The Root of many wins is strong pitching

GLENDALE, AZ - MARCH 21: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zach Root (41) throws a pitch against the Chicago White Sox in a Spring Breakout Game on March 21, 2026, at Camelback Ranch at Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Wins and losses were somewhat overshadowed by a couple of memorable individual performances in the Dodgers’ minor league system.

Player of the day

It was a toss-up between Zyhir Hope’s six-RBI effort in Double-A and the fabulous start by Zach Root in High-A. Between the two, we’ll go with Root, who shattered his season-high mark in length, which had been the four innings covered in his previous start, delivering seven one-hit innings in a 4-0 win for the Loons.

For the second game in a row, Root struck out nine hitters, earning his first win of the season, hardly a surprise since he hadn’t yet pitched deep enough into a game to qualify for one.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Comets were out-hit nine to three and thus unable to overcome the three runs allowed by starter Christian Romero in a 3-2 loss. Despite their bullpen wrapping up this game with 4.1 scoreless innings, they saw a somewhat familiar face wrap up the save for the Express in Alexis Díaz, his first of the year.

Responsible for scoring one of the Comets’ two runs, Tommy Edman continued his fine form in Triple-A, working his way back, currently with a .375 batting average after going one for three. Edman was defensively replaced at the top of the eighth. Now, for the visiting Express, two of their three runs came on solo shots from their sixth-hole hitter, John Taylor.

Double-A Tulsa

It’s not too often you see a game with three errors from each team, but that set the stage for a high-scoring win by the Drillers over the Sod Poodles on the road. Starter Evan Shaw couldn’t pitch past the first inning after allowing four runs, but the Drillers countered with seven in the fifth and were able to hold onto that lead.

Second baseman Taylor Young started the scoring for the Drillers and would go on to reach base safely in four of his five plate appearances with a couple of walks and a pair of hits, but the big star was Hope, responsible for six of the Drillers’ 13 RBI. Hope went deep twice in back-to-back innings, homering in the fifth and sixth frames.

High-A Great Lakes

There was no stopping Zach Root as the twenty-two-year-old delivered seven magnificent scoreless innings to lead the Loons to a 4-0 victory—Root was efficient and deadly, needing just 88 pitches to do so, and striking out more than a batter per inning in the process. Relievers Robby Porco and Dilan Figueiredo tripled the number of baserunners the Loons had allowed by letting one reach in both the eighth and ninth innings, but they kept the zeroes on the board.

Offensively, the Loons did the most out of a slow day, managing to scrape together those four runs on just three hits. Leadoff man Charles Davalan began the scoring with a sac fly, and a couple of innings later, Eduardo Quintero had the big hit with a two-run double to triple the lead.

Single-A Ontario

What looked to be a high-scoring win for the Tower Buzzers as they led 7-6 heading into the eighth turned into a blowout defeat in a matter of a couple of innings, with the Ports jumping on relievers Jecsua Liborius and Jose Cabrera to run away with this one by a score of 16-8, leaving Ontario with a .500 record at 26-26.

Although leadoff hitter Kellon Lindsey managed a couple of RBI, the Tower Buzzers concentrated their production in the bottom of the order, with the eighth and ninth-hole hitters responsible for six of the team’s 11 hits. Catcher Conner O’Neal had himself an outstanding game with a homer and three singles, not only his first four-hit affair of the year but just his second multihit performance.

Transactions

The Tulsa Drillers activated second baseman Taylor Young from the injured list. Catcher Anson Aroz was also activated from the injured list by the Ontario Tower Buzzers and sent to the Great Lakes Loons.

Wednesday’s scores

  • Oklahoma City 2, Round Rock 3
  • Amarillo 9, Tulsa 13
  • Great Lakes 4, Lansing 0
  • Ontario 8, Stockton 16

Thursday’s schedule

  • 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Aiden Foeller) vs. Lansing (Samuel Dutton)
  • 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Jackson Ferris) vs. Round Rock (TBD)
  • 5:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Adam Serwinowski) at Amarillo (Avery Short)
  • 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Stockton (Jackson Nove)

Astros Prospect Report: June 2nd

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 15: Nehomar Ochoa #94 of the Houston Astros runs off the field during the seventh inning of a spring training game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 15, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (24-34) won 7-2 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in a big way in the 5th scoring 4 runs on a Nelson sac fly, Whitcomb 2 run double and Price RBI single. Alexander got the start and pitched well allowing 2 runs over 6 innings. Sugar Land continued to add on getting a run in the 7th on an Alexander solo home run, a run in the 8th on a Loperfido RBI double and a run in the 9th on a Perez solo home run. The bullpen closed it out with 3 scoreless innings as Sugar Land won 7-2.

Note: Price has a .839 OPS this season.


AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (24-28) lost 9-8 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the first inning scoring 4 runs on a Whitaker 3 run double and a run on a wild pitch. Nezuh got the start and went 4.1 innings allowing 4 runs. The Hooks got another run in 6th on an Encarnacion steal of home. They got 2 more runs in the 7th on a Whitaker groundout and Brutcher RBI single to take the lead. Arkansas scored a run in the top of the 8th to tie the game at 7. Arkansas took the lead scoring 2 runs in the top of the 9th. The Hooks responded with a run on a wild pitch but that was it as they fell 9-8.

Note: Holy is hitting .275 in Double-A.


A+: Asheville Tourists (12-39won 8-4 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville got on the board in the first inning on a Frey steal of third and then he scored on a throwing error. They got 2 more runs in the 5th inning on a Walker groundout and Thomas RBI double. Rodriguez got the start and pitched well allowing one unearned run over 6 innings. The pen allowed 2 runs as the Grasshoppers tied it but Frey gave Asheville the lead again in the bottom of the inning with a sac fly. The offense scored again in the 8th putting up 4 runs on an Ochoa solo home run, Thomas bases loaded walk and Frey 2 run single. Cruz allowed 3 runs in relief but held on as Asheville won 8-4.

Note: Thomas has a .912 OPS this season.


A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (23-29) lost 3-1 (BOX SCORE)

Fraide made his full-season debut for the Woodpeckers and went 4.1 innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 7 batters. Wells tossed 1.2 scoreless and Beck allowed 1 run over 3 innings while striking out 5 batters. The offense got their lone run in the 9th inning on a Huezo solo home run but that was it as the Woodpeckers fell 3-1.

Note: Beck has 41 K in 30.2 innings this season.


Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Colton Gordon – 7:35 CT

CC: Bryce Mayer – 6:35 CT

AV: TBD – 5:35 CT

FV: TBD – 10:05 CT

May days were not kind to RailRiders

Duke Ellis of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders steals a base during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on May 23, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images

May was not a merry month for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Although they won the final two games of a six-game series last week against the Worcester Red Sox at home at PNC Field, the RailRiders finished May with a 12-15 record. In two series against the WooSox during the month, they went 4-7. They opened May splitting four games against the Buffalo Bisons. They also split six-game series with the Syracuse Mets and Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

As a team, the RailRiders batted .236 with 34 home runs and 129 runs. Jonathan Ornelas led the way with a .305 average (25-for-82) with three doubles, two triples, one home run, a dozen runs, and seven RBIs. He hit safely in 15 of 24 games with seven multi-hit games, including a four-hit game on May 19th at Lehigh Valley.

Familiar face Oswaldo Cabrera batted .275 (28-for-102) with seven doubles, two home runs, 13 runs, and 17 RBIs. Top prospect George Lombard Jr. did not fare as well on the whole with a .192/.351/.298 triple slash, though his numbers from the final two weeks of the month (May 17-31) did look better better at .269/.371/.481. Call it a hot streak or a sign of adjusting to the higher level following an April 30th promotion.

Yanquiel Fernández had a team-high eight home runs during May, including multi-homer games on May 6th at Worcester and May 19th at Lehigh Valley. He also batted .286 (26-for-91) with three doubles, 22 RBIs and 15 runs. He was named the International League Player of the Week for May 18-24. Unfortunately, he also ended the month injured, as he was placed on the seven-day IL on May 29th.

The RailRiders swiped 43 bases, which ranked third in the International League during the month. Duke Ellis led the thievery going a perfect 15-for-15 in steal attempts. Ellis is tied for the league-lead with Worcester’s Braiden Ward with 24 steals.

On the mound, the pitching staff had a 4.32 ERA with six saves. It bookended the month with shutouts and Adam Kloffenstein was involved in both.

On May 1st, in the first game of a doubleheader against Buffalo, Kloffenstein and Rafael Montero combined on a two-hit, seven-inning shutout, 2-0. Then on May 31st, Kloffenstein struck out 10 in six innings before Bradley Hanner and Peter Strzelecki finished off a combined three-hit blanking of Worcester, 1-0.

Hanner recorded two of the team’s six saves. He was also 2-0 during the month with a 2.25 ERA. In 10 games and 12 innings, he allowed three runs, eight hits, walked four, and struck out 20.

Brendan Beck went 2-0 in May with a 2.17 ERA. In five starts, he allowed eight runs (seven earned) and 19 hits with 11 walks and 27 strikeouts in 29 innings. The Yankees’ No. 21 prospect also made his MLB debut in a cameo while effectively tagging in for a sick Ryan Weathers on May 7th and was chosen International League Pitcher of the Week for May 11-17.

Carlos Lagrange, the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect, had a team-high 33 strikeouts during the month in five starts and 25 innings. Lagrange ranks second in the International League with 63 strikeouts and Beck is tied fourth with 60. For June onward however, look for Lagrange to build his case to make the 2026 big-league club out of the bullpen.

Zach Messinger did not allow a run during the month in eight appearances covering 15.1 innings. He gave up three hits, walked four and struck out 11. He has not given up a run since April 23.

One thing RailRiders pitchers haven’t been doing is issuing walks. They have allowed 220 walks, which ranks second in the league behind only the Charlotte Knights with 215.

Heading into June, the RailRiders are 28-27 and six games behind the Memphis Redbirds and Nashville Sounds in the International League standings. Three weeks remain in the first half of the season.

Most of this month will be spent away from PNC Field. The RailRiders began a seven-game series in Syracuse last night, one with an extra game via a doubleheader today. This already is the third of four series meetings between the teams with the Mets having win seven of the 11 games played in the first two series.

After facing Syracuse, the RailRiders return home to host Lehigh Valley for six games June 9-14. They then head to Columbus to face the Clippers on June 16-21 and conclude first-half play. They open the second half at the Indianapolis Indians on June 23-28.

Astros Legends Series 21: Mike Madden

HOUSTON - CIRCA 1987: A detailed overview of The Houston Astrodome during a Houston Astros Major League Baseball game circa 1987 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images

He pitched his entire major league career in the 80’s with our Houston Astros.    He’s Mike Madden, and he joins us exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes for our 21st installment of the Legends Series.   

Q:  That 1983 season, you appeared in 28 games, started 13, and won 9 of those.    What was that like?

A:  Boy, joining that staff.   We had Nolan, Niekro, Bob Knepper and Mike Scott came towards the end of that year.   I was really young, coming right out of the University of Northern Colorado, it was one level up.    

I didn’t think my heart rate those first few months would ever come down, everything was going super-fast but once I’d take the mound, it would slow down.    

More than anything, it was educational learning as you saw what hitter’s tendencies were and then you got to learn your body on the flight, the travel, all of those adjustments.   

Q:  Speaking of travel, did you have an opposing city/ballpark that you enjoyed more than others?

A:  I liked all of them (laughs) because it was the big leagues!  I had been to a few of them because my folks were in the Air Force, but playing ball in a city for three days and then jumping on a plane to the next one was different.   

I had parks that I didn’t really like.   Wrigley was so tiny and small.   The field, the clubhouse, the whole thing.    

Q:  Most memorable strikeout? 

A:  I’d have to say Tony Gywnn.   I got him at least 3 or 4 times striking out.   

One time, I went 8 and 1/3 innings in a game against the Padres.  That was a good day.  

Q:  Favorite teammate?

A:  Dave Smith, #45.   He threw that forkball.   

The thing is though; we had so many characters.    Nolan would tell us in the bullpen not even to put shoes on because he was going the distance that day.    Then the game would start, he’d mow down like 17 guys and two hours later, we’d be victorious and onto the next city.     

Terry Puhl was another one.    

God Bless, Phil Garner, that was a team that loved each other.    

Q:  Pitching in the dome, what comes to mind?

A:  I tried to throw pitches that would go to center field because it went on forever.    It was always 72 degrees in there, and the Astrodome was truly the 8th Wonder of the World.  

Braves Minor League Recap: John Gil crushes Grand Slam

NORTH PORT, FL - MARCH 16: John Gil #97 of the Atlanta Braves runs to first base during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park on Sunday, March 16, 2025 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Tuesday was a fascinating evening for those fans of the Atlanta Braves minor league system. There were a couple of big returns — Drue Hackenberg off of the injured list and Blake Burkhalter to rehab in Rome. Then there were prospects making a huge impact at the dish, notably John Gil’s home run and the combination of Tate Southisene and Conor Essenburg in Augusta. Then you can’t forget Owen Murphy, who continues to impress in Gwinnett and had a fine outing despite not having his peak stuff.

(30-28) Gwinnett Stripers 6, (22-36) Norfolk Tides 4

Box Score

Statcast

  • Jim Jarvis, SS: 3-5, 2B, RBI, .307/.408/.449
  • Rowdy Tellez, 1B: 3-4, BB, RBI, .272/.371/.506
  • Owen Murphy, SP: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 4.55ERA

The full season teams swept their way through the first game of their series, and with three of them facing weaker opponents it could be a fun one for fans over the rest of this week. Gwinnett and Norfolk traded early runs with half of the game’s total coming in the first inning, but Gwinnett didn’t trail after taking the lead in the bottom of the first inning and rode a solid performance from Owen Murphy. Gwinnett didn’t really light the world on fire in the first inning, but starting with a leadoff double from Jim Jarvis everything they made contact with found it’s way into space, and the Stripers totaled up three quick runs despite zero hard-hit balls. Over the coming innings they would slowly add to that lead. Jim Jarvis slapped a sharp single the other way for an RBI in the second inning, which was the second of his three hits on the day. Jarvis’s numbers slipped quite a bit throughout May and the call up to Atlanta did seem to throw him a bit off of his rhythm, but his last few he has been on fire. This was his third three-hit game out of his past four contests, and in those games he has four extra base hits and only two strikeouts. Rowdy Tellez had a three hit game as well, and of course he is doing exactly what we expected after a surprisingly slow start to this season. On May 6th Tellez bottomed out with a .782 OPS, but the next day had three hits and hasn’t slowed down since then. He missed some games in the Nashville series that may have cost him a little momentum, but over his past 13 games he has an OPS of 1.036 and is the guy on the team who is hitting the ball hardest by far.

Owen Murphy had a bit of trouble locking into this game in the first inning, as his fastball command was off and he walked the first batter. He made some mistakes over the plate that would result in two hits and two runs against him, but he showed great resilience and turned it around to have a solid outing. It was far from his best look as his curveball was largely ineffectual due to issues with his release and his command came and went on his other pitches, but he had his fastball fairly well dialed in and was able to to produce good results even having to use his four seam or sinker 2/3 of the time. Murphy had a bit of a tick down in velocity across just a few pitches in his final inning but held his velocity well prior to that, with this being his second-highest average fastball velocity in a game. Murphy’s velo and command have been terrific for the past three outings and he has looked more like the player we expected compared to early in the season, though it’s still been a major struggle to lock down a consistent breaking ball. This was, especially after the first inning, the best he has done at avoiding the middle of the plate, which is almost as vital for him as throwing strikes. This was his first outing at Triple-A without allowing a home run, and the first such game for him since April 9th, and it boils down to him being able to elevate without those fastballs occasionally drifting into dangerous areas. It wasn’t his best game due to a largely ineffectual curveball, but it was his best fastball this season and his steady improvement in that realm is promising for a breakout summer.

Swing and Misses

Owen Murphy – 12

Anderson Pilar – 7

Ian Hamilton – 6

(24-26) Columbus Clingstones 11, (26-25) Rocket City Trash Pandas 3

Box Score

  • Logan Braunschweig, RF: 3-5, RBI, .333/.385/.333
  • David McCabe, 1B: 2-5, 2 2B, BB, RBI, .253/.360/.521
  • Patrick Clohisy, CF: 3-5, 2 2B, BB, 3 RBI, .253/.320/.429
  • Drue Hackenberg, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA
  • Owen Hackman, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 3.55 ERA

The Clingstones are looking to shake off a terrible May in which they were the worst run-scoring team in the league and the home runs that drove them to a good April evaporated. I’d say 11 runs with seven extra-base hits is a good way to get started on that goal. It was a poor final series for Patrick Clohisy, but overall he was one of the lineup’s top performers in May and continued in this game with a three-hit, two-double evening to set the tone for the entire offensive explosion. Clohisy had a mere .102 isolated power on May 7th. Now, that number is at .176 with this making 12 extra base hits in 20 games. He has sacrificed some swing-and-miss to make that sort of impact happen, but it’s easy to argue that it’s worth it for Clohisy to be hitting the ball hard, especially since he is a guy who is going to take good at bats and work a fair share of walks. His swing and approach this season indicate there is some level of sustainability to his power surge as well. He is hitting the ball in the air more often and pulling the ball far more often, getting him more chances to hit gaps for doubles and hit hard line drives. Clohisy doesn’t have the natural power to be a consistent home run threat, but if he continues to be a double-digit sort of guy that’s going to be easy to take from someone who can run the bases and play defense as well as he does. David McCabe being bad in May was one of the big drivers of Columbus’s downfall, so a big opening to the month is already going to turn a few heads. McCabe’s streakiness over the past two seasons has been holding him back from really making a big splash and push for Triple-A, but he has gotten his timing back locked in and stopped posting the egregious strikeout rates from the early weeks of May. It’s not encouraging to see his contact rate fall off of a cliff this season, though the increase in power in the early part of the season definitely helps mitigate that weakness, and it seems McCabe has just hit a wall that he cannot consistently get past.

Drue Hackenberg is finally back on the mound for Columbus after that early exit in April, and he was definitely a bit rusty. Hackenberg’s sinker command was fine — he threw a lot of early strikes and got a ton of ground balls — but much of the rest of his arsenal lacked the same level of feel. His cutter was his best other offering, however he did not have enough finesse with his curveball, slider, or changeup to get whiffs later in at bats. His success was largely predicated upon him moving that cutter and sinker combo east-to-west and forcing weak contact, and it served him fairly well in this game. His unearned runs came following a hit batter and a wild pitch, then a bad mistake with his slider up that got tattooed for a home run. Above all else Hackenberg has just got to be consistently healthy before we can really start to evaluate his development compared to last year and two seasons ago, though his command has looked solid in the two short glimpses we have had of him. Out of the bullpen this has been a dream start to the season for Owen Hackman. Outside of a singular blow up outing in his Double-A debut he has been lights out in a shortened role, and is quickly proving that his fastball is lively enough to miss bats at the upper levels of the minor leagues. This wasn’t his peak performance as he had some trouble locating his slider this game, but it didn’t matter much because he was throwing his four seamer through the Trash Panda’s bats.

Swing and Misses

Owen Hackman – 6

Drue Hackenberg – 4

(28-24) Rome Emperors 8, (20-30) Greenville Drive 2

Box Score

  • Isaiah Drake, LF: 1-5, .265/.345/.426
  • John Gil, SS: 1-4, HR, 4 RBI, .266/.378/.429
  • Eric Hartman, CF: 2-5, .298/.373/.576
  • Jeremy Reyes, SP: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 4.59 ERA
  • Blake Burkhalter, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA

John Gil delivered a huge hit late in the game, and the Rome offense exploded in the seventh to drive a win that was far less comfortable than the final score would suggest. It was bad, bad bad out there for Jeremy Reyes. He’s had a few up-and-down starts in a row but this one was all downs. His control was non-existent from the first pitch and it stayed that way throughout the game, though in a way it kind of worked. Reyes was so wild the Drive had a hard time really sitting on anything or being able to make hard contact, so despite his five walks and a hit batter he managed to hold them to just two runs. This is not a bad offensive unit for the Drive, either — they’re above league average as a team. They just could not find success against Reyes despite his self-inflicted wounds, and that carried over as the bullpen shut them down late in the game. The most notable appearance there was Blake Burkhalter, who is with the Emperors this week to make his rehab appearances. Burkhalter made quick work of Greenville, throwing nine of his 12 pitches for strikes and whiffing the first batter he faced. With his move to the bullpen full time he is going to get some real looks at promotion if he goes to Gwinnett and excels, though his performance there to end last season wasn’t a good first step for that.

It was a great start for Greenville pitcher and recent Boston draftee Marcus Phillips, who took out the frustration of a rough May on Rome. He shut them down into the fifth inning, protecting the two runs his offense got early and holding the Emperors to just Cody Miller’s second inning single. Unfortunately for Greenville their weakness is their poor pitching staff, and it didn’t take long into the bullpen before Rome started feasting. Two errors put Gil and Hartman on base for the middle of the lineup, and Dixon Williams come through in the first scoring chance to drive home Gil with a base hit. Will Verdung soon after tied the game with a hit, resetting the system headed into the seventh. Then, the Emperors went crazy. A walk and two singles brought up John Gil, who to this point had no hits in the game, with the bases loaded and no outs. Gil got a fat one on the first pitch and he was aggressive, and blew the game wide open with one swing. He crushed a grand slam out to center field, giving Rome a 6-2 lead. Eric Hartman followed by doing Eric Hartman things, smacking a base hit then stealing second base, third base, and scoring on a single from Cody Miller. Miller followed suit by stealing his way around to third, then capped the six run inning off by coming home on a sacrifice fly. Despite his early season struggled Miller has quietly done a lot of good, especially on the bases as he is 20 of 23 on stolen base attempts this season. His contact rates are starting to normalize and while they’re still below average overall he has been much better the past could of weeks, with solid numbers in his past 13 games and quite a bit of power. Miller’s approach needs a ton of work but he’s come a long way just in the season to date, and as long as he is actually making contact he should continue to put up good numbers based on his other attributes.

Swing and Misses 

Jeremy Reyes – 13

Trent Buchanan – 3

(30-22) Augusta GreenJackets 2, (17-35) Delmarva Shorebirds 1

Box Score

  • Tate Southisene, 2B: 1-4, 2B, .298/.432/.512
  • Conor Essenburg, CF: 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI, .264/.400/.509
  • Alex Lodise, SS: 0-4, .245/.329/.392
  • Aiven Cabral, SP: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2.36 ERA
  • Logan Forsythe, RP: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 3.92 ERA

Delmarva is both the worst pitching and hitting team in the Carolina League this season, so the Augusta GreenJackets have a real chance to create a lead in the South division if they can take care of business. They did so in this game, but it was a taut affair after Augusta seemed to be on their way to great things after the first inning. Tate Southisene started the game off with a bang, slicing a line drive into the right center field corner for a leadoff double to extend his hitting streak to seven games and his extra-base hit streak to four games. Conor Essenburg followed up by poking a ball down the line and motoring in for a double of his own, and within two batters Augusta already had a lead to play with. Juan Mateo then came in and hit a ball high off of the right field wall for a double of his own, and with two runs and three doubles in the first inning things were looking up for the GreenJackets. That slow start would fade, though, and over the next eighth innings the GreenJackets failed to add any insurance runs on the board. Essenburg had a hit later in the game to keep his hot play going, and he drew a walk, but excitement was hard to find on the offensive end through most of the game and the pitching staff would have their hands full protecting that lead. Essenburg has needed zero time to re-orient himself after coming off of the disabled list, and his strikeouts are already coming back down to earth. In his past four games he only has three total strikeouts, and I have a feeling that given his bat speed and pitch recognition he is going to have no problems eventually adjusting to Single-A pitching. He just does not seem fazed at the plate and finds a way to make hard contact in every game.

A two-run lead and a Single-A pitching staff is not a safe bet at all, but there is no one on Augusta’s roster right now they would trust more than Aiven Cabral to hold it down. Cabral did his thing again with 5 1/3 impressive innings, allowing only one run and keeping Delmarva off balance throughout the game. Some of the success is attributable to Delmarva just not being very good. Cabral didn’t miss a lot of bats and was heavily reliant on his sinker to do the work in this outing, but Cabral’s consistency with commanding a full arsenal continues to be impressive. I typically expect to see Cabral relying more on his sweeper to have success — it’s his only pitch I would grade at an MLB average level — but it wasn’t the go-to for him in this outing and he still found success. The other pitchers on Cabral days have always been then the shakier ones, but Logan Forsythe had by far his most effective outing as a professional and even outshined Cabral in this one. Forsythe’s command has been abysmal this season, and when he started out with a walk and then two straight balls it looked like it could be the same old story for him. His command never quite got to good in this game, but for the first time it really felt like he found something with locating his fastball and he went on to strike out six of his next seven batters and got the game into the ninth inning before allowing a double that ended his day. When he is able to throw enough strikes it’s fairly easy to see why Forsythe was interesting enough for the Braves to pick up in the 13th round. His slider is still largely a non-factor because he can’t locate it well enough to take advantage of it even if it does have good traits, but it doesn’t always matter given how good his fastball is. His velocity isn’t the mid-90’s that was in some reports following the draft, but it plays well above that velocity given Forsythe’s low release and the carry on the pitch. The ball just continues to ride above the hands of hitters and produce whiffs at the top of the strike zone, so it’s really just a matter of him actually being able to land that pitch there. If I were working on Forsythe’s arsenal I would love to see a change in his slider. It has a ton of movement but it’s fairly slow sitting in the low 80’s, and a harder, shorter shape might serve him better when paired with that fastball movement. In addition the extra velocity could give him a bit more leeway given how often he misses over the plate, taking some of these hits where guys can just adjust, wait back on 80 and turn on it, and turn those into foul balls or whiffs.

Swing and Misses

Logan Forsythe – 8

Aiven Cabral – 5

Styven Paez – 4

(7-16) FCL Braves 1, (11-11) FCL Orioles 4

Box Score

  • Diego Tornes, CF: 0-3, BB, RBI .185/.279/.204
  • Owen Carey, DH: 1-3, .167/.231/.167
  • Carter Holton, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1.13 ERA

It was another disappointing day for Diego Tornes and the FCL Braves lineup, which collectively combined to generate just two hits on the day. The silver lining to that would be Owen Carey, who picked up the second hit of his rehab stint down in Florida and has hope to return to the Emperors soon. It’s been a pretty massive breakout season for a number of Emperors hitters and giving Carey the opportunity to put his name back in the hat brings even more excitement for the looming summer. Carter Holton’s third rehab appearance was his best as he dominated and faced the most batters he has in a game. Holton is going to be in a very interesting spot once he does return to the rotation this season, given his age and how many red flags he had in his profile even before his injury. I had quite a critical view of his starting potential and mechanics after his sole game in Augusta two seasons ago and I’m going to watch closely when he does get back onto video feeds to see what changes they have made during his rehab.

How does ABS help Salvador Perez’s defensive metrics?

KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 18: Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals looks on prior to the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Monday, May 18, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Tanner Gatlin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Many announcers and writers have called Salvador Perez a future Hall of Famer, but I do not think that he is going to make it to Cooperstown. Two things have kept him in that tier just below elite. First, he is a free-swinger in an era where on-base percentage is valued higher than batting average, hindering his perceived offensive value. Second, the rise of catcher framing statistics have diminished his perceived defensive value despite his Gold Gloves. Both on-base percentage and framing metrics have really limited his value by Wins Above Replacement (WAR). His Baseball Reference (BR) career WAR is sitting at 35.5 compared to an average Hall of Fame catcher WAR of 53.6. His Fangraphs WAR is a paltry 18.4 because they include the framing values while BR defensive WAR does not.

Salvy’s framing values have vacillated, as all statistics do, but they have been consistently negative. The only season where his framing metric (FRM) value was positive was 2020 when it was 0.3 in the COVID shortened season. The new ABS challenge system is exactly the sort of thing that would be beneficial to a catcher like Perez. He throws well and has been around average at blocking per Statcast, though we will never know how that would have rated in his younger seasons before blocking metrics were tracked. He has even had some very nice defensive value seasons despite the framing issues, but over the years, Salvador has accumulated -125.5 FRM, which is largely responsible for the 17 WAR disparity between Baseball Reference and Fangraphs.

When it comes to catchers taking advantage of the new ABS system, Salvador Perez is near the top of the leaderboard. He has won 74% of his catching challenges for a 74% success rate. Only William Contreras and Tyler Stephenson have won more challenges. Each one of those wins represents a strike that would have counted against his framing in past years that he can now salvage for his pitcher. It hasn’t been enough to make Salvy’s 2026 framing value positive—he currently sits at -1.0 FRM—but he’s on pace for roughly -3 FRM, which would rank as the third-best framing season of his career over a full year. Each framing call – either turning a ball into a strike or a strike into a ball – is worth roughly 0.12 to 0.13 runs. Perez being successful on 31 challenges implies that it would be worth around 3.7 runs in framing negatives that he avoided. That would have put him on pace for closer to a -12 FRM and he generally hangs out in the -8 to -13 range, so that makes it feel like it is a “real” difference from ABS.

More broadly, ABS seems to be taking some value away from the top framing performers, as you might have expected it would. Both Fangraphs and Baseball Savant had Patrick Bailey worth more than 20 runs from framing in each of 2024 and 2025 and many other players are often in the upper teens. Right now, Dillon Dingler is leading FRM with a pace for around +11. Statcast does have Adley Rutschman and Brandon Valenzuela pacing closer to +14, but the top end does seem to be a little compressed as some of your framed strikes could get overturned along with the generally tighter strike zone that we have seen presumably as umps try not to expand the zone now that they can get embarrassed on overturns. Bailey is only on pace for +5 to +6 FRM, which would be quite the drop for him despite having won 28 ABS challenges but having 21 overturned the other direction by the batters. Salvador has only had batters overturn 10 calls against him. Being good at framing just creates more opportunities for batters to challenge and presumably fewer for the catcher.

Highly negative framing values are a little harder to deal with, though maybe some of those catchers will get more chances in an ABS era. When there are issues in an area like this it can cost people playing time and thus not show us what the overall seasons might typically look like. Tyler Stephenson is the worst framer so far this season, but is having an overall positive defensive contribution, so he is likely to get to continue behind the dish despite the framing deficiencies. It is hard to say how ABS is going to affect the bottom end of the spectrum here, and it might take several years before we know.

What we’ve seen so far suggests that Salvador knows what a strike is and is using that to have a high success rate in his challenges. That may also be helping to buoy his FRM value above its typical level. Early returns suggest ABS may substantially mitigate Salvy’s framing deficiencies, reducing their impact to perhaps a quarter or a third of what they would have been under the previous system. Unfortunately, he is nearing the end of his career so ABS is not going to take away all the negative framing value he has already accrued in his long and successful big-league career.

Elephant Rumblings: A’s Pitching Depth Will be Tested

Jun 2, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Athletics relief pitcher Scott Barlow (58) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Happy Wednesday A’s Fans!

Entering the third full month of the 2026 MLB season, the Athletics will hope to play better after languishing through their fifth straight losing May.

The team’s pitching depth will be tested this month as four of the five members of the Opening-Day starting rotation are no-longer on the active roster. Right-handers Luis Severino and Aaron Civale are on the injured list with shoulder injuries while right-hander Luis Morales and left-hander Jacob Lopez struggled to get big-league hitters out and are now trying to re-gain form in Triple-A. Lopez was demoted after giving up the first half of the Yankees 13-run inning this past Sunday. That leaves left-hander Jeffrey Springs as the lone veteran holdover.

Springs will be joined by breakout right-hander J.T. Ginn, who moved from the bullpen to the rotation earlier this season and has not looked back. Ginn has become one of the A’s most consistent pitchers, finding success against both right and left-handed hitters.

The other three spots will likely be awarded to more unproven options. The A’s top pitching prospect, left-hander Gage Jump, has a firm grip on one, especially after his extremely impressive seven innings of one-run ball in his second career MLB start against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Right-handed pitchers Kade Morris and Mason Barnett have joined Jump in the big-leagues because the A’s need healthy arms. The A’s have not listed a starting pitcher for Thursday’s series-finale against the Cubs. All signs are pointing towards Morris making his first MLB start that day, unless he is summoned out of the bullpen tomorrow.

The A’s starting pitching uncertainty is worrisome as it has a strong chance to force the team’s shaky bullpen to cover more innings, resulting in more opportunities for the likes of Mark Leiter Jr.., Scott Barlow and other relievers to blow late leads in winnable games.

This month is the most consequential of the Athletics’ season. The way the team performs over the next couple of weeks will determine the direction the A’s take at the trade deadline and how the rest of the campaign unfolds. Entering action tonight with a 29-31 record that has the team in third place in the American League West, the A’s need its pitching staff to support its offense if the team wants to remain in contention in a wide-open division.

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Kade Morris pitched well in this year’s Spring Breakout showcase. Can the A’s 12th ranked prospect translate his minor-league success to MLB like Jump has done or will he experience some initial struggles against big-league hitters?

If Jump keeps pitching as well as he did last night, the A’s may have the homegrown stud pitcher they have been seeking.

Mariners News: Julio Rodríguez, Josh Hader, and Gleyber Torres

Jul 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Josh Hader (71) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Good day everyone!

The Mariners made it eight straight with an easy 8-3 victory over the Mets to secure their third consecutive series win. They’ve now raised their Fangraphs playoff odds to 87.8%.

Which player has impressed you the most over this recent stretch of play? I have to give some flowers to Jhonny Pereda for admirably filling in the large shoes of Cal Raleigh and helping to keep the team afloat.

In Mariners news…

Around the league…

Minor league update for 6/2/26

LOS ANGELES - FEBRUARY 26: Pictured is Cyndi Lauper being held by Hulk Hogan on THE 27TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS, February 26, 1985, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) | CBS via Getty Images

For Hickory, Louis Marinaro struck out five in two shutout innings. Michael Trausch struck out one in a scoreless inning.

Paulino Santana was 2 for 3 with a pair of walks. Hector Osorio had a homer and a pair of walks. Dewar Tovar doubled and walked. Josh Springer doubled and walk. Marcos Torres had a hit and a walk. Curley Martha, the 19 year old infielder from Curacao who was promoted over the weekend and made his full season debut on Sunday, went 2 for 5.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Enrique Segura threw 3.1 shutout, no hit innings, but walked six and struck out three. Andrew Susac went two innings, struck out two, and allowed a walk and a two run walkoff homer.

Yeison Morrobel had three hits. Chandler Pollard had a walk, a hit and a stolen base. Paxton Kling had a hit.

Hub City box score

Frisco starter Aidan Curry struck out four and walked two in 4.1 IP, allowing six runs. Eric Loomis struck out two in a shutout inning.

Rehabbing major league Corey Seager was 1 for 2 and played shortstop before being lifted. Rehabbing major leaguer Wyatt Langford was 1 for 2 with two walks and a stolen base and played left field before being lifted.

Dylan Dreiling had a hit and two walks. Arturo Disla doubled.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter David Davalillo allowed one run in 4.1 innings but continued to have control problems, throwing just 41 of 80 pitches for strikes, walking three, hitting a batter and balking for good measure, while also striking out two. Emiliano Teodo struck out one and walked one in an inning of work, with 10 strikes out of 17 pitches. Alexis Diaz struck out one in a scoreless inning.

Cam Cauley was 1 for 3 with two walks and a stolen base. John Taylor was 2 for 4 with his first AAA homer and his first AAA stolen base. Blaine Crim had a hit and a walk. Aaron Zavala had a hit.

Round Rock box score

Monday ACL Rangers box score

Tuesday ACL Rangers box score

Monday DSL Rangers Red box score

Tuesday DSL Rangers Red box score

Monday DSL Rangers Blue box score

Tuesday DSL Rangers Blue box score

'Couldn't be more lazy.' Dodgers fire back at MLB payroll crybabies

PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers have been minding their own business, trying to secure another National League West title, hoping for a historic World Series three-peat, and not uttering a peep about the labor negotiations.

But every day they wake up and read the newspaper, turn on the TV, check out their iPhone, someone is dragging them through the crosshairs of the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.

They’re spending too much money.

They’re the reason there needs to be a salary cap.

If there’s a prolonged work stoppage, blame the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have heard enough, and now, it’s about time everyone shuts their mouth.

"My honest opinion is the majority of takes about the Dodgers couldn’t be more lazy," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tells USA TODAY Sports, "that it’s just about the payroll. It’s about the draft. It’s about layering on where we pick in the draft annually. The player development. How we acquire international talent. How we perform consistently at the major-league level.

"I actually think it’s a competitive advantage in the sense that people feel that way, and not look at themselves in the mirror and see how they can operate things better. So that’s beneficial for us."

Sure, the Dodgers spend lots of money, with an opening-day payroll of $316.6 million, which is still about $40 million less than the New York Mets’ $352.2 million. The Dodgers have spent $1.75 billion the past five years, which is virtually the same amount as the Mets, and within $100 million annually of the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.

"At the end of the day," 2025 World Series hero Miguel Rojas said, "it’s not about wasting money or spending money to buy the best players because that’s not going to guarantee you anything. You can see it. There are another five or six clubs close to us in payroll, and they haven’t accomplished it. That’s why people aren’t talking about them, because they haven’t won.

"People just talk about us."

Anyone blaming the Mets for ruining baseball?

Oh, that’s right, they’ve made the playoffs only twice in the past nine years, and haven’t won the World Series since 1986, so we don’t care.

The Phillies have reached the postseason each of the past four years, but since they haven’t won a World Series since 2008, no biggie.

The Padres have been to the playoffs four times in the past six years, but they have never won a World Series in their 58-year history, so they remain that cute little team in that lovely beach town.

But, oh, those damn Dodgers.

They have reached the postseason 13 consecutive years, won 12 NL West titles, five National League pennants and three World Series championships.

How dare they keep trying to win.

It was just 15 years ago that the Dodgers filed for bankruptcy. Major League Baseball had to step in and take control of day-to-day operations, forcing the sale of the team, and calling them an embarrassment to the sport.

Now that they’re winning, spending money and creating one of the greatest dynasties in the last 50 years, they’re being lambasted again.

So, are the Dodgers ruining baseball because they’re too good and have the greatest business model in the sport, or were they ruining baseball before when they were a financial disaster?

Please, will someone in the baseball hierarchy kindly step up and make up their mind.

"When we hear stuff about the CBA and that kind of stuff, how the Dodgers are ruining baseball," Dodgers left-handed reliever Jack Dreyer says, "it’s kind of what Doc (Roberts) said at the World Series ceremonies last year, 'Let’s just keep winning and continue to ruin baseball until they tell us we can’t.'"

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (right) celebrates a solo home run from Shohei Ohtani (17) against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 27, 2026.

Right now, the only thing the Dodgers are ruining is the carpet inside their clubhouse after all of the champagne showers over the years.

"Having the payroll and the depth that gives you," Roberts says, "certainly is a benefit. No one’s debating that. But I do think that the players we acquire, how we play the game every night, getting younger players to assimilate in a star-studded clubhouse, that’s important. That’s hard to quantify, but that’s of value.

"If you look at the World Series the last couple of years, there’s a lot of home-grown guys making league minimum that have been on postseason rosters."

Take a look at this year’s Dodgers team:

They had 12 homegrown players, including eight who appeared in Tuesday’s 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

They had five homegrown players in their starting lineup, counting third baseman Max Muncy, who was released by the Athletics in 2017, and signed by the Dodgers to a minor-league contract.

Certainly, anyone could have signed Muncy, who is now their longest-tenured active player with the third-most homers in franchise history, with a team-leading 14 homers this year.

Anyone could have traded for Boston Red Sox MVP Mookie Betts in 2020, but only the Dodgers stepped up to land him.

First baseman Freddie Freeman was without a job in March 2022, but the Dodgers decided to sign him.

Even Shohei Ohtani, who signed 10-year, $700 million contract with $680 million deferred, gave everyone a chance to match the contract, and would have happily returned to the Angels if they said, "Yes." They declined, too.

Having a huge payroll, of course, has enabled the Dodgers to get away with free-agent decisions that could have devastated other teams.

They paid $182 million to starter Blake Snell. He has pitched 64⅓ innings, has won five games since the deal and is sidelined until July.

They did a trade-and-sign deal with the Tampa Bay Rays for Tyler Glasnow and signed him to a $136.56 million contract. He has won seven games since last season, pitched 130 innings and is out indefinitely with back spasms.

They signed free-agent closer Tanner Scott a year ago to a four-year, $72 million contract, only for him to pitch so poorly that they went out and signed a new closer in Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69 million contract. Diaz is now out until after the All-Star break with elbow surgery.

And they signed free-agent outfielder Kyle Tucker this winter, giving him a stunning four-year, $240 million contract, only for him to be hitting .238 with four homers and a .722 OPS.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman reacts after hitting a seventh inning single against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 2, 2026

Yet, here they are, sitting in first place in the NL West with a 39-22 record, with a season-high six-game lead – the largest in baseball – while relying on their uncanny depth, and yes, those homegrown kids.

Who would have imagined that their current starting rotation would include Eric Lauer, Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan? Their 7-8-9 hitters in the starting lineup Tuesday would be Ryan Ward, Dalton Rushing and Alex Freeland? And that Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt and Will Klein would be used in relief?

No wonder Roberts believes this is the deepest team he’s had in his tenure, a sentiment echoed by several Dodger veterans.

"The way they constructed the roster in this organization deserves a lot of credit," Rojas said. "It’s not just buying the players and spending money on players, it’s having Plan B’s and C’s behind them, and that’s where I feel the organization is not getting enough credit for building a full team that is capable of sustaining so many injuries throughout the season and having guys ready when they get called up."

It’s remarkable that the Dodgers could have 12 homegrown players with only one draft selection before the 29th overall pick since 2017. They haven’t had a top-10 pick in the draft since 2006 when they selected a pitcher by the name of Clayton Kershaw seventh overall.

The Dodgers, because of all their success and luxury-tax penalties, have had an average first-round overall pick of 29.5 in the past 11 years, but continue to outsmart everyone in the draft with perhaps the best developmental system in the game. They have taken an 11th-round draft pick like Wrobleski and a sixth-rounder like Sheehan and turned them into regular starters in the Dodgers rotation, an undrafted pitcher in Dreyer into a high-leverage reliever, and catcher Will Smith, a 32nd overall pick, into a three-time All-Star.

"Our development system is what gets overlooked," Sheehan says, "how much time and money they put into finding the right people in the minor leagues to make people better. When I got drafted, I didn’t realize how lucky I was coming to an organization like this. Obviously, they put a lot of money into the team here, which is awesome, but there are a lot of guys that contribute way more than people realize, guys stepping up when we’ve had injuries."

Dreyer, 27, wasn’t even drafted out of the University of Iowa when the Dodgers signed him in August, 2021, and had him start pitching in the Arizona Complex League for all of 2022. The next thing he knew, he was making the Dodgers’ opening-day roster in 2025, remained in the big leagues all season, and was pitching in four games in the postseason without allowing a run.

"One of the things that the Dodgers do better than anybody else," Dreyer said, "is that as soon as you get into that organization, they’re doing everything they can to develop you to maximize your potential. When I first got to the Dodgers organization, I had a long way to go before I had a chance at anything. I think they saw something that even I didn’t see in myself, but they kept fine-tuning, and tweaking, and revamping different things until I got to this point.

"Every single guy who’s in the Dodger organization is very lucky with all of the resources the Dodgers provide, so I’m very thankful I signed here."

When the Dodgers call up a player, they always seem to be ready to not only perform in the big leagues, but to be vital contributors to a World Series championship.

"With us bringing up so many guys, it allows them to develop and not get rushed," Muncy said, "which is a really good thing when you look at it that they can plug in immediately and there’s not really a learning curve. When these guys come up, they’re ready. You know they’ve proven themselves. It’s just plug and play with us."

And win. Over. And over. And over again.

Enough to be the posterboys for MLB’s burning desire for a salary cap.

"People are always going to talk about us," Muncy says, "and even when the CBA is over, they’ll talk about us. It is what it is. It’s for the union and the owners to worry about.

"Obviously, we have some say on what goes on, but at the same time, we’ve got to go out there and play and not be dwelling what’s being said about us. It’s not easy. You can have all of the money in the world, you can have all of the talent in the world, but you have to come through in the right moments."

And if you believe you could use just a little more talent in the second half, there’s a certain pitcher in Detroit who would fit in quite nicely in the starting rotation. Can you imagine if the Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, giving them a rotation of Skubal, Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Snell in October?

"They would go ballistic," Roberts said laughing. "But we would have the prospect capital to do that. We are one of the teams that could do that with the Tigers."

So, go ahead, brace yourself with the possibility, and then stick that in your CBA pipe and smoke it.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers fire back at critics of LA's big spending amid MLB CBA talks

Padres vs Phillies Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight's MLB Game

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One of the league's coldest offenses will face off against the hottest pitcher in the majors on Wednesday night, when the San Diego Padres visit the Philadelphia Phillies. 

My Padres vs. Phillies predictions see Cristopher Sanchez winning that battle, leading to a multi-run victory on home soil.

Let's break it all down with my MLB picks for June 3.

Who will win Padres vs Phillies today: Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (+100)

The San Diego Padres have averaged just 3.1 runs over the last 20 games, and their process is even worse than the results.

Since the beginning of May, they rank dead last in batting average, wOBA, and .614 OPS while striking out at the league's highest rate.

It's not going to get any easier against Cristopher Sanchez

He has pitched at least seven innings of shutout ball in five consecutive starts, last giving up a run in April.

He should have no problem mowing down this putrid offense, setting up the Philadelphia Phillies for a decisive win. Play to -115.

Covers COVERS INTEL:Sanchez ranks in the 99th percentile in Pitching Run Value this season.

Padres vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-105)

Sanchez owns a 1.47 ERA on the season despite allowing a .337 batting average on balls put in play, the highest of his career.

There’s room for improvement in that area, and yet he is still giving up next to nothing each time out. The Padres are not an offense that should challenge him.

Walker Buehler is capable of limiting the Phillies as well. He has allowed two runs in all three starts against Bottom-10 teams in batting average.

The Phillies have hit just .225 this season (28th) and .213 average since May 1.

Play the Under to -120.

Todd Cordell's 2026 Transparency Record
  • ML/RL bets: 23-16, +1.92 units
  • Over/Under bets: 18-19-2, -3.71 units

Padres vs Phillies odds

  • Moneyline: Padres +180 | Phillies -220
  • Run line: Padres +1.5 (-110) | Phillies -1.5 (-110)
  • Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-115) | Under 7.5 (-105)

Padres vs Phillies trend

Philadelphia has hit the Game Total Under in 17 of the last 20 games (+13.70 units, 62% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Padres vs. Phillies.

How to watch Padres vs Phillies and game info

LocationStadium, City, State/Province
DateWednesday, June 3, 2026
First pitch6:40 p.m. ET
TVNBC Sports Philadelphia, Padres.TV
Padres starting pitcherWalker Buehler
(3-3, 4.88 ERA)
Phillies starting pitcherCristopher Sanchez
(6-2, 1.47 ERA)

Padres vs Phillies latest injuries

Padres vs Phillies weather

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Good Morning San Diego: Inability to execute, bad base running lead to Padres loss

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 02: Jase Bowen #4 of the San Diego Padres hits a single in the seventh inning of his MLB debut during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 02, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jase Bowen found himself at the plate as the tying run in the top of the ninth inning with the San Diego Padres trailing the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2. Bowen singled in the top of the seventh inning for his first MLB hit and had a chance to extend or possibly tie the game with his second major league hit — that did not happen. Bowen faced Phillies veteran closer Jhoan Duran and looked like a guy who was just called up from Triple-A as he waved at three straight sweepers, which were all off the plate, and struck out for the final out in San Diego’s one-run loss at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The at-bat by Bowen, while ugly, can be excused. He is a rookie hitter facing a veteran pitcher who took advantage of his eagerness to come through in the clutch. What cannot be overlooked is the Padres continued struggles with runners in scoring position and bad base running.

San Diego started the game with a line drive double by Fernando Tatis Jr. to open the top of the first inning. The next two hitters, Gavin Sheets and Manny Machado, each put the ball in the air for outs, but neither gave Tatis an opportunity to advance from second base. Miguel Andujar, who is struggling mightily at the plate, grounded out to third base for the final out of the inning.

The Padres took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning after Tatis reached on a two-out single. Sheets followed with a two-run home run to right field. San Diego gave up the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Trea Turner reached on a single and Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run to center field to tie the game, 2-2. Philadelphia took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when Jeremiah Estrada walked Harper to start his relief appearance. He then allowed a single to Brandon Marsh to put runners on the corners. Estrada got Alec Bohm to bounce into a groundball double play, but Harper scored and the Phillies found themselves up, 3-2. Estrada ended the inning one batter later when he struck out Bryson Stott.

There was a similar lack of execution for the Padres in the top of the seventh inning when Sung-Mun Song came to the plate with one out and runners on the corners. Xander Bogaerts was at third after a one out walk and Bowen was on first with a single. Song worked a 2-2 count but watched the third strike hit the inside corner of the plate and was called out looking. Ty France was called on to pinch-hit for the struggling Freddy Fermin, and he hit a grounder to Trea Turner at shortstop who flipped to Stott at second base to force out Song to end the inning.

San Diego showed one last sign of life in the top of the eighth inning, unfortunately it ended on a base running mistake by Tatis. The star outfielder reached on a single to lead off the inning but remained at first as once again Sheets and Machado produced flyball outs. Like the first inning, Andujar hit a grounder to third base, but due to how soft it was hit, Andujar reached first on an infield hit. However, Bohm faked a throw to first base and instead threw to second where Tatis had rounded the base and was considering advancing to third base when he was tagged out to end the inning.

The Padres will have to clean up their play of they are going to snap their current three-game skid. It will be a difficult task as they will face Christoper Sanchez, today at 3:40 p.m.

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Thoughts on a 7-4 Rangers win

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JUNE 2: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium on June 2, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Rangers 7, Cardinals 4

  • Things are going well when you win a game like this one.
  • Or when the Rangers win a game like this one, anyway. You didn’t do shit.
  • In his previous start, Cardinals starter Dustin May took a no hitter into the eighth.
  • In this game, May took a no one hitter into the fifth.
  • Meanwhile, Nathan Eovaldi was throwing strikes, getting Ks, but was more hittable than usual.
  • Eovaldi ended up giving up 11 hits all told, the most hits he’s allowed in a game since September 17, 2024, and just the third time, as a Ranger, he’s allowed double digit hits in a game.
  • Eovaldi was doing a good job stranding runner, but when the Cardinals were up 2-0 heading into the fifth and the Rangers had yet to get a hit, this had the feel of a low scoring loss, of the variety which we have grown familiar with.
  • Texas ended up scoring a couple of runs here, a run there, and suddenly were up 4-2, dashing the fears of a low scoring loss, anyway, not because they might not lose, but because if they did, it wouldn’t be low scoring. If you score 4 runs and lose, it isn’t a low scoring loss.
  • Our man Nathan had thrown at least seven innings in each of his previous five starts, and was positioned to make it six straight, heading into the seventh at just 85 pitches, doing a good job of getting the bullpen, which burned through four relievers the day before and was likely without Jacob Latz, who had pitched in back-to-back games, a breather.
  • The seventh started with a single. Eovaldi got up 0-2 on Ivan Herrera, got him to foul off a splitter that caught too much of the zone, and then threw a sinker that tailed on him, went up and in, and hit Herrera.
  • There is something particularly maddening, to me, about an 0-2 hit by pitch. It is the bane of my existence.
  • Well, that’s a lie. It isn’t the bane of my existence. There are numerous things that bane me more than 0-2 hit by pitches. Hits by pitch?
  • How about “a” bane of my existence?
  • 0-2 HBPs (ah, that’s a good way to solve the plural hit by pitch conundrum) make me all sorts of frustrated and angry. You have the batter in a hole! You’re about to put him away! Don’t hit him with a pitch!
  • Its the third time this season the Rangers have hit a batter with a pitch. They only did it once last year.
  • In 2023, that season that is the benchmark for all Rangers seasons from now on, Rangers pitchers hit batters with pitches (aha! another option!) eight times on 0-2 counts. That seems like a lot.
  • Anyway, hitting a batter on an 0-2 pitch feels like a bad omen. And sure enough, Alec Burleson doubled on the first pitch he saw, making it 4-3, then Jordan Walker flared an 0-1 curveball into left field for a single, tying the game, putting runners on the corners with no one out, and ending Nathan Eovaldi’s night.
  • Which was too bad, because really, he pitched pretty well. 7 Ks, one walk. A home run given up to Nolan Gorman.
  • With those 7 strikeouts, Eovaldi tied Rick Porcello for 212th place on the all time strikeout list, with 1562. If he can strike out ten batters his next time out, he’ll pass Bronson Arroyo and Jim Whitney, who are tied for 210th on the list.
  • Anyway, he was out, and Jalen Beeks entered the game.
  • Jalen Beeks, you may ask? Why Jalen Beeks?
  • Well, with Latz out, as well as Peyton Gray, who also had pitched in back to back days, the Rangers had six pitchers available in the pen. Though it may really have been five, as Tyler Alexander had pitched the day before, as well as three of the last four days and four of the last six days. You’d probably rather stay away from him.
  • Robbie Ahlstrom hasn’t pitched in the majors, and a 4-4 game on the road with runners on base isn’t likely to be when he’s going to make his debut. Luis Curvelo has been called back up but, well, he’s Luis Curvelo. Cal Quantrill is your long man, and generally not someone you are going to want to use in a high leverage situation. Jakob Junis was probably being held back for a save situation in the ninth.
  • So Beeks it was. And I know, at that point, there was a sense of inevitable doom that settled over all of us. A belief that, well, of course the runner at third is going to score, we all know that, and so best case the Rangers will be down one, with just two innings to go, and there’s little optimism that the Rangers would score even one more run to give them the lead if the game was tied, much less score multiple runs to re-take the lead.
  • But Beeks struck out pinch hitter Nelson Velazquez. Then he struck out Masyn Winn. Then pinch hitter Jose Fermin roped a ball to left field that Alejandro Osuna caught for the third out.
  • And amazingly, the game was still tied.
  • After the Rangers went down meekly in the eighth, someone named Jimmy Crooks looped a softly hit liner just over Jake Burger’s head for a leadoff double.
  • (Someone reading this is yelling at the screen, “whaddya mean ‘someone named Jimmy Crooks,’ that’s Euless, Texas’s, own Jimmy Crooks you are talking about!”)
  • It was Crooks’ second hit of the 2026 season.
  • Former Ranger prospect Thomas Saggese, sent to the Cardinals in the Jordan Montgomery trade, a trade that we will forever celebrate no matter what Saggese or TK Roby do, pinch ran for Crooks.
  • That would’ve just put more salt in the wound, wouldn’t it, to have Saggese score the go ahead run?
  • Victor Scott II, who in my head canon is related to the former Dallas Cowboys safety even though I’m sure he’s not, and who had put down his major league leading 10th sacrifice bunt of the season earlier in the game, tried to bunt Saggese over to third and failed, popping out. After a pop out to make it two outs, Skip Schumaker brought in Cal Quantrill to face Ivan Herrera, he of the 0-2 hit by pitch.
  • Look, I didn’t like this move. I am sure it was made because Herrera has pretty strong splits, both this season and in his career, hitting lefties much better than righties. But Beeks has had pretty neutral platoon splits for most of his career, and has been much, much better against righthanders than lefthanders this season. Part of the reason that someone like Beeks has value is that he’s a lefty that you don’t have to pull in a key moment against a righthanded batter for someone like Cal Quantrill.
  • But it worked. Herrera swung at the first pitch Quantrill threw, and hit it hard, but on the ground and right to shortstop. Inning over.
  • Quantrill ended up getting the win, since the Rangers scored runs in the top of the ninth, and as expected, Junis came in to pitch the ninth with a save situation. Its the second time this season a pitcher has picked up a win while throwing just one pitch. Adrian Morejon did it for the Padres on May 10. And the losing team was, once again, the Cardinals.
  • It is also just the eighth time in club history, at least for the time that B-R has pitch counts available, that the Rangers’ winning pitcher threw just one pitch. The last time it happened was in 2022, when Matt Moore did it. Also accomplishing the feat: Eddie Butler, Keone Kela (who recorded two outs on his one pitch), Mark Lowe, Xavier Hernandez, and, somehow, Rich Rodriguez twice in 2002.
  • Rich Rodriguez appeared in just 36 games for the Rangers in 2002, and the 2002 Rangers won just 72 games. Yet, somehow, he won two different games while throwing just one pitch.
  • The Rangers didn’t have a ton of baserunners, but they made them count…at least after the first inning, when Joc Pederson ended up at third base with no one out due to a double and a wild pitch, and was stranded there. Two runs in the fifth, on an Evan Carter infield single that broke up the no hitter, a Kyle Higashioka single, an RBI fielder’s choice by offensive catalyst Nicky Lopez, and a Joc Pederson double.
  • That Lopez fielder’s choice probably should have been a double play, but Dustin May, in fielding the ball, took a while to throw to second, allowing Lopez to beat the throw to first.
  • An Alejandro Osuna two out RBI single in the sixth and a Josh Jung sac fly in the seventh gave the Rangers the 4-2 lead that it looked like they were going to spit up in the bottom of the seventh.
  • Then a three run rally in the ninth, with an Evan Carter walk, a Kyle Higashioka line drive single, a pair of singles by Pederson and Jung that were not terribly well struck but which were well placed, and a Brandon Nimmo sac fly.
  • It is the type of win that warms the cockles of your heart, assuming your heart has cockles.
  • Alejandro Osuna had a 108.3 mph single and a 100.4 mph ground out. Joc Pederson had doubles of 107.5 mph and 105.5 mph. Kyle Higashioka had a 100.0 mph double.
  • Nathan Eovaldi’s fastball topped out at 95.8 mph, averaging 94.1 mph. Jalen Beeks reached 95.7 mph with his fastball. Cal Quantrill’s one pitch was a 90.4 mph cutter. Jakob Junis touched 94.6 mph with his fastball.
  • Let’s go sweeping on Wednesday so the Rangers can head home with us all happy.

What is IKF talking about?

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 28: Isiah Kiner-Falefa #2 of the Boston Red Sox reacts during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park on May 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Isiah Kiner-Falefa has a job with the Red Sox because the Red Sox aren’t very good. But he’s a veteran and all, so when asked why the team was so much worse at home than the road, he dropped this nugget:

What do we think he means? Is Craig Breslow skulking around, giving wedgies? Is Fenway haunted? (I mean, yes.) Are there some power-sapping crystals below the stadium that we don’t know about?

But seriously, is it really that much of a bummer to be around the Red Sox brass these days? It is for me but I don’t play for the team, so I’m not paid to look the other way. Is this sour grapes or a legitimate gripe? As loathe as I am to defend any decision-maker here, it seems like the former. But feel free to tell me I’m wrong. You always do!

White Sox vs Twins Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's MLB Game

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The Minnesota Twins have a prime opportunity to complete the sweep on Wednesday afternoon with Erick Fedde taking the mound for the Chicago White Sox.

My Twins vs. White Sox predictions will explain why I expect Minnesota to finish the job at home.

Read more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, June 3.

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

The Minnesota Twins offense gets a favorable matchup against Chicago White Sox starter Erick Fedde in Wednesday's series finale. The veteran right-hander has struggled recently, posting a 7.04 FIP across his last two starts. His road numbers are concerning as well, as he owns a 5.30 xFIP away from home this season.

Minnesota's power profile is particularly appealing in this matchup. The Twins rank 14th in home runs, while Fedde has allowed nearly 50% of his contact to come in the air on the road. Even more concerning, 17.6% of those fly balls have left the yard. Fedde has also surrendered 10 earned runs over his last two outings.

Taj Bradley's recent 5.00 ERA doesn't tell the full story. The right-hander owns a 3.14 xERA across his last two starts and has allowed just a 5% barrel rate during that span.

I'll play this pick up to -160.

Covers COVERS INTEL: Fedde has allowed a 44.8% hard-hit rate over his last two outings. 

White Sox vs Twins Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+100)

This game could ultimately come down to how much offense Minnesota generates against Fedde because Chicago's bullpen has been lights out lately. Over the last week, the White Sox relievers own a 2.95 FIP and have held opponents to a minuscule 2.8% barrel rate.

The Twins' bullpen, meanwhile, owns a 5.05 xERA over the last seven days. However, Bradley has consistently worked deep into games, limiting Minnesota's reliance on its relievers. That should help against a White Sox lineup that has struggled to generate quality contact recently, posting just a 7.8% barrel rate over the last week.

I'll play this pick up to -110.

Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
  • ML/RL bets: 21-14, +5.92 units
  • Over/Under bets: 20-14, +2.40 units

White Sox vs Twins odds

  • Moneyline: White Sox +138 | Twins -144
  • Run line: White Sox +1.5 (-156) | Twins -1.5 (+144)
  • Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-113) | Under 8.5 (+108)

White Sox vs Twins trend

Minnesota has won two straight as moneyline favorites against Chicago. Find more MLB betting trends for White Sox vs. Twins.

How to watch White Sox vs Twins and game info

LocationTarget Field, Minneapolis, MN
DateWednesday, June 3, 2026
First pitch1:40 p.m. ET
TVCHSN, Twins.TV
White Sox starting pitcherEric Fedde
(0-5, 5.40 ERA)
Twins starting pitcherTaj Bradley
(5-1, 3.21 ERA)

White Sox vs Twins latest injuries

White Sox vs Twins weather

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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