NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 19: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees reacts during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Yankee Stadium on June 19, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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)
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)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 29: Chase DeLauter #24 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates an RBI double during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field on June 29, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The CN Tower is shown outside the Rogers Centre ahead of game one of the American League Championship Series between Major League Baseball teams Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners in Toronto, Canada, on October 12, 2025. (Photo by Mike Campbell/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Because of the timing, we’ll have the Game Thread with some notes.
There is news:
Patrick Corbin is being moved to the pen. They really had to, he’s had an awful June, 8.69 ERA in 19.2 innings over 5 starts. When you are averaging less than 4 innings a start and putting your team way behind, something has to give. He was good in April and May, ending May with a 3.65. It almost seems like he must be nursing something.
Tomorrow’s game will be the famed Bullpen Day, with Spencer Miles doing the bulk role. I’d think they would want to call up someone else who could give us more than an inning or so. When they had SWR, they had a second arm who could go 3+ innings. I guess Corbin could give them some innings out of the pen, but then that seems to make taking him out of the rotation a waste of time.
And Vlad is out of the lineup today with back tightness.
Nolan Perry moved up to New Hampshire from Vancouver.
The Yankee’s defense is having a rough time of it:
Yankees now have 14 unearned runs allowed in their last 5 games.
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.
Jun 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
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.
Miguel Vargas has been on an absolute heater, giving the White Sox offense a spark nearly every night. | (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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.
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.
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!
May 19, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean (26) walks back to the dugout after against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
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
Blue Jays lineup
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
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:07 PM ET TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 19: Trey Gibson #43 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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.
COMING FROM BEHIND: Last night’s game was the 33rd of the Cubs’ 85 in which they have erased a deficit. They are 22-11 in those games and have won seven in a row and nine of 10. They have erased a total of 36 deficits, having done it twice in three games, all of which they won. They have done it in each of their last three games and in five of their last seven, beginning with both games of the doubleheader at New York vs. the Mets last Wednesday. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
KEEPING THE BALL IN THE YARD, PART 1: The Cubs did not surrender a home run last night, snapping a streak of 13 consecutive games with at least one. It was just their ninth streak that reached 13 games since 1901. Their longest was 17 games, in 2000. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
KEEPING THE BALL IN THE YARD, PART 2: The Cubs did not hit a homer, either. It was only the eighth game this season in which neither they nor their opponent homered. The Cubs are 3-5 in the games, all of which took place at home except a 1-0 win at Cleveland on April 5. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Geovany Soto’s three-run homer in the 13th inning gives the Cubs a 5-2 walk-off win over the Giants. It happened 15 years ago today, Thursday, June 30, 2011.
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.
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.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates his first inning three-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks with teammates Cody Bellinger #35 (C) and Ben Rice #22 at Yankee Stadium on April 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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.
Jun 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) enters the field before the game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 25: Bubba Chandler (36) of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks to the dugout after being relieved during a MLB game against the Seattle Mariners on June 25, 2026 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies, June 30, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are fresh off of a big comeback victory against the Philadelphia Phillies to start their three-game set in Citizens Bank Park. The Pirates trailed 5-0 after the third inning, but a pair of runs in the fourth and a run in the fifth gave the Pirates the lead for good. The Phillies responded with two runs in the eighth inning, but the Bucks put three insurance runs on the board in the ninth, which was enough to give them an 11-7 victory.
The Pirates will look for their third straight win, starting Bubba Chandler on the mound. Chandler pitched 5.1 innings yesterday, allowing five hits and an earned run in his last start on June 25 against the Seattle Mariners at home.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are starting Christopher Sanchez, the left-handed ace who has been tremendous for the Phillies this season, going 9-3 with a 2.13 ERA. Sanchez is coming off the shortest outing of his season from his last start against the Washington Nationals on June 25. He only pitched five innings, giving up seven hits and five earned runs. He left the game trailing 5-0, but the Phillies rallied in the second half, scoring 10 in the final four innings to capture a victory.
Jun 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A fan wears a baseball helmet during a game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
It did not seem to matter what the Pirates ran out against Phillies left-handed ace Cristopher Sánchez on Tuesday night.
And if it was not already clear, Sánchez has a strong handle on Pittsburgh’s offense.
He was going to bounce back after his rough outing last week in Washington.
Forty-five days ago, Sánchez was in the midst of one of the most dominant scoreless stretches by any pitcher in recent history. He threw a complete-game shutout against the Pirates on a sunny afternoon at PNC Park, striking out 13 without a walk.
Pittsburgh had three left-handed hitters in the lineup that day. They went 0-for-8.
A month and a half later, the Pirates loaded up with nine right-handed hitters against Sánchez. It did not change much.
The left-hander flirted with untouchable over seven scoreless innings, leading the Phillies to a 8-0 win after an ugly series opener Monday night.
Typically, a pitcher facing a team for the second time in a short span has to adjust once the lineup turns over. Sánchez had to do that Tuesday against Don Kelly’s exclusively right-handed lineup.
The caveat: Sánchez operates with three primary pitches.
He again leaned heavily on his changeup, but he made a notable adjustment with his slider.
Sánchez had thrown his slider to right-handed hitters only 16.1 percent of the time this season entering Tuesday. That number climbed to 20 percent.
It worked.
Of the 17 sliders Sánchez threw, 13 drew swings. Eight produced whiffs. Four ended in strikeouts. That was a 62 percent whiff rate, nearly double the pitch’s mark entering the night.
And he did it while dealing with a blister, or cut, on the top of his left thumb. That did not seem to matter, either.
As the game moved along and the Pirates’ order turned over for a third time, Sánchez leaned on his old reliable.
His changeup, arguably one of the most devastating pitches in baseball, took over. He threw it 62 percent of the time and recorded four of his nine strikeouts with it.
Sánchez finished with 23 swings and misses, the first time a Phillies pitcher had recorded at least 23 in a game since Statcast tracking began in 2009.
In two starts this season against the other Pennsylvania club, Sánchez has struck out 23 without allowing a run over 16 innings.
Tuesday’s outing also matched Jacob deGrom’s 24-game streak allowing two or fewer earned runs at home, the longest such run at one ballpark since 1913.
Sánchez’s ERA now sits at 2.00, three points lower than Zack Wheeler’s. The last time the Phillies had two starters (min. 10 starts) with an ERA of 2.05 or lower through June of a season was 1916 — Grover Alexander (1.65, 18 GS) & Eppa Rixey (1.91, 10 GS).
110 years ago.
His start, paired with a sharp night behind him, was the recipe the Phillies needed.
Alec Bohm made two diving plays that likely saved extra-base hits and possible runs. He robbed Henry Davis in the third, then took away another likely run-scoring hit from the speedy Konnor Griffin in the fifth.
The third baseman also made a running stop and strong throw in the seventh.
Bryce Harper added two impressive plays at first base. Bryson Stott made another sliding stop that nearly turned into an out.
Entering Tuesday, the Phillies’ infield ranked seventh-worst in outs above average at minus-14. Their minus-26 defensive runs saved ranked second-worst in baseball.
For one night, they looked nothing like those numbers.
They arguably saved the day.
The offense helped, too.
Justin Crawford had two hits, but his second-inning at-bat may have been the most important of the game.
Bubba Chandler attacked Crawford in the area that has troubled him lately: fastballs at the top of the zone, particularly triple-digit ones.
Crawford hung in.
After six straight fastballs, Chandler tried to finish the at-bat with a breaking ball nearly a ball and a half off the plate. Crawford stayed back and sent it on the ground down the left-field line.
His new setup, with lower hands and a no-stride approach, helped him stay through the ball and take the breaking pitch the other way.
Crawford finished with three hits. He is quietly batting .306 over his last 30 games and .362 over his last 15.
The Phillies added three more runs in the seventh, and then three more in the eighth, thanks to another Crawford run-scoring hit and a Trea Turner, the birthday boy, two-run shot to stretch their lead to eight.
A dominant win for the Phils, who are now three games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves.
