: NBCS Philadelphia, Sportsnet One

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Astros moneyline

Price: 49¢ (+102) at Polymarket

I'll happily fade the Los Angeles Angels following last night's win. One of their biggest issues all season has been stringing together victories, as they own an MLB-worst 8-17 record following a win. 

Houston is also in a favorable matchup against left-hander Reid Detmers. The Houston Astros rank among the league's best offenses versus southpaws over the past month, and their current roster has produced an .802 OPS against Detmers across 94 at-bats. 

While Detmers has put together a respectable season, the Angels are just 4-9 in his starts. Even if the game is close late, Houston holds a significant bullpen edge, boasting one of baseball's hottest relief staffs over the past few weeks.

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Space City HN, FDSN West

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Powered by an elite offense, the Atlanta Braves own a sparkling 23-11 record on the road this season.

My Braves vs. White Sox predictions are backing the Braves to get back in the win column on Wednesday night.

Let's break it all down with my MLB picks for June 10.

Who will win Braves vs White Sox today: Braves moneyline (-150)

Chris Sale has posted a 2.81 xFIP over the past 30 days, which is the lowest mark among all of the day’s starting pitchers.

He struck out 29.1% of batters while completely neutralizing opposing power by keeping the ball out of the air (28.6 FB%) and limiting hard contact (26.6 HH%). 

While Davis Martin is a quality arm, his xERA (3.68) is more than a full run higher than his ERA (2.61).

The Atlanta Braves rank first in OPS against righties on the road and should provide Sale with run support.

Bet to -165.

COVERS INTEL:The Braves lead the league with a 15.6 HR/FB% against right-handed pitching in away games.

Braves vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-105)

The starting pitching matchup is strong but I still think there’s a real path to runs in this game.

Martin ranks in the 13th percentile in hard hit rate allowed while the Braves rank third on the road against righties. 

They have a lot of power that could cause Martin problems, especially if he’s rusty after eight days off.

As good as Sale is, the Chicago White Sox are an elite offense against lefties – they sit second in ISO and third in wOBA.

Play the Over to -115.

Braves vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Braves -150 | White Sox +130
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+115) | White Sox +1.5 (-135)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-105) | Under 7.5 (-115)

Braves vs White Sox trend

Atlanta has hit the Over in 17 of the last 25 away games (+10.40 units, 37% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. White Sox.

How to watch Braves vs White Sox and game info

Braves vs White Sox latest injuries

Braves vs White Sox weather

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