Category: Baseball

Tuesday was as low scoring of an affair as one could as for, as the Dodgers came away with their second 1-0 win since June 5.

In what has been an unbelievable offensive stretch since May 12, Shohei Ohtani kept it going as he provided the only offense for either side, blasting a solo home run against Drew Rasmussen in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ohtani has now homered four times over his last six games and has hit nine home runs over the last five weeks.

Dave Roberts noted post-game that Ohtani has made some recent adjustments at the plate that are helping him not just see the ball better but helping hit the ball with authority to all fields, per Courtney Hollmon of MLB.com.

“It’s just near missing the baseball in the sense of, he was hitting the ball hard — doubles, some singles — and then if he was just missing it a little bit, there was going to be slug,” Roberts said. “Seeing the baseball well, swinging at good pitches. When he uses a big part of the field, there’s just no holding him back.”

There was some concern about Ohtani’s status on the mound after he missed Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox due to left knee inflammation, but he is cleared to make his scheduled start Wednesday, per Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register.

Justin Wrobleski provided much of the heavy lifting on Tuesday, out dueling Rasmussen with six shutout innings and bouncing back after a rough start in Pittsburgh.

Wrobleski’s pitch count was at just 67 (50 for strikes) after six innings, and Dave Roberts commended the left-hander for his ability to persistently attack the zone and remain ahead in the count, per Hollmon.

“He was attacking all night. That’s who he is,” Roberts said of the left-hander. “Just the dependability with Wrob in the sense that you know that he’s going to go after guys. His first pitch is like his last pitch and he’s the epitome of go as hard as you can for as long as you can — until the manager takes the ball from you. Tonight, we asked [for] six innings and he did that and he passed it to the ’pen and they were fantastic.”

Kyle Tucker has been enjoying a nice little stretch on this current homestand, hitting his first home run at Dodger Stadium in two months on Monday while having three hits and three RBI in the two games against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tucker spoke to the media on Monday where he acknowledged the lofty expectations his contract placed upon him, noting that his time as a Dodger has gotten off to a lethargic introduction, per Fredo Cervantes of The Sporting Tribune.

We enjoyed the Player A and B test so much that we are bringing it back for another round. This time we will take a look at a former Astro and a current Astro. However, I have to set up a few extra ground rules in order for this one to work. First, we are looking at only the rate statistics for their careers. They won’t be exactly alike because no two players are exactly alike, but they will be a lot closer then if we look at the counting numbers.

So, in addition to numbers like OPS, we will be looking at isolated power, isolated patience. secondary average, home run percentage, strikeout percentage, and walk percentage. We use these numbers because one player played a lot longer than the other player. We want to be able to judge their overall quality, but I also want to conceal the identities as much as humanly possible.

The second curveball on this comparison is a look at the fielding numbers. Since these two played a number of different positions and wildly different defensive innings totals, we will be looking at their defensive runs saved (DRS), outs above average (OAA), and fielding run value (FRV) per 1000 innings. Again, they aren’t exactly the same but it should be interesting.

Offensive Numbers

We could further break these numbers down. For instance, some people are really into the strikeout to walk ratio. These two players are nearly identical in that department. Home run percentage needs a little explanation. It is the average number of homers each player would hit per 100 plate appearances. They are nearly identical when it comes to isolated patience (OBP – AVG) as well. As we said before, no two players are exactly alike, but these two are pretty comparable.

This becomes more true when we consider that both are playing in slightly different eras. It probably wouldn’t surprise you to find out that Player A played in a better offensive era than Player B. If we showed the respective batting averages involved then it would probably give the comparison away. During Player A’s most prolific season, the league hit .254 and he hit .236. The league hit .243 during Player B’s most prolific season. So, even though his average was lower, the gap is not as significant.

By far, the most telling statistic in both cases is the strikeout rate. I don’t have to tell anyone that anything north of 30 percent is not sustainable over time. Usually one of two things will happen with those players. Either they will get drummed out of the league or they will figure out how to make more contact. One of these players was drummed out of the league. One of them is still active.

Remember, usually we offter more descriptive numbers, but the goal here is to keep these two players’ identities a secret a little while longer so that we can compare them without the emotional baggage. We also do that because seeing the numbers first might help put the current Astro in a different context. It could be a context that might help us understand how he should be used. First, let’s look at the defensive numbers.

Fielding Numbers

Before we jump too far on the bandwagon for Player A we should give a little context. Player A played all three outfield positions while Player B played two outfield positions and three infield positions. These represent all of the defensive innings added together. Obviously, this represents a bird’s eye view of the player’s defensive value. A manager would look more closely at how they performed at each defensive spot because that value was not spread evenly across the board.

Also, Player A was likely a little better in the OAA and FRV categories, but they did not track those for three of his seasons in Houston. So, the gap between Player A and Player B is probably wider than what it appears. Naturally, that is a huge clue as to these two players identities, but it also has to be said because the last thing I want to do is misrepresent the facts.

Remember, these numbers are per 1000 innings. Neither player ever reached 1000 innings in any one season, so they are theoretical in nature. Most people consider ten runs to be equal to one win. So, depending on your source, both players could be as much as two wins better than a replacement level player with the glove alone. As we saw above, their bats kept them out of the lineup consistently.

The Big Reveal

My mea culpa gave away part of the big reveal. Player A represents Jake Marisnick’s numbers as an Astro offensively and his career fielding numbers. Player B represents what Brice Matthews has done to date. Time heals all wounds and often smooths over the edges of our memory. There were very similar conversations about both players and the Matthews conversation is still ongoing.

The general idea is that they both had very good power, very good speed, and were certainly close to elite with the glove. If they could only make more contact then we could pencil them in everyday. Marisnick obviously never figured out the contact part of things and his career fizzled out. Yet, at his best he was a very good part-time player that could make spot starts or serve as a late inning defensive replacement. There were numerous games in 2017 where he pushed George Springer to right field in the late innings to give the Astros the best defensive alignment.

Since the late 2010s were a better offensive period than now, the advantage that Marisnick has on Matthews is not nearly as significant. I should note that Matthews struck out 25 times in 64 plate appearances in March and April, 25 in 91 plate appearances in May, and has seven as a I write this in 27 plate appearances. In other words, the strikeout percentage has improved overall with each passing month.

The decision to play Matthews or not play Matthews is not an easy one. Depending on where you put him, he could be as many as one win better defensively than the player he would be replacing. He could also be one win worse offensively depending on the position. The Matthews conundrum is one every competitive team faces as some point. He will get better offensively with more opportunities. How much better? Is it good enough to justify the growing pains? Make no mistake, the Astros would likely lose more games with Matthews in the lineup than with him out. However, that gap is narrowing as he improves. Depending on whether you are talking about center field, left field, or second base that gap might go the other way when he reaches his ceiling. What does that ceiling look like and how long will it take him to get there? These are things we don’t know the answer to. What if he is just as good as Marisnick was. Would that be good enough for you?

It is important to put your best foot forward when constructing a lineup. The lead-off hitter has been one of the most interesting batting-order roles in baseball history, as the use of the spot has been tinkered with throughout the game’s history.

For the longest time, it was simply the spot where the fast person on the team would reside to get on base by any means necessary and steal second base. Over time, especially in the last decade, that spot in the lineup has evolved to produce more and more power threats to jump-start an offense and ensure that one of a team’s best hitters is getting as many plate appearances as possible in a game.

Whatever archetype a team pursues relies heavily on a single unifying factor: The hitter has to be able to produce.

The Colorado Rockies had the luxury of having one of the greatest lead-off hitters in baseball history for the better part of a decade in Charlie Blackmon. While he didn’t exactly burn rubber with his legs in the latter part of his career, Blackmon exemplified an excellent hitter to get on base by any means necessary while also tapping into power that made him dangerous at the top of the order. However, since his retirement after the 2024 season, the Rockies spent all of 2025 trying to find a hitter who sticks at the top of the order, and that has continued into 2026.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into what’s going on with the lead-off spot this season and who may have the chops to stick there for the near future.

The team stats

Entering Tuesday, the Rockies are a mixed bag out of the lead-off spot in the lineup. They rank seventh in batting average (.271), but rank 16th in on-base percentage (.331), seventh in slugging percentage (.397) and 23rd with 91 wRC+. As for some of the other prudent stats, the Rockies have a 22.8% strikeout rate (10th) and a 7.6% walk rate (26th).

It’s evident that the Rockies are, as an offense, aggressive when it comes to swings and tend to make much more contact. A highly ranked average makes sense with that philosophy, but it has shown its drawbacks. Lead-off hitters end up with a higher strikeout rate that reflects what the team is going after due to the lack of on-base skills. Colorado lead-off batters have drawn just 26 walks, while the Washington Nationals lead the league with 59.

They are not necessarily the worst things in the world, as making contact generally is the best way to yield results. The Rockies have a .342 BABIP out of the top spot in the lineup, which ranks third in all of baseball, just behind the Nationals (.365) and the Milwaukee Brewers (.345), while being just ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers (.332). There is a good amount of luck at play with BABIP, but the top of the order is finding success swinging the bat and collecting hits.

The main concern has been that when the lead-off hitter reaches, not much happens afterward, as the team ranks 18th in runs scored (40). However, the players batting first are being productive as they have driven in the ninth-most runs in baseball with 37 RBI. So, while they have been generating some traffic for the big hitters behind them, they have done well to cash in on the opportunities afforded by the bottom of the order ahead of them. Even if they have just six home runs, the doubles and handful of triples have made the most of things.

Now, we can turn our attention to the players actually stepping up to the plate in the lead-off spot. In 2026, there have been 14 players to hit in the one spot of the lineup. However, only seven have made a start there, and for today’s purposes, we will briefly touch on the three hitters with the most appearances.

Edouard Julien (126 PA)

As the Rockies cycled through a few different options in the first spot of the batting order, Edouard Julien got the nod on April 6 and delivered a 2-for-5 day. He continued to find success through April and looked like the unconventional answer to the lead-off spot. However, Julien endured a horrendous May where he went 5-for-69 at the plate. He was dropped to the bottom third of the order on May 18 and, since then, has hit in the lead-off spot just twice as June has been a better month for him.

Overall, Julien has slashed .252/.341/.342 in the top spot of the order with two home runs, 12 RBI, and three stolen bases. He has also struck out 32 times against 15 walks.

Julien’s hit tool and ability to draw walks are what make him a viable lead-off option, but slumps like the one he had in May make him a little more unpredictable and harder to trust in that spot. The majority of his other time spent in the lineup has come in the nine-hole, where he can act as a pseudo lead-off hitter, which is still valuable in its own way.

Jake McCarthy (86 PA)

What better tool for a traditional lead-off hitter than speed? Jake McCarthy has speed to spare at the plate, and the Rockies hoped that McCarthy could thrive at the top of the order when given the opportunity. His first five appearances of the year all came as the lead-off hitter, where he went 2-for-18. Starting with his start on April 3, McCarthy saw his role relegated to the bottom part of the order where, like Julien, he could act as a type of lead-off hitter in the nine-hole to set the table for the Mickey Moniaks and Hunter Goodmans of the world.

As McCarthy continued to play hot through April and through May, he made a start as the lead-off hitter on May 20 and went 2-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored, and a stolen base. He continued to fill the spot until he became ill during the Chicago Cubs series at Coors Field. Since returning, he has moved more into the middle third of the order.

He is batting .238/.279/.400 in the lead-off spot with five doubles, a triple, two home runs, nine RBI, and six stolen bases. He has struck out 18 times against four walks. His contact tools and speed are a great asset that will garner more looks in the lead-off spot as needed, but his numbers suggest that hitting in the bottom third of the order has brought about a lot of success and may be more beneficial to the lineup.

Willi Castro (50 PA)

That brings us to the Swiss Army knife of the Rockies lineup, Willi Castro. Bouncing around on defense and in the lineup, Castro has proven to be a useful tool for manager Warren Schaeffer. Castro has mostly been used in the heart of the lineup this season, rotating through the 3-to-6 spots in the lineup. He has been consistent in most spots, but the Rockies have experimented with using Castro in the first and second spots on occasion since May 13. Since that day, Castro has been hitting quite well as he fills in different spots, but the lead-off position has become more prevalent over the last two weeks in June, where he has started 5-of-8 games as the lead-off hitter.

On the year, Castro is slashing .378/.440/.556 with two doubles, two home runs, and eight RBI. He has also shown off a keen eye with eight strikeouts against five walks. Castro’s ability to make quality contact while also being a switch-hitter is a significant advantage for a lead-off hitter. They are also skills that have translated well to batting in the second spot. What’s been fascinating is that, unlike Julien and McCarthy, Castro has done well as the first hitter of the game for the Rockies, where he is 5-for-11 with just one strikeout.

Castro has proven to be one of the quietly consistent hitters for the Rockies over the first two months and has heated up quite a bit more in June. His calm contact approach that can dip into power has made him an intriguing lead-off choice for the near future.

Who is next?

Schaeffer has shown that he is willing to experiment with shaking up the lineup and trying hitters in different spots. For now, Castro will see his fair share of at-bats from the top spot, but that can always change if he cools off. For what it’s worth, Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP) could easily be a candidate to get some action at the top of the order at some point. After all, he slashed .285/.336/.455 with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes as the lead-off man.

Lineup construction is a fickle thing and a constantly changing puzzle. But the right guy in the top spot of the order can make a difference in how the offense plays out.

Who would you like to see stick in the lead-off spot? Or what other players would you like to see get a crack at it? Keep things rolling in the comments below!

On the Farm

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 8, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 3

The Albuquerque Isotopes thumped their way to a victory once again as they took down Sugar Land 8-3. Charlie Condon had another two-hit game, including a triple and his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot. Jose Cordova, who replaced Zac Veen early in the game, went 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI. Mike Antico had a two-run double in the game while Nic Kent had a pair of hits. Domingo Acevedo tossed 3.2 innings in his start, allowing three runs in the first inning. The bullpen then locked it down the rest of the way, giving up just three hits.

Double-A:Hartford Yard Goats 6, Reading Fightin’ Phils 5

Thanks to a four-run fourth inning and a crucial insurance run in the seventh inning, the Hartford Yard Goats secured a 6-5 victory. Roc Riggio had himself a good night at the plate for Hartford, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple. He also drove in a pair of runs, including the game-winning run in the seventh. Aidan Longwell also contributed his 10th home run of the season with a three-run blast in the fourth inning as part of a two-hit day. Konner Eaton made the start on the mound and went just 1.2 innings, giving up three runs on two hits while allowing four walks. Stu Flesland III ended up tossing 4.1 innings of bulk relief, allowing just one run on four hits. Carlos Torres delivered two scoreless innings, followed by Andrew Baker, who secured the save despite allowing a run in the bottom of the ninth.

High-A:Spokane Indians 15, Vancouver Canadians 11

It was a high-scoring affair in Spokane as the Indians scored in all but two innings and survived a rough top of the eighth en route to victory. Spokane had 15 hits with the 1-through-6 batters each collecting at least two. The team slugged four home runs with Jack O’Dowd contributing his sixth of the year, Roynier Hernandez hitting two homers while driving in six, and Alan Espinal adding a two-run homer in the eighth. Max Belyeu also had a pair of doubles and scored four runs. Bryson Hammer had a solid start, going five innings and allowing two runs, but it was Bryan Perez that had the rough night on the mound. Pitching in the eighth, he allowed eight runs on six hits, including two home runs, while recording just two outs. Francis Rivera replaced him to finish the inning followed by a clean ninth to secure the save.

Low-A:Fresno Grizzlies 4, Inland Empire 66ers 3

The Fresno Grizzlies delivered a walk-off victory thanks to Ashly Andujar as they won 4-3. Despite 12 hits, the Grizzlies went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position but the Grizzlies made it count. Tanner Thach led the offense with three hits while Andujar, Kyle Fossum and Carlos Renzullo each had two hits. Jesus Freitez drove in a pair of runs with a solo home run in the fifth inning and an RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game 3-3 before coming around to score the winning run. Austin Newton had a good night on the mound, allowing two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts over seven innings. Dylan Crooks pitched the last two innings and have up the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, but the offense bailed him out. An interesting thing of note was that neither team issued a walk.

Rockies’ Hunter Goodman Needs More Recognition After First All-Star Ballot Results | Rockies on SI

Be sure to vote for Hunter Goodman for the All-Star ballot because he is very much deserving to start for the NL this season!

Affected by Altitude Episode 214: The Kids are All Right | Rocky Mountain Rooftop

This week, Evan Lang and I talk about the recent rookie call-ups, look through the injury report, and talk Kyle Freeland’s legacy in Colorado.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Kansas City Royals lost their 15th series this season, in a 6-4 loss against the Washington Nationals. The NL East club triumphed when it mattered most against Kansas City’s best reliever for much of 2026.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch IV has been a breakout star this season. Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Washington Nationals, Lynch owned a 1.80 ERA in 30 relief appearances. He limited opponents to a .167 batting average and had issued one hit in his last five outings. In the seventh inning on Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals, Lynch got the call out of the bullpen. With the game tied 3-3, Lynch was tasked with recording a scoreless inning. However, he didn’t get the job done. The Nationals scored three go-ahead runs and regained the lead behind their offense. Lynch didn’t have his best command. He walked two batters before Nationals infielder Curtis Mead belted a three-run homer. Mead hit an 88 mph slider left over the plate for his 11th home run of the year.

Royals Opening Day starter Cole Ragans is getting a second opinion after a setback in his rehab.

After missed a few more days, Ragans had recovered well enough that he was able to return to the mound in a limited capacity. He threw a 23-pitch bullpen session on June 10. The next morning, however, he awoke with discomfort in the arm. He couldn’t make it through playing catch on the field. Now, the Royals want to understand more about the pitcher’s case of VEO. “Ragans met with Dr. (Vincent) Key yesterday,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday. “He’s still having symptoms, so he’ll continue to be shut down. And we’re going to have him see another doctor in the next couple of days.

Seth Lugo is expected to come off the concussion list this Friday.

The Royals’ promotion of Kendry Chourio is not just a good thing for the organization, but challenges one of the game’s hottest pitching prospects.

“The better pitchers have always let you know when they’re ready to move and ready for the major leagues,” Royals senior director of pitching performance Paul Gibson said. It became clear that Chourio was ready for a new challenge. In his last three starts, Chourio allowed four runs in 16 ⅓ innings. He won each outing and held opponents to a .193 batting average. Chourio will face developed hitters with High-A Quad Cities. The Royals rave about his elite command that features a plus-fastball and two distinct off-speed pitches. “His changeup and his curveball were both good pitches with higher ceiling,” Gibson said. “So like any young pitcher that has the velocity that Chourio has, running through lineups with that fastball-heavy attack is going to be a natural thing.”

Craig Brown talked about Monday’s 7-3 loss in his latest, but sums up the 2026 Royals experience.

I don’t know…You want to point a finger somewhere but damned if I know where to aim. Spence did a credible job getting through the first four innings. The fifth was just a bridge—or and inning—too far. Maybe Matt Quatraro should’ve been quicker with the hook, but…waves hands at the bullpen what would you expect from that move? Quatraro said postgame that they hoped Spence could give the team five. Reasonable. And smart. When you’re talking about needing the Royals bullpen in 2026, four innings of work sounds a helluva lot better than five. More innings, more problems. There was the shoddy defense in left where Collins deflected a bases-loaded single from Luis García Jr. in that fateful fifth. Had he played it cleanly maybe a solitary run scores instead of two. Collins has left me largely unimpressed this season, but tough to get worked up over a gift run when some guy up a few batters later clears the bases.

You want to get ticked off, but it’s kind of tough to give a damn. That’s kind of the whole vibe around this bunch in 2026. It’s tough to give a damn. The thing is, I don’t think I can say anything worse about a baseball team. They’re just wholly uninteresting, uninspiring and uncompetitive.

Royals Keep looks at the team’s struggles against left-handed pitching, dating back to the start of last season.

At first glance, the Royals appear competitive in both batting average and strikeout rate. Yet once again, the same pattern emerges: a lack of impact. Their slugging percentage sits well below the league average, while their home-run rate ranks as the fourth-lowest in baseball during the period examined.

Production with runners in scoring position has not been distributed evenly either. Witt, Garcia, and a handful of timely contributions from Loftin have generated positive results, but much of the rest of the lineup has struggled to convert opportunities into meaningful damage.

That is why Kansas City’s struggles against left-handed pitching cannot be explained by a single statistic or one underperforming player. The organization has two hitters who have consistently demonstrated the ability to thrive in these matchups. It has also received occasional contributions from other members of the roster. What it has not found is a sufficiently broad offensive foundation capable of supporting those strengths.

The Royals rank second to last in The Athletic’s latest power rankings, with a focus on the team’s lone consensus positive.

With 3.0 fWAR in 72 games, Witt found himself ranked No. 9 on FanGraphs’ WAR charts, behind the likes of Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Shohei Ohtani.

Today?

First place at 3.9 fWAR in 71 games.

With Judge on the IL, it’s a two-man race to MVP between Witt and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez. If Witt has his way, he’ll be Kansas City’s second player ever to win the year-end award.

For now, he’s pacing toward a third-straight All-Star appearance for a Royals team that has not had much go right for it over the past two seasons.

The Rafael Devers trade has been an unmitigated lose-lose for the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox.

As the stadium completion looms, the A’s still have a foundation to lay in Las Vegas.

Tom Glavine sees parallels between the coming labor fight and the 1994 strike.

Chris Bzozowski looks at some independent ball players, including the Kansas City Monarchs standing tall in the pitching side of the house.

Under the Knife’s Will Carroll looks at another rash of hamate injuries around the league.

Lance Brozdowski ranks his top 50 pitching prospects.

Dave Helling looks at Kansas City’s love and investment in sports at all levels.

Sam Miller breaks down the old reliable of a modern baseball broadcast, the Statcast 3D Powered By Google Cloud pitcher scouting report.

Buster Olney looks at the 12 MLB executives under the most pressure at the trade deadline.

Lionel Messi notched his first World Cup hat trick as Argentina faced Algeria in Arrowhead Stadium.

A deeper look at the overlooked NFL supplemental draft.

NHL viewership reached record heights in 2026 playoffs.

Former YouTube creators are leading the box office charge in 2026.

After turning “Obsession” into one of the most profitable movies ever, director Curry Barker ponders what it means.

Loved ones identify, remember the 12 people killed in a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, on Sunday.

Lawrence stands out for welcoming Algeria as their World Cup home team.

The rotting smell of the titan arum drew hundreds of on-sniffers to Winfield, Kansas.

Today’s song of the day is Coal by Dylan Gossett.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Plenty to get into in our midweek news roundup. We’ve got the return of future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who has been out over two months and will finally be back with the Tigers this coming weekend. We have reactions to the first round of All-Star voting, as well as a look at whether or not baseball has a nepotism problem.

All that and much more below, do we’ll just jump right into it.

• Sam Blum looks at baseball’s issue with nepotism signings. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• In somewhat related news, Greg Bishop spotlights Striker Pence, nephew of Hunter, and wonders if he could be an American answer to Shohei Ohtani.
• The Dodgers’ pitching rotation is back on top, according to Ryan Blake.
• Brent Maguire suggests Drew Rasmussen might be the best pitcher you haven’t heard of.
• Justin Verlander will return to the Tigers after a lengthy IL stint this season, and will start against the White Sox this Sunday. Story by Steve Schaeffer.
• The Brewers have called up shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt. (AP)
• A quick look at the AL All-Star frontrunners.

• Tom Glavine, the Hall of Famer, is worried that labor disputes might cause a repeat of the 1994 season. Story by Jeff Passan.
• Michael Baumann tries to determine if Andre Pallante is good or not.
• An early prediction of the All-MLB team. (MLB)
• Tim Capurso looks at some of the best home run celebrations in baseball this season.
• Karl Rasmussen shares some eye-opening revelations from the first round of All-Star voting.
• Brendan Kuty looks at the clarity the Yankees received regarding Jose Cabellero’s contentious pitch-count routine. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• This is quite the balanced book.

• Davy Andres explains why it’s hard to bunt a curveball.
• Jay Jaffe reports that Guardians’ slugger Jose Ramirez has been sidelined by a hamate injury.
• JJ Wetherholt reunited with his 5th grade teacher, who recently shared his 5th grade prediction of becoming an MLB player. Story by Brent Maguire.
• Jared Greenspan looks at the tightest races in the first round of All-Star voting.
• Tom Verducci looks at how the standards for catchers keep changing.
• Elly De La Cruz will head for a rehab stint this coming weekend. (AP)
• Keith Law redrafts the class of 2016. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Okay, Kyle, calm down.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

Good morning, San Francisco Giants fans. Yesterday’s game against the Atlanta Braves was postponed in between the top and the bottom of the second inning, and will kick off again today at 11:00 a.m. PT, as Game 1 of a doubleheader. San Francisco leads Atlanta 3-2. The original game will proceed as scheduled, at 4:15 p.m. PT … assuming the weather allows it.

Since the first game is on the early side, it’s a combo BP/Game 1 gamethread for you all. For better and for worse.

Assuming that the teams use their scheduled Wednesday starters in the first game — which would make sense given that the added 27th player is only available for the second game — then it should be a matchup between Robbie Ray and JR Ritchie. Ray, a lefty, has made 14 starts, and is 4-6 with a 4.42 ERA, a 5.25 FIP, and 66 strikeouts to 36 walks in 73.1 innings. Ritchie, a 22-year old rookie right-hander, is 1-1 in six games (five starts), with a 3.82 ERA, a 5.15 FIP, and 26 strikeouts to 18 walks in 30.2 innings.

Enjoy the game, everyone.

Game #73, Take 2

Who: San Francisco Giants (29-43) vs. Atlanta Braves (46-25)

Where: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia

When: 11:10 a.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Though the Atlanta Braves only completed one inning on Tuesday night, the injury scares continued. In the bottom of the second inning against the San Francisco Giants, Michael Harris II was removed due to lower back tightness. There has not been any update on his status at this time.

Earlier this month, Harris dealt with lower back tightness and was out of the lineup for a couple days. He was able to come on as a pinch hitter and win the game for Atlanta, so hopefully this is a similar situation and nothing overly serious.

As far as the contest, the game was suspended in the bottom of the second inning and will resume this afternoon at 2pm ET with a 3-2 Giants lead.

More Braves News:

Check out the latest Braves Biweekly to be caught up on how Atlanta has performed the first half of June. 

Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress has been connected to the Braves, so here is a scouting report ahead of the MLB Draft. 

MLB News:

The Seattle Mariners placed Randy Arozarena on the 10-day injured list with left hamstring tightness. The move is retroactive to June 13.

The Chicago Cubs placed closer Daniel Palencia on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. 

The Cleveland Guardians placed outfielder Angel Martinez on the 10-day injured list with a fractured food. He is expected to miss four to six weeks. 

From the Feed:

Drake Baldwin returned from the IL and launched a home run Tuesday. 

One of the main problems last season was that the Cardinals were in R&D mode and in budget-aging-vet pitcher mode simultaneously, resulting in negative WAR value output from several players. From the testing of developing players standpoint, a brigade of suck was in effect from enough players that it created a siphoning effect that spoiled the performance of the team. We aren’t talking about just a player or two, but an aggregate of -.1 and -.2 WAR guys, basically replacement-level players on the downturn (Michael Siani, Cesar Prieto, Nolan Gorman, Garret Hampson, Ryan Vilade, Jose Barrero), a -.4 WAR version of Jimmy Crooks, and the failing big prospect that was 2025 Jordan Walker who finished at -1.3 WAR. The siphoning effect of this R&D mode was a negative 2.7 WAR!

On the pitching side there was a total of -1.3 WAR, so theoretically the team could’ve been 4 wins better if they would have just gotten replacement level performances out of 13 roster spots. It was not as fun as it should’ve been.

Then you had the constant reminder that two spots in the rotation would be occupied by guys like Miles Mikolas (a hair above replacement level last season), replacement level Erick Fedde, with up-and-comer Michael McGreevy doing his best. But that’s the past now, and in 2026, Chaim Bloom’s Cardinals roster management is more up to the task.

***

Jimmy Crooks will be 25 before the season is over. All of the projection systems like his bat more than Pedro Pages’, and maybe his defense too. According to projections, look to get from .8 to 1 WAR out of Jimmy. Or if his bat surprises, he will be more than an 87 to 101 wRC+ hitter, which covers the range of mainstream projection systems. Could we hope for something like 105-110+? _{My wishcasting projections articles at the beginning of the season seem less wishy-washy at this point for several players (*I did not know that Jordan Walker was going to do this, though, just to be clear!).} With Jimmy Crooks, it sure feels like it’s a main catcher upgraded scenario! Pedro is still there for depth and support, and of course, Ivan Herrera carries on as a DH/C hybrid.

How is Jimmy Crooks actually hitting so far? 83 wRC+ over 35 PA with 1 HR… he’s hitting like Pedro Pages!

After Nolan Gorman was set to soon surpass his -.2 WAR total of last season, the Cardinals decided to stop that situation from happening again. Blaze Jordan was hitting really well at AAA, so the timing was perfect. Blaze Jordan is just 23, but is projected to be about average on 3B defense, maybe a tad less, if anything, but not bad projections there really. But what he was really promoted for was his hitting. A consensus of projections have him at 94 wRC+, but there are a good number of systems projecting him as a league average hitter. And we think he can be better than that, don’t we? _{Wishcasting again.} If nothing else, he should turn the tide at third base and not be negative fWAR. Projections say that Blaze should be worth at least half a WAR. Maybe more if he is mature for his age. Could be… it would be sort of a miracle if the Cardinals get more than 1 WAR from his the rest of the way, but, it also doesn’t sound too far-fetched.

How is Blaze Jordan actually hitting so far? 159 wRC+ over 19 PA! 1 HR and 12 Total Bases ( he already has a home run, triple, double, and singles, well played Blaze).

Nathan Church falls under the same category of stop-gap reinforcement players. I like all three of these guys enough to view the projections as their floor. It’s the same story with Church, he isn’t projected to be league average at hitting, but he is projected as a helluva lot better than Victor Scott II at the plate. He should also be good for half a WAR, instead of minus fWAR. The consensus projection has him at around 88 wRC+.

How is Nathan Church actually hitting so far? 92 wRC+ over 185 PA, right around his projections. But to make it more fun, he’s hit 5 HR! It may be funny to hear that Blaze Jordan is beating Nathan Church in the triples dept.

Which of the three do you think will be the best hitter? The obvious answer is Blaze Jordan, but Jimmy Crooks is probably the best overall prospect of the three. And the darkhorse candidate would be one Nathan Church, he isn’t projected to be too bad at the plate either. Maybe one of them will end up being above league average at hitting! Wouldn’t that be nice. So far we have Jimmy underperforming on offense, Church at projections, and Blaze torching his projections sheet.

The upgrade of Crooks over Pages is probably only a marginal upgrade, but if he can hit MLB pitching, he will be a sizable one. His defense is better, overall, and he could be the catcher of the future for all we know. Maybe we will have three different catchers tailored to different pitchers? Get creative, Cardinals! I know you will.

The upgrade over Gorman will be tough to tell for a while. The projections still like Gorman as much as Blaze Jordan at hitting, and his defense is probably a little better than Jordan’s. But in the abstract, it sure seems like the bleeding has been stopped when it comes to third base offense. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think the projections are right about Gorman.

Nathan Church is obviously an upgrade on offense over Victor Scott II, so that problem is also sort of solved. The defense won’t be quite as good, but it is certainly good enough. It will help a lot if Church ends up a league average hitter or more…

These three players may only be marginal upgrades, but they have made the lineup a lot easier to watch, more balanced, and a lot less lopsided. A bottom of the order of Jimmy Crooks, Blaze Jordan, and Nathan Church is just obviously better than it was earlier in the season, at least watching as a fan so far. The middle of the season is where we are going to find out if Nathan Church is more than a stopgap measure, if Jimmy Crooks is ready to take the reins of the main Cardinals catcher, and if Blaze Jordan has been promoted too soon or right on time!

***

Ok so, this comes as a surpise to me, but it could be that Bloom and the Cardinals freaked out a bit because there is another list of negative WAR players this season, and they have already reached -2.4 WAR. Break glass! EXIT!

With a tough month of July coming up, the Cardinals needed reinforcements. By changing the roster so much for the middle third of the season, the Cardinals just may stem the flow of loss through player value. Victor Scott II, Pedro Pages, and Nolan Gorman obviously could not hit 2026 MLB pitching.

One last note: who was even more demotable than Gorman and Victor Scott II? Thomas Saggese at -.4 WAR.

Along Came Noot

While we have turned the tide with rising prospects (hopefully!), we must not forget what may be the biggest upgrade of all: Lars Nootbaar. Noot has come back from a somewhat long healing process from surgery on his heels… and it’s at a next level for him: in 45 PA, Lars has hit 2 HR, 2 doubles, knocked in 6 runs, and scored 7 times. It sure is fun having this guy back on the team, and watching him now as the elder is wonderful!

At 138 wRC+, Nootbaar is hitting at Burly and Herrera levels! I know he won’t be able to keep that up (but hope he does!), but wow, this lineup is stacked with Lars Nootbaar in it! And let’s keep in mind Nootbaar won’t even turn 30 until next year. Not only is the bottom of the order not a huge liability now, there are 5 well above average hitters in the lineup. That’s fantastic!

And it’s not just the ‘Return of Nootbaar’, the ignition of Blaze Jordan, the return of injured Church, and Jimmy Crooks III; the bench is WAY better with Bryan Torres and Nelson Velazquez. Jose Fermin isn’t too shabby either, hitting around league average. That’s some real depth all of a sudden.

***

And so ends the baseball portion of this week’s article. And it is time to talk music over the years of my life. After going through COVID this decade I have been listening to a lot of music of the past, but now, I am focusing on each year going back 50 years. I started with 1975, and now I’m up to 1991.

1991

1991 featured an explosion of the evolution of heavy metal, the big grungey debuts of Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ and the masterpiece that is ‘Badmotorfinger’ by Soundgarden, several important and absolutely classic shoegaze albums, and the advancement of hiphop into new creative realms. And more! Next week I will be focusing on that huge heavy metal explosion… this week, all that other good stuff.

• My Bloody Valentine – ‘Loveless’ you probably either love it, hate it, or still have never heard of it, but Loveless by My Bloody Valentine of the UK is absolutely incredible and sounds like nothing else before or after. Channeling punk, pop, psychedelia, noise, and even hiphop influences as per the band leader’s interviews, the notoriously over budget, multiple studio warpage of time and space into sonic art is a capture of guitar innovations, gigantic walls of sound generated by actual walls of amplifiers and oozing with effects pedals. Best heard on vinyl with your head between two big speakers with the sound cranked up. I’m not even so sure it’s their best album but it is absolutely memorable and fantastic and stands on its own planet of sound.
• Mr Bungle – self titled It was pretty tough not to rank this #1 because this album opened a lot of doors into different genres of music for me, and also acted as a weirdo dark comedic concept album recorded impeccably well. The main aspects of this album is how it’s somehow on a major label, it’s from way back in 1991, and it just gets you ready for hearing heavy metal, funk, jazz, ska, experimental music, and more.
• Soundgarden – ‘Badmotorfinger’ perhaps the best grunge album of all time! this or Dirt by AIC. If there is a sound more unmistakenly 90s, I guess it would have to be something like Nevermind because of it’s uber-popularity (which will be covered further down in the list). Perfect album from start to finish. I have retired all of the first three into my album hall of fame, btw, written in past years! We are getting into my high school stomping ground of music.
• Massive Attack – ‘Blue Lines’ Massive Attack’s debut I would file under the very best of trip-hop releases, and among the band’s best albums. This to me is every bit as good as their mega-release ‘Mezzanine’, it’s just a lot different. (my other favorite by Massive Attack is ‘100th Window’). ‘Blue Lines’ shows the roots of the genre, way back in 1991 there wasn’t much else like this. Another big UK release! But forget all that, I would simply call this an all time classic of any genre!
• PRIMUS – ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese’ rounding out my top 5 is this super fun, genius level musical experience, complete with claymation cover and videos! The musicianship on display here is both of some of the most tightly crafted and the most bizarre. Super creative, artsy, but also dark and heavy and magnificently twisted. I would rank this higher but I honestly listen to ‘Badmotorfinger’ and ‘Blue Lines’ more often these days. Primus is more of a special, cheesy occasion. But also, super necessary.
• Dogfaced Hermans – ‘Mental Blocks For All Ages’ wow has this band gone from the outer reaches of my brain to one of the favorite bands in a really short period of time! I always remembered hearing the name over the years but never bought an album or saw them live. Well now, consider me a big fan. Really cool post-punk music recorded really well and where have you been all my life.
• The Jesus Lizard – ‘Goat’ the Jesus Lizard get even weirder here, and it was either the first or second album I bought from them, while I was still in high school. I’m sure it warped my mind just as much as anything else! Creepy, weird, and brimming with creative rock and punk vibes. They are at their best here just as they are on all of their first 4 albums. David Yow is the nicest unhinged madman you’ll ever meet. Air-tight Steve Albini recording!
• Talk Talk – ‘Laughing Stock’ shout out to the VEB’rs who recommended this band to me! This so happens to be my favorite album by them. It crosses so many styles of music while sounding natural about it, taking music to new places while keeping it chill. I wasn’t expecting to put it high on the list but this is pretty high!
• Sonny Sharock – ‘Ask The Ages’ another big find that I am still getting accustomed to… for fans of jazz and rock! Sharock did the them for Space Ghost Coast to Coast, in case you hadn’t heard. Very uniquely gifted guitarist and the right band to back him up! Instrumental genius.
• SWANS – ‘White Light From the Mouth of Infinity’ goth rock at its best! there is even a song or two that sounds like, triphop? I think so! This sounds nothing like the Swans of the 80s. Music for a new era. A dark introspective masterpiece.
• Del the Funky Homosapien – ‘I Wish My Brother George Was Here’ Del The Funky Homosapien is one of the most gifted rappers and producers of all time! His wordplay is not to be fucked with. And this album is just a bunch of funky awesomeness from a big year in rap music. I have lost track of the amount of times I’ve listened to this one! Been with me since the late 90s on a used CD.
• Gang Starr – ‘Step In The Arena’ Gang Starr is Guru and DJ Premier. If you know, you know. I wasn’t too into hiphop in high school but I remembered years late that some of my friends were into Gang Starr. One of them is no longer with us. He got a little too into the lifestyle. I ended up buying their best of years later, which made me a fan of Guru’s socially conscious lyrics and the top notch production of DJ Premier.
• Organized Konfusion – self titled with Del the funky homosapien, hiphop began to branch out into an “alt hiphop” direction. Organized Konfusion I would throw under the same umbrella with A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul occupying that new territory as well. Organized Konfusion ended up being around for a while, never quite cracking into the mainstream, but they were too cool for that. To sum it up: this is just a damn good party album! An exciting, really fun listen, that if I gave it more of a chance, might move up several spots on this list.
• Main Source – ‘Breaking Atoms’ along the same lines as Organized Konfusion, if you like fun early 1990s hiphop, you need this in your library. Still new to me, and obviously sort of obscure, but I love it.
• Public Enemy – ‘Apocalypse 91… the Enemy Strikes Black’ running out of time here, but Public Enemy and the Bombsquad were still in their prime here! Classic hiphop.
• MC Solaar – ‘MC Solaar – “Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo when I worked at an ad agency my department (the scanning and imaging dept) used to play this album and the one after it all the time! That’s how I got into French rapper MC Solaar. I don’t know French but this music is really freakin cool.
• Nirvana – ‘Nevermind’ and yes I do love this album, and it’s very important along the musical timeline of history… but it’s not my favorite of theirs like at all. It’s a perfect album don’t get me wrong, and it deserves a lot of its legacy, and yep, ahead of its time. But yeah, I liked Bleach and In Utero and maybe even Incesticide more. I think it just may be one of those classic albums I’ve heard too many times, but it’s still good.
• Fishbone – ‘Reality of My Surroundings’ this album was on my bench for when I was sick of hearing everything else. It’s a really really good 90s album, I would recommend it to anyone looking to hear the sound of 1991. I should listen to this one more often, reminds me of being in high school and learning about a bunch of musical styles. Fantastic album, the opening track “Fight The Youth” is THE song to hear. Lots of funk and ska going on here, but mostly it just rocks in an alternative fashion.
• Chapterhouse – ‘Whirlpool’ obviously my 2nd favorite shoegaze album from the important year of 1991. It sounds like a cross between My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, sort of, but they are contemporaries and just didn’t get as famous. This album is truly fantastic, and good! If you like the genre, it’s a must have.
• Dinosaur Jr – ‘Green Mind’ total 90s classic rock here, and put Dinosaur Jr on the map around the country! They toned down their sound a bit here, but to good ends. The songs end up more memorable than previous albums, as good as they were.
• Slowdive – ‘Just For A Day’ another defining shoegazer classic! For those who don’t know the genre: it’s named because of a journalist coining the term, as a lot of the bands would stare at the floor and their pedalboards. It’s at times noisy, psychedelic, post-punk, but Slowdive pushed forward the dreampop nature of it, and this is them at their early stages, already nailing the sound.
• Nomeansno – ‘0+2=1’ oh man this is so good! Punk rock at its best! Maybe this should be higher. It’s growing on me.
• Swervedriver – ‘Deep Seat’ 1990s classic shoegaze album from the big year of 1991! My favorite song is “Rave Down”, getting goosebumps hearing it right now. Driving alt rock of the highest order.
• Rabih Abou-Khalil – ‘Al-Jadida’ as it turns out Middle Eastern jazz is really fucking cool! I would induct this into my jazz hall of fame in a heartbeat.
• Mercury Rev – ‘Yerself is Steam’ I have never given this album enough of a chance but whenever I heard it I recognize its place in music history as a very unique form of art and a very 1991 entry into the psychedelic rock lexicon. Very alternative.
• Honorable Mentions: Ween – ‘The Pod’ I don’t even know what to say about this but, it’s gotta be heard to be believed. The ultimate fucked up stupid drug music, or total genius bedroom recording masterpiece? You decide. De La Soul – ‘De La Soul Is Dead’ one more 1991 classic hiphop masterpiece! A Tribe Called Quest – ‘Low End Theory’ and how could I forget this top tier 1991 hiphop album for the ages! I almost did! wth

***

The Cardinals play an afternoon game today. At 1:15pm Kyle Leahy defends his home turf vs the Padres and Griffin Canning (what a name!) who isn’t doing so well this season. Fangraphs gives the Cardinals a 55.4% chance of winning.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: W, 3-1 at Columbus Clippers

SS George Lombard Jr. 1-1, 2B, BB, picked off — left the game after an awkward play in the field where his hand came right into the runner as he was stealing second, super unfortunate
LF Kenedy Corona 1-2, RBI, SF
C Austin Wells 0-3, BB, K — first rehab appearance
C Payton Henry 0-0
2B Marco Luciano 0-3, BB, 2 K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 0-4, 2 K
LF-SS Oswaldo Cabrera 0-4, K, GIDP — down to a .661 OPS, an injury may be the only reason we ever see Waldo again, unfortunately
1B Tyler Hardman 2-4, 2 K, HBP
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-2, BB, K
3B Jonathan Ornelas 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K
CF Duke Ellis 0-4, 2 K, SB

Brandon Beck 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 9 K (win)
Bradley Hanner 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Yovanny Cruz 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (save) — had the 14 fastest pitches of the game, with six at 100 mph or above and topping out at 101.7

Double-A Somerset Patriots: L, 6-7 at Portland Sea Dogs

LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, BB
CF Garrett Martin 1-3, BB, K, SB
1B Nicholas Torres 0-4, 3 K, GIDP, missed catch error — not the best day for Somerset Patriots fundies
RF DJ Gladney 1-3, BB, dropped foul error
3B Coby Morales 2-4, RBI
C Miguel Palma 1-4, K, throwing error, passed ball
2B Connor McGinnis 1-4, HR, 5 RBI — launched a go-ahead grand slam in the third to give Somerset a 6-2 lead; it’s the 2025 10th-rounder’s first homer at Double-A
SS Owen Cobb 0-4, 3 K, fielding error
DH Cole Gabrielson 1-4, 2 K

Cade Smith 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
Trent Sellers 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB (1 IBB), 4 K, HR (loss) — blew the save on a solo homer in the ninth and then gave up two doubles for the Portland walk-off

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: W, 14-5 at Rome Emperors — seven homers overall for Hudson Valley (first seven-homer game for the ‘Gades since April 2023: two for Alexander Vargas and Benjamin Cowles each, plus Aaron Palensky, Luis Santos, and Aldenis Sanchez, just to give you a throwback)

2B Kaeden Kent 3-5, 2B, BB
SS Core Jackson 1-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI, GIDP, 2 SB, throwing error
DH Eric Genther 0-3, 2 BB, K, SB, HBP — only player not invited to the hit party
1B Kyle West 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, GIDP
RF Wilson Rodriguez 1-4, HR, BB, 2 RBI
3B Roderick Arias 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, SF
C Josue Gonzalez 1-5, 2B, 2 K
LF Josh Moylan 3-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, K — two bombs for Moylan
CF Camden Troyer 2-4, HR, BB, RBI — went back-to-back with Moylan in the seventh

Bryce Cunningham 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 5 K (win) — 55 strikes in a season-high 77 pitches
Aaron Nixon 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, HR, HBP
Brandon Decker 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Hansel Rincon 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 15-9 vs. Fort Myers Miracle — Puello hit three homers and drove in seven

SS Jackson Lovich 3-6, HR, 4 RBI, throwing error — after Puello finished his hat trick, Lovich got in on the fun with a two-run shot (413 feet) for his 12th homer in 48 games
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-5, K
2B Hans Montero 0-3, BB, 2 K, HBP, throwing error
CF Willy Montero 1-5, 3B, 3 K
RF JoJo Jackson 2-4, BB, outfield assist
LF Luis Puello 4-4, 3 HR, 7 RBI, BB, fielding error — holy moly what a day! Puello started with a 396-foot slam in the first to give Tampa lead, a 394-foot two-run shot in the fifth, and a solo shot to cap it in the seventh; now slugging .529 since mid-May promotion from Rookie ball
DH Engelth Urena 1-4, BB, 2 K
C Ediel Rivera 2-5, 2 RBI
1B David McCann 1-4, 3B, BB, 2 RBI, 3 K — two-run triple made it 6-3 Tampa in the fourth

Justin West 5 IP, 10 H, 6 R (5 ER), 0 BB, 4 K, 3 HR (win)
Jose M. Rodriguez 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Parker Seay 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Josh Tiedemann 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K

Florida Complex League Yankees:Suspended due to rain in the top of the third leading FCL Phillies 2-0, will resume on June 18th

3B Richard Matic 1-1, HR, RBI — led off game with a bomb
DH Queni Pineda 0-1, K
2B Leni Done 0-1, K
CF Jose Castro 1-1, HR, RBI — had a solo shot of his own in the first, his fifth in 17 games
RF Francisco Vilorio 0-1, K
SS Dexters Peralta 0-1, K
LF Estivenzon Montero 0-1, K
C Justin Capellan 0-1, K
1B Christofer Reyes 0-0

Brian Hendry 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K — pretty dynamite rehab appearance for High-A arm

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 25-11 vs. DSL Twins — no typos here; the 11 is a weird football final score so I don’t know if we can truly make a Giants/Vikings joke, but this is a helluva effort

DH Isaias Castillo 1-6, 2B, BB, K
SS Stiven Marinez 3-7, 2 RBI, K, SB — RBI knock in the sixth gave the Yanks their 20th run
CF Yostin Pena 3-6, HR, BB, 6 RBI, K, SB — leader in the clubhouse with six ribbies on the day; his RBI single in the fifth capped an eight-run frame that made it 17-7 and helped Yanks pull away after Twins kept staying within a few runs
2B Juan Torres 2-6, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K, HBP, SB — two-run blast in the first made it 3-0; it got sillier
RF Manuel Aguilar 1-2, 4 BB, RBI, K, HBP, 2 SB, fielding error, outfield assist
C Juan Martinez 1-1, BB, RBI — left at the start of the fourth
C Edgar Jimenez 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, RBI
1B Cesar Lopez SB 3-5, BB, 3 RBI, K — drew the last of three consecutive bases-loaded walks in the fifth
3B Alfred Ciriaco 2-4, 4 RBI, K, HBP, SF
LF Eliezer Adames 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB — DSL Yanks went a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts, and everyone in the starting lineup had a hit (and Adames’ RBI double in the seventh plated the 25th run)

Dalvin Taveras 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 2 K
Angel Salazar 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 4 K
Luis Rodriguez 1.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K
Luis Ilarraza 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 4 WP (win) — the most deserving pitcher to be sure, control be damned

Dominican Summer League Bombers:W, 14-4 at DSL Marlins — 39 combined runs for DSL Yankees affiliates, hell yeah

2B Daniel Santana 2-5, 3B, BB, RBI, SB
SS Mani Cedeno 2-5, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 K, SF, throwing error — cashed in ribbies in three separate PAs
3B Carlos Bello 1-5, BB, 2 RBI, 2 SB
RF David Carrera 2-3, 3 BB
DH Alessandro Rodriguez 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI — two-run double in the first started the scoring
PH-DH Eddison Charles 0-1, K
C Poly Ojeda 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, HBP — three-run tank in the Bombers’ seven-run second to zoom ahead 9-0
1B Stalen Ramirez 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, CS
LF Sebastian Pinto 0-2, BB, RBI, SF, HBP — sac fly made it 11-0 after three and a half innings
CF Alfiery Matos 2-4, BB, K

Junior Tavera 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 9 K, balk (win) — racked up the K’s anyway
Josue Silvestre 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP
Lenin Caceres 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 1 K, 2 WP
Ronald Tejada 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (35-35)

SYRACUSE 6, NORFOLK 3 (BOX)

Syracuse returned to .500 powered by a strong start by Xzavion Curry, who allowed three runs over seven innings, scattering 5 hits, issuing no walks, and striking out 7. The Tides took the lead in the top of the first and held the lead for the majority of the evening. In the eighth inning, Syracuse batted around, plating four runs in the process; there was unfortunately no one big hit, with virtually every hitter contributing in some way to the runs that the team scored.

·  LF Nick Morabito: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, K, SB (19), E (2)

·  RF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-3, R, BB, 2 K, SB (23)

·  3B Andy Ibáñez: 0-3, RBI

·  1B Ryan Clifford: 1-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K, E (8)

·  SS Grae Kessinger: 1-4, R, HR (1), RBI, K

·  DH Ben Rortvedt: 0-3, K

·  CF Cristian Pache: 1-3, R

·  C Hayden Senger: 0-2, BB, K

·  PR Christian Arroyo: 0-0, R

·  C Kevin Parada: 0-0

·  2B Jackson Cluff: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI

·  RHP Xzavion Curry: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

·  RHP Adbert Alzolay: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (1-0)

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets optioned RHP Jonathan Pintaro to Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Dan Hammer assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (24-40)

NEW HAMPSHIRE 4, BINGHAMTON 1 (BOX)

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies found themselves being no-hit for most of the ballgame. In the bottom of the seventh, they finally managed their first hit- a JT Schwartz home run, ending the no-hit bid and the shutout- and in the ninth, they showed a little spunk, loading up the bases, but the Fisher Cats were able to prevent Binghamton from scoring. R.J. Gordon and the bullpen behind him didn’t pitch poorly necessarily, but the offense simply didn’t show up. With the loss, that is 40 games that the Binghamton Mets have lost in 2026, the first minor league affiliate to reach that ignominious distinction.

·  C Chris Suero: 0-3, BB, K, CS (3)

·  3B Jacob Reimer: 0-4, K

·  CF Matt Rudick: 0-4, 3 K

·  1B JT Schwartz: 2-4, R, 2B, HR (7), RBI

·  DH Vincent Perozo: 1-3, K, HBP

·  RF Jaylen Palmer: 0-2, BB, K, HBP

·  SS Wyatt Young: 0-4

·  2B Kevin Villavicencio: 0-3, 2 K, HBP

·  LF Diego Mosquera: 0-2, BB, K

·  RHP R.J. Gordon: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, L (0-4)

·  LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, WP, BLK

·  RHP Douglas Orellana: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Garrett Stratton: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets signed free agent OF Nick Lucky to a minor league contract.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Nick Lucky assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets sent RHP Justin Armbruester on a rehab assignment to Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Matt Rudick assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Garrett Stratton assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released 1B TT Bowens.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-38)

WILMINGTON 6, BROOKLYN 4 (BOX)

The Cyclones had a shutout going, holding on to a comfortable four-run lead, but reliever Parker Carlson had a meltdown on the mound in the bottom of the seventh, allowing the two runners he inherited from Tanner Witt to score and then three more he put on base himself. Hoss Brewer allowed one more in the bottom of the eighth because why not? In the top of the ninth, John Bay and JT Benson both worked walks, putting the tying runs on base, but down to one out left, Nick Roselli foul tipped a ball into the catcher’s mitt to end the game.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 0-3, RBI

·  1B Ronald Hernandez: 0-4, K

·  DH Corey Collins: 0-4, 2 K

·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 3-4, 3 R, 2 2B, HR (3), RBI, K, PB (7)

·  CF Yonatan Henriquez: 0-3, BB, K

·  RF John Bay: 0-3, RBI, BB, K, SB (16), CS (4)

·  3B Colin Houck: 1-3, BB, K, E (8)

·  LF JT Benson: 1-3, R, BB

·  2B Nick Roselli: 1-2, BB

·  RHP Dakota Hawkins: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

·  RHP Tanner Witt: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Parker Carlson: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, BLK, L (0-3), BS (1)

·  RHP Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones activated RHP Josh Blum from the 7-day injured list.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (30-33)

ST. LUCIE 10, DAYTONA 3 (BOX)

The Tortugas scored three runs in the top of the first, smacking Conner Ware around a bit, but the offense had his back and put up a nine-spot in the bottom of the second, sending 13 batters to the plate in the inning. That second inning had a little bit of everything- Yohairo Cuevas got it started by reaching on a throwing error and later in the inning hit a two-run homer, the capstone runs of the inning. The St. Lucie bullpen kept Daytona in check for the rest of the ballgame, allowing just one hit, a pair of walks, and a pair of hit batsmen for the rest of the ballgame.

·  SS Elian Peña: 0-3, R, 2 BB

·  2B Trey Snyder: 1-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K

·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 2-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K, CS (2)

·  RF Yohairo Cuevas: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB

·  1B Julio Zayas: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB

·  CF Branny De Oleo: 1-3, R, BB, 2 K, SB (5)

·  C Chase Meggers: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, 2 K, PB (8)

·  LF Simon Juan: 1-4

·  DH Jeremy Rodriguez: 1-4, R, RBI

·  LHP Conner Ware: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP, HBP

·  RHP Zack Mack: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HBP, W (1-0)

·  RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, BLK

·  RHP Joe Charles: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Caden Wooster: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP

ROSTER ALERT: C Francisco Toledo assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

Rookie: FCL Mets (12-18)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Xzavion Curry

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Parker Carlson

On April 3, 2026, the Brewers signed 21-year-old shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract. The deal includes two club options worth an additional $30 million.

On June 9, 2026, the Brewers signed 21-year-old outfield prospect Luis Lara to a seven-year, $31 million contract. The deal includes three club options worth an additional $33 million.

Both of these deals are relatively unprecedented in franchise history. Up until Pratt and Lara signed their extensions, the only prospect that the Brewers had ever signed prior to making his major league debut was Jackson Chourio. Aaron Ashby and Freddy Peralta both signed team-friendly extensions extremely early in their careers, but both had already made their major league debuts.

Lara and Pratt both rank among the Brewers’ top five prospects, but unlike Chourio or Jesús Made, neither entered 2026 carrying the label of a can’t-miss superstar. Naturally, their extensions raise an obvious question: what does Milwaukee see in these two prospects that made the organization comfortable guaranteeing more than $80 million before either of them even appeared in a major league game? Furthermore, what do these two players’ extensions say about the Brewers’ front office philosophy?

Defense

In recent years, the Brewers have built their roster around players with high-end defensive prowess. Before Brice Turang developed into arguably the best hitter on the Brewers, he brought value with his Platinum Glove defense. Sal Frelick has taken a step back this year, but he ranked in the 79th percentile or better in fielding run value in both of the last two seasons and posted +7 Outs Above Average last year. Joey Ortiz has never been feared at the plate, but has earned a starting spot for years because he’s a great defender. Blake Perkins has carved out a roster spot year after year with his defensive acumen.

I could provide numerous other examples, but you get the point. Over the last decade, Milwaukee’s organizational philosophy has been straightforward: build around run prevention. The Brewers prioritize strong defense and pitching, then rely on a lineup that does just enough offensively to outscore opponents. That formula has helped them remain one of baseball’s most consistent contenders despite operating with a bottom-third payroll.

Both Pratt and Lara fit that profile perfectly. Pratt is a 2024 Minor League Gold Glove winner whose defense earns 60 grades for both fielding and arm strength from MLB Pipeline. Pipeline is even higher on Lara, giving him a 70 grade for his defense and 60 grades for both his arm and speed. Both players project as significantly above-average fielders in the major leagues and have been consistently great defenders in the minor leagues. Furthermore, while no prospect is a sure thing, defensive skills tend to be more stable and predictable than offensive production — something that most likely gives the Brewers a little more confidence in offering Lara and Pratt their extensions.

Offense

Pratt’s .735 OPS with Triple-A Nashville is the highest OPS he has posted above Single-A. He recorded a .700 OPS in High-A (albeit in only 90 at-bats) and a .691 OPS in Double-A last season. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but evaluators remain optimistic because of Pratt’s underlying skills.

Scouts like Pratt’s offensive profile first and foremost because of his bat-to-ball ability. Despite opening 2025 in Double-A, he cut his strikeout rate from 20% in 2024 to 15.2%. As FanGraphs noted in its coverage of the extension, the combination of strong plate discipline, high contact rates, and steadily declining strikeout rates is an especially encouraging indicator of future offensive success. Pratt is also 6’4″ and has consistently recorded strong exit velocities for his age, leading many evaluators to believe more power is to come.

Turang provides an interesting comparison point. When Turang was Pratt’s age, he posted a .715 OPS in Double-A Biloxi and a .695 OPS in 176 plate appearances with Triple-A Nashville. Turang’s power ultimately developed more than most scouts projected. The Brewers are likely betting that Pratt’s offensive game still has room to grow in a similar fashion. By the time Pratt turns 23 in August of next year, the same age that Turang was when he made his major league debut, he’ll already have over a season of major league experience under his belt (assuming he sticks in the big leagues).

Lara, meanwhile, has pretty much always been a good hitter in the minors. Lara’s batting average in his professional career is .270, and his OBP is .368. Outside of his 2024 season in High-A, he’s never hit below .257 in any given year. He’s always had excellent bat-to-ball skills and strong plate discipline, but the missing piece with Lara was his power tool. Lara had just 10 home runs in four years coming into this season. He’s already hit seven so far in 2026.

I have a deeper dive on Lara’s breakout coming soon, so I don’t want to give away too much here. The short version is that Lara, like Pratt, is still very young. Last year, he hit 32 doubles and three triples, but just two home runs. As a 19-year-old in High-A, he recorded 19 doubles while again hitting only two homers.

By offering Lara this extension, Milwaukee is likely betting that, like Pratt, he will continue to grow into more power as he matures physically and adds strength. His early-season power surge could be the final piece of his offensive profile, especially because gap (extra-base) power at a young age is often viewed as a precursor to future home run production — whether through added strength, swing adjustments, or simply physical maturation.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

The final thing worth considering is that even if neither player fully develops at the plate, these contracts are pretty unlikely to become burdensome.

Lara will make less than $5.5 million annually through his age-26 season. An above-average defensive outfielder with solid contact skills and modest power — a fairly conservative projection for Lara — is worth that kind of money, particularly to an organization like Milwaukee that places a premium on defense.

The same logic applies to Pratt. He’ll make under $5.5 million through his age-27 season, roughly in line with what players such as Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Mauricio Dubón, and Miguel Rojas earn today. All three have carved out solid careers as defense-first players who make consistent contact but provide limited power. None has ever hit more than 11 home runs in a season, yet each has generated enough value to justify his salary. If Pratt becomes that caliber of player, the Brewers will be perfectly happy with the deal. If the bat develops further, the contract could become a bargain.

The Brewers are also making these bets in a changing economic environment that could make both contracts look even more favorable over time. The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and the MLBPA is set to expire after the season, and a salary floor is widely expected to be a topic of discussion during the next round of negotiations. In its initial proposal during the last CBA talks, the MLBPA introduced a Competitive Integrity Tax that would have effectively penalized teams for maintaining payrolls below $150 million. As of 2026, 13 teams — including the Brewers — would fall below that threshold.

Milwaukee’s current adjusted payroll sits a little above $121 million, meaning the club could eventually be forced to spend more than it traditionally has. More broadly, if a significant portion of the league is required to increase payroll, player salaries would likely rise as a result. If that happens, Pratt’s and Lara’s contracts could look even more team-friendly than they do today.

——————————————————————————————————————————————-

So, what does all this say about the Brewers’ organizational philosophy?

If Lara and Pratt become above-average defenders and below-average hitters, their contracts won’t look terrible. President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold and the rest of the Brewers’ front office no doubt see the value in locking up two young players who already fit the Brewers’ run prevention-first ethos, but have significant room for growth.

On the other hand, if Lara and Pratt turn into above-average hitters while maintaining their defensive value, their contracts will be looked at as steals. The Brewers are a small-market team, and small-market teams have to take risks to remain competitive.

Prospects are never a sure thing. Maybe Lara and Pratt aren’t as good defensively as they project to be, or maybe they prove unable to provide even replacement-value offense. That’s possible, but it isn’t likely.

For Milwaukee, the risk is relatively modest. The reward, meanwhile, is the possibility of controlling two above-average everyday players through the prime years of their careers at well below market value.

Good morning Birdland,

It looked like the Orioles were still operating on east coast time and up past their curfew in the 3-1 loss to the Mariners on Tuesday night.

The first inning was somewhat encouraging. Taylor Ward opened with a double and later scored on a Samuel Basallo single. But the entire lineup collected just one hit for the final eight innings. Brutal. It was an almost identical experience to the last time they faced Logan Gilbert, which was just a few days ago in Baltimore.

At least Brandon Young was good again, though not as dominant as he has sometimes been. Still, it was another quality start (six innings, three runs, four hits, four walks, two strikeouts) for the sophomore, who still sports an impressive 3.18 ERA on the year.

Because the Orioles offense was so bad, the game also wrapped up rather quickly. It took just two hours and 18 minutes from first pitch to final out. So if you did make the poor decision to stay up and watch this game, at least you still made it to bed at a somewhat reasonable time.

This west coast swing is just getting started, unfortunately. There are eight games left on this road trip, including two more in Seattle. Kyle Bradish will be on the bump tonight, and the Orioles could use a return to form for the righty. He has allowed 10 runs over his last two starts (eight total innings). They need more from him, though he is far from the only one that has hid the skids recently.

These next few days, much like the lengthy home stand a couple of weeks ago, feels make or break. If they can go .500 or so on this road trip, they will be in a good spot. If they fall apart, it could make sense to start looking towards July with a sellers’ eye.

Links

O’s get their closer back as Helsley returns from IL stint | Orioles.com
In case you missed it, Ryan Helsley is back with the Birds. Anthony Nunez was sent down to Triple-A Norfolk to make room. The O’s closer says he is without pain and felt good during his two rehab outings. It’s tough luck for Nunez, who has had a rocky (but often impressive) first taste of the majors this year. He also has all of his options remaining, so he is the easiest member of the group to send down to Norfolk for now.

Digging into the mailbag | Roch Kubatko
Nothing major in here, but it does include injury and rehab updates for several notable Orioles. The Orioles could use the help, though most of their success will be determined by the players already on the roster. They need their stars to perform more than they need their complementary players to get healthy.

Jon Meoli: How Blaze Alexander and Coby Mayo fixed both their seasons and the Orioles’ third base problem | The Baltimore Banner
Alexander and Mayo have shown themselves to be major league caliber players. But are they third base starters on a competitive team? Eh, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Even still, the outputs have been better recently, and that is worth appreciation.

Manny Machado: ‘I’ll always be an Oriole at heart’ | Baltimore Baseball
Manny wasn’t here long enough to get his number retired, and he won’t go into the Hall of Fame as an Oriole. But his contributions to the organization are still sizable. He will likely get a spot in the Orioles’ Hall of Fame someday, and when people look back at his career it is undeniable that many of his biggest moments came in orange and black.

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Orioles birthdays

• Shane Baz turns 27 today. The Orioles traded for him this past offseason, and then handed him a big extensions. So far, his performances have been mixed, though the potential remains evident.
• The late Dave Pope (b. 1921, d. 1999) was born on this day. He spent parts of two seasons with the Orioles from 1955-56, playing in 98 total games in that time.

This day in O’s history

2005 – Orioles star Miguel Tejada plays in his 822nd consecutive game, tied for the ninth-longest streak in MLB history.

2008 – Top prospect Matt Wieters hits his first career home run as the Orioles beat the Mets 6-4.