Category: Baseball

Once again the Orioles are at risk of spiraling completely out of contention. Next up on the schedule is a three-game set with a surprisingly solid White Sox squad. Fortunately for the Orioles, these games are at Camden Yards. The Orioles actually having a winning record (23-21) at home, while the White Sox have been quite poor on the road (15-25). Sooo maybe they actually have a chance?

Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off for the Orioles despite being in the midst of a 1-for-18 stretch that has included zero walks and three strikeouts. Why? Nothing more than Craig Albernaz’s intuition, it would seem. It’s not like the Orioles offense has been firing on all cylinders anyway, so whatever.

Perhaps more important is Shane Baz on the mound for the Birds. He’s coming off of a poor showing against the Angels, where he allowed five runs over five innings. The 27-year-old has shown flashes this season, but has looked more like an innings eater than the potential frontline starter we were promised. A start of six innings or more would push Baz over 100 innings on the season. That is valuable even if the ERA isn’t quite as low as the Orioles front office probably hoped it would be.

Orioles lineup

1. Gunnar Henderson, SS
2. Taylor Ward, LF
3. Adley Rutschman, C
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Samuel Basallo, DH
6. Dylan Beavers, RF
7. Colton Cowser, CF
8. Blaze Alexander, 3B
9. Jackson Holliday, 2B

RHP Shane Baz (4-8, 4.31 ERA)

White Sox lineup

1. Sam Antonacci, LF
2. Miguel Vargas, 3B
3. Colson Montgomery, SS
4. Kyle Teel, C
5. Randal Grichuk, DH
6. Branden Montgomery, RF
7. Tristan Peters, CF
8. Chase Meidroth, 2B
9. Jacob Gonzalez, 1B

RHP Sean Burke (5-4, 3.71 ERA)

Today’s roster move: Here

Monday notes…

• SERIES WINS AND LOSSES: The Cubs won eight of the first series they played this season. Then they lost five a row, split one and lost four most. Since then, they have won four and split one, making their record in series 12-13-2. They finished 31-19-3 last year. This year, the Cubs’ record is better the deep they go into each series: 12-15 in first games, 14-13 in second games, 16-10 in third games and 4-0 in fourth games. They lost the opener of the series at Milwaukee, but had won the previous four first games, after having dropped seven straight. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• MONDAY, MONDAY: The Cubs are 4-1 at home on Monday this year, their best record at Wrigley Field on any day of the week so far. They are 3-1 on Thursday and 4-2 on Wednesday. (COurtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• WIN/LOSS SPLITS: The Cubs are 20-19 against teams that had a winning record going into that day’s game, and 26-19 vs. teams at .500 or below. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• SEIYA SOON: Seiya Suzuki during the Brewers series: 4-for-12 with two home runs and six RBI.

Cubs lineup:

Padres lineup:

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Griffin Canning, RHP

Shōta Imanaga again got bit by the home run bug in his last start, serving up three to the Mets, though the Cubs won the game anyway.

He’s got a worse home run rate at home (12 in 53 innings) than on the road (eight in 39 innings), though neither of those is any good.

He did manage to allow just one to the Padres in Game 2 of last year’s Wild Card Series, and in the 2025 regular season he allowed just one earned run to the Padres in 12.1 innings. He has not faced them yet this year.

Do good, Shōta.

Griffin Canning had been in the Padres rotation starting in May after returning from an Achilles injury last year, but after he allowed seven runs to the Orioles June 12 (third time in eight starts he’d allowed six runs or more), he was moved to the bullpen. He hasn’t really been any better there. In his last relief appearance, vs. the Braves June 23, he allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning.

His last start against the Cubs was May 11, 2025, while he was with the Mets. He allowed one run in six innings.

Alex Bregman is 8-for-17 vs. Canning with two home runs. Maybe this will get Bregman going.

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

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

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

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss amongst yourselves.

With the Mets in need of some fresh arms in the bullpen, the club recalled right-hander Joey Gerber from Syracuse. To make room on the roster, the team options Tobias Myers to Triple-A.

This move was necessary because the club used Cionel Perez, Tobias Myers, and Kodai Senga yesterday, and it was unlikely that any of the three would be available for today’s game. With Senga not an option to be, well, optioned, Myers made sense to get a ticket back to Syracuse. The right-hander had gotten off to a strong start this season, posting a 2.33 ERA and a 3.25 FIP through 19 1/3 innings by the end of April.

However, May was far less kind to Myers, as he pitched to a 6.43 ERA and a 6.24 FIP in 13 innings in the month before he was eventually demoted the first time with the team in need fresh arms and the club hoping to stretch him out a bit. His return from the minors has been an unmitigated disaster, however. He’s appeared in four games, including one start, and has allowed multiple runs in each outing. He finished June with a 14.54 ERA and a 6.44 FIP in 8 2/3 innings across those four appearances. It remains to be seen what the club plans to do with Myers now that he’s returning to Syracuse.

Joey Gerber returns to the Mets to lend a helping hand to the bullpen. He’s made three relief outings so far across two stints. To date, he has allowed one earned run on five hits, with one walk and six strikeouts in five innings.

The Pirates are going to be without their first baseman for a while.

Spencer Horwitz tweaked his hamstring running out a ground ball in the Pirates’ 11-1 win against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. 

Appearing on his weekly radio show on Sunday on flagship 93.7 The Fan, general manager Ben Cherington gave a bleak assessment of Horwitz’s injury.

Horwitz is expected to be out “weeks, not days” and will likely not be back until after the All-Star break. 

The Pirates return from the All-Star break against the Cleveland Guardians on July 17, which would sideline Horwitz for nearly a month.

One of the most underrated players in baseball this season, Horwitz is fifth in the NL with a .386 on-base percentage. He is two spots below Bryan Reynolds (.402), who is third behind Shohei Ohtani (.412) and Juan Soto (.406). Ivan Herrera (.387) is in between the two teammates.

In 246 at-bats over 74 games, Horwitz is slashing .280/.386/.455 with an .841 OPS. His 10 home runs before July are the most in his career and are two away from tying his career high (12) in 2024.

An improving defender whom the Pirates relied on in the leadoff spot, Horwitz provided timely hits and drove in 33 runs through the first three months. He also owns an even strikeout-to-walk total (40).

The Pirates will play a gauntlet of NL contenders over the next two weeks, beginning with four against the cross-state Philadelphia Phillies. 

In a cool scheduling move, the Pirates play in the nation’s capital against the Washington Nationals on Fourth of July weekend.

Pittsburgh will face the Phillies, Nationals, Braves, and Brewers before the All-Star Game, all of whom are either in a playoff spot or ahead of the Pirates in the race to the playoffs. This stretch could define the season. 

Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday as he works his way back from a lumbar spine disc herniation, the team announced.

Robert has been sidelined for more than two months with the injury and last played on April 26.

New York acquired Robert in the offseason, trading Luisangel Acuña to the Chicago White Sox for the outfielder and took on the remaining $20 million in the final year of his contract to be the Mets' every day center fielder. However, Robert was not off to a great start for his new team, slashing .224/.327/.329 with two home runs, two steals and a .656 OPS in 24 games.

Throughout his career, Robert has been injury-prone and played just 210 games over the past two seasons with the White Sox with middling results. A year earlier, though, the 28-year-old slashed .264/.315/.562 with a career-high 38 home runs, 36 doubles and an .857 OPS in 145 games.

The Mets took a gamble and were hoping to get that version of Robert, suspecting a change of scenery could help the slugger. Even if he didn't hit to his full capability, New York believed his defense in center would be worth it.

Yet, a month into the season Robert went down with an injury which resulted in the Mets promoting top prospect A.J. Ewing. Since then, the rookie has been the every day center fielder and has been quite impressive in the field and in the batter's box, slashing .279/.359/.422 in 44 games.

Once Robert is ready to return to the team, New York will have an interesting decision to make in the outfield with Ewing as well as rookie Carson Benge playing well.

The start of another series, and all I’m thinking is ‘don’t be swept’.

That stuff about Addison Barger being back soon? Not so much. He has a ‘stress reaction in his back’. I guess that means stress fracture, but he’ll be shut down for two more weeks. So let’s hope that he might be back at the end of July.

Beyond that Yimi Garcia is ‘feeling a little better’ and playing catch. And Max Scherzer is playing catch, too.

This is nice. I want to say something snarky about any Met player would be sad if they thought they could be playing for Toronto.

There was also this:

Today’s lineups:

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies, June 29, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are back out on the road as they travel to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ashcroft is looking for his third straight victory after wins in back-to-back starts. In his last appearance on June 24 against the Seattle Mariners, Ashcroft pitched six innings, giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out 10 Mariners in an 11-1 rout over Seattle. This is the second time Ashcroft has pitched against the Phillies this season. He also started on May 15 against the Phillies at PNC Park. He pitched 6.2 innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs. The Pirates lost 11-9 in 10 innings.

The Phillies are countering with former ace Aaron Nola, who is in his 12th season with the franchise. So far this season, Nola is 3-4 with a 5.58 ERA. He has not been part of a decision in the month of June, but in his last start against the Washington Nationals on June 24, he pitched five innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs as Philly won 5-4 in D.C. Nola also pitched on May 15 against Ashcraft at PNC Park. The Pirates got the better of Nola as he pitched 3.2 innings, giving up six hits and six earned runs.

Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Braxton Ashcraft (7-3, 3.07 ERA) vs. Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.58 ERA)

BD community, chime off in the comments section below.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Pirates:

Let’s talk about it.

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

Through the first couple months of the 2026 MLB season, New York Yankees starting pitching was elite. Cam Schlittler breaking through to become perhaps the best pitcher in the American League thus far is already established, but it was more than just him.

As a unit, their starters led MLB in FanGraphs WAR, with both Will Warren and Ryan Weathers looking sharp and competitive in their bid to remain in the rotation once it’s back to full health (Max Fried has been on the IL since mid-May). And on the subject of health, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón had each pitched well in May since making their long-awaited 2026 debuts.

June, however, has been a bumpier story. Warren and Weathers have regressed, Cole has proved that Tommy John surgery recovery is not an instantaneous process, and though his numbers have been better, Rodón remains a bit of a wild card, prone to innings occasionally spiraling on him.

So just based on your gut feeling, who are you most concerned about? We’ve left Schlttler out since even a regression to modest pitching will mean he’s very good, but there are more reasonable flags on each of the other four arms. Vote in the poll below and we’ll check out the results later in the week.

The White Sox are back at it after a week that went their way, snagging four wins in six tries. Now comes the real test — a three-game set with the Orioles, then straight into Cleveland for four. The catch? The Sox are allergic to road games. Their .375 road winning percentage is dead last among playoff hopefuls, and the bats shrivel up away from Rate Field (.231 on the road, .252 at home). The pitching? A sparkling 3.25 ERA at home turns into a horror show (5.39) on the road. Sure, everyone plays better on their home turf, but if the Sox want to hang around in the AL Central, they have to stop treating every road series like a vacation and start winning more than just one out of three.

Sean Burke gets the nod, rolling in at 5-4 with a 3.71 ERA and a tidy 1.21 WHIP. He’s been nails lately, allowing only two runs over his last 13 2/3, 14 punchouts, and just one walk each time out. The numbers say this isn’t a fluke as Burke’s got a legit breaking ball that’s been a weapon, and his fastball plays up thanks to some sneaky extension. The Orioles can mash, so Burke’s night comes down to fastball command, spinning that breaker in two-strike counts, and not leaving anything up for Baltimore’s big bats to launch. He doesn’t get many grounders, so if Chicago wants to start this series with a win, Burke has to keep the ball in the yard.

Baltimore throws Shane Baz at the Sox, and he’s been a mixed bag, going 4-8 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. The righthander is coming off a clunker against the Angels (five runs, eight hits in five innings). The stuff is there as he can touch 96 mph, but the results are not. His breaking ball and offspeed pitches have been more rumor than weapon, and his whiff rates are nothing special. The South Siders’ game plan should be to make Baz work, put the ball in play, and not go fishing for his fastball. Get him behind in counts, wait for a mistake, and there’s offense to be had.

As far as the bats go, Miguel Vargas has been on a heater, slashing 435/.519/.913 over the last seven days with a 1.432 OPS, and home run number 19 in the books. If the Good Guys want to flip the script on the road and survive this gauntlet, Vargas has to keep the fire burning. Here’s how skipper Will Venable will send them out against Baz.

And the lineup for the O’s.

First pitch is 5:35 p.m. CST. Watch on CHSN or catch the call on ESPN Chicago AM 1000.

Texas Rangers lineup for June 29, 2026 against the Cleveland Guardians: starting pitchers are Tyler Alexander for the Rangers and Parker Messick for the Guardians.

The Rangers continue their long-ass road trip today in Cleveland, where they are playing the first of three. Tyler Alexander is the opener, though newly signed Chris Paddack apparently could be used as the bulk guy behind Alexander. Cam Cauley, just called up, will play in his first major league game. Corey Seager, recovering from a concussion, gets the day off, as does Brandon Nimmo, who has undergone an MRI after crashing into the wall on the final play of last night’s game. Evan Carter and Alejandro Osuna get rare starts against a lefthanded pitcher.

The lineup:

Foscue — DH

Jung — 3B

Duran — RF

Burger — 1B

Higashioka — C

Osuna — LF

Cauley — 2B

Lopez — SS

Carter — CF

6:10 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +133 underdogs.

If it feels like the Cincinnati Reds just got swept by the Milwaukee Brewers a minute ago, you aren’t wrong. That’s what happened in Great American Ball Park at the end of just last week, Milwaukee eeking out a pair of 1-run wins alongside a 2-0 victory in extra innings.

Though the margins between the two teams were slim in those games, the reality is that Milwaukee is light years ahead of the Reds in the standings. 11.5 games, to be exact. The first place Beers have a +120 run differential so far this year that’s second best to only the Los Angeles Dodgers in the entire sport, and they have owned the NL Central by winning 12 of their 17 contests played within the division this year.

The Reds, sporting just a 4-17 record against the Central, enter the four-game series in Milwaukee today with a -51 run differential that’s the second worst in the National League behind only a Colorado Rockies club that barely exists. Maybe the Reds barely exist at this point outside our little corner of the internet – it would be hard to argue otherwise – and this series might well be their last shot to prove that they actually are tangible for the remainder of 2026.

Four games to make a statement. Four games to dig back into the race. Four games, while currently sitting four games under the .500 mark with the All Star break and trade deadline looming.

These are the biggest four games of the Cincinnati Reds season.

Getting the start for the first one will be lefty Nick Lodolo, whom the Reds desperately need to be the vintage version of himself again. He enters with a ghastly 5.59 ERA across 46.2 IP, though he did look hands down the best he’d looked all year in his most recent start before taking a 107 mph comebacker off his left wrist and being forced to exit early. All signs point to his long-term prognosis being just fine, but we’ll have to cross our fingers that there are no lingering issues with it during tonight’s start.

Going for the Beers will be lefty Robert Gasser, and the Reds have juggled their lineup accordingly. The bad news is that despite a lefty on the mound, Eugenio Suarez is not in the starting lineup after being beaned on the hand by the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday. The good news, I suppose, is that he wasn’t placed on the IL, so hopefully it’s just a day to day thing that he’ll get over quickly.

Elly De La Cruz will DH in this one, while the middle infield will feature the red hot Edwin Arroyo at 2B with Matt McLain back in the lineup at short.

Here’s how the Reds will line up to start tonight, which features a first pitch at 7:40 PM ET:

Not much is going right for the Atlanta Braves at the moment as they’re essentially riding on the excellent pace that they set during the first half of the season as they try to navigate this current rough patch. They certainly need some starting pitching help at the moment and while the following news is defintely good news, it’s not anything that’ll help in the immediate near future.

Still, it’s nice to hear that Spencer Schwellenbach is eying a return for this season. Mark Bowman of MLB.com has reported that Schwellenbach could be heading to the Florida Complex League in the near future and that could be the start of Schwellenbach’s path back to Atlanta’s rotation.

I hate to go full Chip Caray on y’all but if Schwellenbach does indeed make it back for this season and hits the ground running, it would, in fact, be like making a trade after the trade deadline. It would also come at a position of need for the Braves, as the uncertainty that surrounded the rotation heading into this season has finally materialized here in the early second half of the season. Chris Sale and Martín Pérez have emerged as the only truly reliable starters at this particular moment with Spencer Strider injured and inconsistent, Bryce Elder crashing back down to earth and the fifth spot being in complete flux as well.

Before Spencer Schwellenbach went under the knife to end his 2025 season, he was a consistent source of production on the mound as he delivered an ERA of 3.09 (73 ERA-) and a FIP of 3.25 (81 FIP-) and his career numbers over two seasons have been solid as well with an ERA of 3.23 (77 ERA-) and a FIP of 3.27 (81 FIP-). It would be wishful thinking to see Schwellenbach make his return a seamless one but it sure would be nice to see and something that the Braves would gladly welcome — no matter what the rotation looks like once Schwellenbach eventually makes his return.

Again, this isn’t anything that’ll move the needle right now (and to be quite honest, the words “could” and “likely” are carrying a lot of weight when it comes to Bowman’s reporting here) but it’s good news for the future. Hopefully things will get to the point in the future where Schwellenbach’s return is a luxury and not a desperate need. We’ll see what happens.

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The Texas Rangers and Cleveland Guardians begin a three-game set tonight, with the struggling Texas bullpen looking to find its form behind opener Tyler Alexander. 

However, with Parker Messick dominating, my Rangers vs. Guardians predictions and MLB picks are targeting Cleveland to walk away with a victory here. 

Who will win Rangers vs Guardians today: Guardians moneyline (-142)

The Texas Rangers will hand Tyler Alexander the ball tonight, but after working just one inning in each of his last two starts, they'll once again lean heavily on their bullpen. That's a concern, considering Texas' relief corps owns a 5.24 FIP over the last week while allowing a 39.8% hard-hit rate.

The Cleveland Guardians counter with Parker Messick, who has been outstanding lately. The left-hander owns a 2.15 FIP across his last two appearances while striking out 12.63 hitters per nine innings and allowing just 0.66 home runs per nine.

Cleveland holds the clear pitching edge, and I'll play this pick to -150.

COVERS INTEL: This Rangers bullpen has given up 2.57 HR/9 across the last week, compared to just 1.13 overall this season. 

Rangers vs Guardians Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-116)

Parker Messick has been excellent lately, but I don't expect him to completely silence Texas. The Rangers are swinging the bat well, carrying a 45.3% hard-hit rate over their last seven games, and should be capable of scratching out a few runs.

Cleveland's offense hasn't produced consistently, with just a 69 wRC+ over the last week, but this is still a favorable pitching matchup after Tyler Alexander exits early. The Guardians don't need an offensive explosion to cash this Over, and a game in the 5-4 range feels well within reach.

I'll play this pick up to -130.

Rangers vs Guardians weather

Conditions at Progressive Field should provide a slight boost to offense tonight. Temperatures around 90 F and warm summer air could help the ball carry a bit better, while light 4.7 mph winds aren't expected to have much impact. Overall, the weather leans modestly toward hitters and supports a few extra scoring opportunities.

Rangers vs Guardians odds

• Moneyline: Rangers +133 | Guardians -138
• Run line: Rangers +1.5 (-163) | Guardians -1.5 (+156)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-104) | Under 7.5 (-100)

Rangers vs Guardians trend

The Rangers have cashed the Over in 20 of their last 35 games for +5.80 units and a 15% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. Guardians.

How to watch Rangers vs Guardians and game info

Rangers vs Guardians latest injuries

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The Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners meet tonight, with the dominant George Kirby on the hill. 

Behind the righty, my Angels vs. Mariners predictions eye Seattle to grab a home victory in the series opener. 

Find out more in my MLB picks for Monday, June 29. 

Who will win Angels vs Mariners today: Mariners -1.5 (-103)

The Los Angeles Angels hand Ryan Johnson the ball tonight. He's only made two starts since being recalled, but opponents have still managed a 40.8% hard-hit rate while Johnson has allowed 1.64 home runs per nine innings. That's a dangerous combination against a Seattle Mariners lineup that sees the ball better at home.

George Kirby, meanwhile, has been lights out. Over his last four outings, the right-hander owns a 2.82 FIP while allowing just 0.82 home runs per nine innings. Kirby also sports a solid 3.79 FIP at T-Mobile Park this season.

I'll play this pick to -130.

COVERS INTEL: Seattle's offense has compiled a 109 wRC+ at home compared to just 94 on the road.

Angels vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 runs (-103)

While Ryan Johnson has been vulnerable, Seattle's offense hasn't exactly been rolling either, carrying just a .290 wOBA over the last week. That should help keep this total in check, even if the Mariners find some early success against the Angels' starter.

Both bullpens have also been outstanding lately. Los Angeles owns a phenomenal 1.24 FIP across its last 26 1/3 innings, while Seattle's relief corps has posted a 2.33 FIP over the past week. Both units have done an excellent job limiting damage late in games.

I expect Seattle to score enough to win behind George Kirby, but runs could be difficult to come by after the starters exit.

I'll play this to -120.

Angels vs Mariners weather

Conditions at T-Mobile Park should have little impact on tonight's matchup. Temperatures around 70°F with light 8.1 mph winds create a fairly neutral environment, offering minimal assistance to either hitters or pitchers. The game is more likely to be decided by the starting pitching and bullpen matchups than by the weather.

Angels vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Angels +194 | Mariners -203
• Run line: Angels +1.5 (-113) | Mariners -1.5 (+104)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-108) | Under 7.5 (+104)

Angels vs Mariners trend

The Seattle Mariners have hit the game total Under in six of their last eight games (+3.80 Units / 43% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs. Mariners.

How to watch Angels vs Mariners and game info

Angels vs Mariners latest injuries

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