ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 12: Mascot DJ Kitty of the Tampa Bay Rays waves a flag after defeating the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field on August 12, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox had fewer than two innings to go Sunday afternoon while tied 1-1 and the game ended in a 6-1 loss. A split against the Yankees isn’t the worst possible outcome. Losing two of three would have been worse and the extra day of rest for Payton Tolle is, if anything, a boon. There’s a chance that the Red Sox have a better team when they play “third game”, now scheduled for August 29. But the season doesn’t stop. The Sox have three games against the Tamps Bay Rays. The first place Rays, now tied with the Yankees atop the AL East, thanks to that 8th inning comeback.
All things considered the Sox are catching the Rays at the right time, they’re just 3-7 over their last 10 games. Since ending a five-game winning streak they’re 3-9. But it won’t be a walk in the park.
Connelly Early had a rough start to his outing against Baltimore and gave up 4 runs in 5.1 innings. But he was also let down by his offense, which put up just 2 runs. Over his last five outings though he’s got two 7.0 inning shutouts. Including against the Rays. On May 8th he held them scoreless for 7.0 innings while striking out 8. Ian Seymour is facing him as an opener, which he’s done once this season. Normally a middle reliever, he’s likely to stick around for an inning or two at most. Against the Marlins, Jesse Scholtens was the bulk reliever but he’s now on the IL.
If Early can’t act as the “stopper” tonight, Tuesday night features the man, the mustache, Payton Tolle. Tolle kept the Orioles scoreless for 6.0 innings last time out and has an extra day of rest. Plus the Red Sox road offense. When he faced Tampa in May, he allowed 3 runs (1 earned) in 5.0 innings. This will be his second time facing a team a second time. It didn’t go well with the Atlanta Braves but don’t count out Mass Pike just yet. Nick Martinez, the Rays veteran addition, has been mostly lights out. Except for the last time out against the Tigers. Martinez allowed 6 runs in 4.0 innings. When he and Tolle dueled in May he held the Sox to just a single run at Fenway Park for 5.2 innings.
Wednesday is day baseball and a tall order. The likely starter replacing Brayan Bello is Jake Bennett. The southpaw made two starts earlier this season and went back down to AAA. In Worcester this year he has a 1.60 ERA in 39.1 innings. He’ll be opposed by Drew Rasmussen. He didn’t face Boston in Fenway. Rasmussen has two “bad” starts on the year. He gave up 4 runs in 3.2 innings to the Pirates in April and 5 runs in 4.0 innings to the Angels at the end of May. He missed large parts of the 2023 and 2024 seasons so the Rays want to keep him healthy on the mound. Even in an All Star season in 2025 his outings against the Red Sox were 2.0 and 3.0 innings. He only gave up 3 runs across those outings but the Rays did lose both games.
Junior Caminero has hit 14 home runs.
Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda have 11 homers each.
Chandler Simpson has stolen 14 bases this year but has been caught a league-leading 8 times.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Monday, June 8: Connelly Early (3.26 ERA / 4.63 FIP) vs. Ian Seymour (5.23 ERA / 3.65 FIP)
Tuesday, June 9: Payton Tolle (2.28 ERA / 2.66 FIP) vs. Payton Tolle (Nick Martinez (2.29 ERA / 2.66 FIP)
Wednesday, June 10: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Drew Rasmussen (3.00 ERA / 3.33FIP)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 06: Brandon Bussi #32 of the Carolina Hurricanes stops a penalty shot by Mitch Marner #93 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the third period of Game Three of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 06, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes have one key decision to make ahead of Game 4 in the Stanley Cup Final: Do they actually want to win the cup, or not? That choice is on head coach Rod Brind-Amour, who has yet to decide whether or not his team will behave like an organization that wants to win, or if unwritten rules and hockey etiquette win reign supreme.
Despite Carolina’s overall dominance this season, an undercurrent for the Canes has been the largely abysmal play of goaltender Freddie Andersen. It’s an issue that has been rearing its head for months in Raleigh, and a concern that die-hard hockey fans had entering the playoffs. At no point during the 2025-26 season did Andersen seem in control in the crease. Starting 35 games this season, Andersen posted a horrific 0.874 save percentage this season (61st in the NHL), allowed 3.05 goals-per-game (42nd in the NHL), and only posted quality starts in 31.4% of his games (80th in the NHL). The only thing that really kept Freddie between the pipes this season was an injury to Pyotr Kochetkov, limiting his ascent to become the top starter — but the goaltending situation was complicated by the emergence of desperation signing Brandon Bussi.
Bussi’s NHL dreams were seemingly over before the Hurricanes threw him a lifeline. The undrafted 27-year-old had spent the majority of his career bouncing around the AHL as a middling goaltender, seemingly never getting a chance to step up into the big leagues. The Hurricanes needed a body to put in net to give Andersen some rest, and goodness did he make the most of it. Not only did Bussi eclipse Andersen in every appreciable way during the regular season, but he put up quality starts that ranked him among the middle of the NHL among goalies who started 30+ games this season.
Still, there was hesitance from head coach Rod Brind-Amour when the playoffs rolled around due to Bussi’s relative inexperience. He wanted a veteran presence in net, even if it meant moving away from the hot hand. An understandable choice at the time, and it worked well until the Stanley Cup Final. With Vegas the Carolina defense could no longer manhandle them in their zone with the forecheck and condense the ice, the Golden Knights’ skaters are strong enough to create quality opportunities on goal, and break through the Canes’ defense.
That brings us to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night, one of the most drama-filled, unpredictable, wild performances in the history of the final. A game that saw Vegas score four goals in the second period, including a natural hat trick from Mitch Marner. Andersen was pulled, Bussi got his shot — and he shone with a perfect third period that revitalized the Hurricanes. Carolina scored three goals in 39 seconds, dragged the game to double overtime, and lost on a random bouncing puck that was wholly unpredictable. Even the most biased Freddie Andersen fan has to admit that there was no comparison between the two goaltenders.
At no point did Bussi appear as if the moment was too big for him. Whatever fears you might have about starting him in net were assuaged in one period. Not only did he make the routine saves every goalie needs to make at the cup level, but he did came up big and made saves that Freddie Andersen simply hasn’t done all season long.
Now as we approach Game 4 the Hurricanes have a decision to make: Give the failing veteran the nod once more as a kind of career achievement award, or turn to the hot hand who can actually win them the game? The highs of Freddie Andersen might be higher, but they just haven’t presented themselves in the 2025-26 season. Meanwhile Bussi might be more of a middle-pack goaltender, but he won’t have the same lows.
Middle of the pack is good enough with Carolina’s defense. Middle of the pack is enough to win the cup with the team the Canes have built. The only thing this team can’t sustain is being put in a position where Andersen lets cupcake goals through every single Vegas scoring opportunity, because he barely offers any resistance. There is no doubt this is an emotionally difficult decision, especially in light of the death of Claude Lemieux, Andersen’s agent, friend, and mentor — but the entire Hurricanes organization can’t be asked to squander this opportunity because of one horrible moment. There’s been too much work at every level to play a demonstrably worse player at a time like this.
If the Hurricanes want to win the cup then it’s time to start Brandon Bussi and not look back. It’s the only chance this team has.
LAS VEGAS — Brayden McNabb showed up for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final with at least two dozen stitches in his face that forced the Vegas Golden Knights defenseman to wear a caged helmet for the first time since his youth hockey days in Davidson, Saskatchewan.
“It’s part of hockey,” McNabb said. “You get through it.”
After the Golden Knights took a 2-1 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes with a 5-4, double-overtime victoryt, Vegas coach John Tortorella was a bit less measured in describing the 35-year-old McNabb.
“When you get this far in the playoffs, it’s not so much sometimes the end result, it’s just attrition and all that goes in (with) what these athletes have to do to play as many games as we’ve played so far,” Tortorella said. “Those are the things you remember. I’ve been fortunate to be in a few playoffs along the way and see some of this. I haven’t seen something like this.
“I heard the players yelling ‘warrior,’” Tortorella said. “He’s more than that. I’m just blown away, how he’s gone about his business.”
McNabb took an 87 mph puck to the face in Game 2 at Carolina, and was taken to a hospital before the game ended.
Two days later, with a flight home in between, McNabb was back on the ice for warmups. Wearing that caged helmet with “mid-20s, maybe 30” stitches holding his wounds together, McNabb nearly logged 36 minutes of ice time, delivered an arena-rocking hip check to Carolina star Taylor Hall, and finished with two assists, including one on Shea Theodore’s game-winner.
“A little tough, but I was able to get through it,” McNabb said. “Felt pretty good for the most part. The cage was different, getting used to that was a little bit (different), but for the most part felt OK, especially felt better as the game went on.”
McNabb’s grit has become familiar to Golden Knights fans. He’s been with the franchise since its inaugural season in 2017-18 and has played in a franchise-record 647 games. He also leads the Golden Knights in blocked shots with 1,416, which is the most among NHL skaters since 2017-18.
“It’s got to be near the top,” Theodore said when asked how McNabb’s performance ranked during their nine years together in Vegas. “The stuff he went through from last game and everything. I mean, it’s incredible for him to kind of bounce back like that and be able to come in today, get ready to play, and I thought he played unbelievable.
As it turns out, the Philadelphia Flyers have virtually no chance of pulling off a Dylan Larkin trade with the Detroit Red Wings, and maybe that's the way things should be.
Larkin, 29, will turn 30 years old on July 30, and while he has scored 30 goals in each of the five seasons and six times in his career, isn't going to turn the Flyers around.
Not by himself, anyway.
After the Flyers made the playoffs this past season, it made sense to throw future assets at players like Larkin, Mat Barzal, and John Carlson--particularly all three--if they were going to keep this up.
But, if the Flyers paid up for Larkin and just Larkin, it's a lateral move on the player's part when we consider team talent and future assets.
According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Larkin only wants to be traded to Minnesota, Vegas, or Florida, and the difference between the Flyers and those three teams is that those three teams are laden with stars and ready to win now.
Again, getting Larkin is a great idea for the Flyers, but they need to arm him with a supporting cast to make it worthwhile. Nothing we have seen in the past year suggests they can do that.
Matvei Michkov, who was supposed to be the team's franchise winger, is getting yanked around left and right and was badly misused in the last season under head coach Rick Tocchet.
It is still unclear if Trevor Zegras, the big addition from last offseason, is a center or winger at the NHL level. If he ultimately sticks as the latter, it doesn't help the Flyers' rebuild all that much.
In goal, the Flyers still have no backup goalie and are set to reward Dan Vladar with a massive contract extension after a late breakout year that was really the only good season of his NHL career to date.
In the end, the Flyers have no business getting into a bidding war with teams like Vegas, Minnesota, and Florida when they aren't really in a position to capitalize if they are successful.
Objectively, the best way to look at it is this: if the Flyers had Larkin, do they beat the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs?
The answer is an easy no, and that's fine. It's for the best.
The Hurricanes are a successful team because they acquire players who can play their system and fit what they are trying to do.
It didn't work with Mikko Rantanen, so they wisely pivoted and turned him into Logan Stankoven.
Here, the Flyers are still in the early stages of figuring out who those players are. Whether or not you believe they should be heading into the fourth year of Danny Briere and Keith Jones' reign is a different conversation.
If the Flyers aren't getting Larkin, they likely aren't getting Barzal either, and we can, by extension, rope Robert Thomas into that conversation.
The best way for the Flyers to evolve into Stanley Cup contenders is to rely on themselves and their own players, like Carolina did. That's the reality of the situation.
Larkin and Barzal were drafted 15th and 16th overall, respectively, so it's not an impossible ask.
Going forward, though, the Flyers will need to freshen their draft philosophy and make better value choices for better team-building.
If not, they'll never draft their own Larkin or trade for a Larkin-adjacent.
TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors have signed general manager Bobby Webster to a multiyear extension and promoted him to executive vice president, the team announced Monday.
The Raptors also extended contracts for key front office members Dan Tolzman, Keith Boyarsky and Tyla Flexman.
Webster, 41, is entering his 10th season as the Raptors’ general manager. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.
Toronto has made nine playoff appearances since Webster joined the team in 2013 and won the NBA championship in 2019.
The team has a 591-455 regular-season record, with five 50-win seasons under Webster. The Raptors finished 46-36 in 2025-26 and took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in a first-round playoff series.
“Bobby has an elite understanding of the game and the NBA, and he’s used that to build a team that competes at a high level,” Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment chief executive officer Keith Pelley said in a statement. “It’s been an exciting year for the Raptors. They were a joy to watch compete together, and with Bobby and the Raptors, we’ve seen the results, and we believe in where his leadership will take us.”
7-foot-4 Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was spotted in Manhattan’s private Gramercy Park, according to video posted on Instagram on Sunday.
While it’s unclear if the video was shot on Sunday, the implication was that the 22-year-old Frenchman was spending time before Monday’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals “drawing a statue,” according to the clip posted by Visitour Media.
The statue in Gramercy Park is of Edwin Booth, the Shakespearean actor whose brother was John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln.
Keys to Gramercy Park — which sits south of Lexington Ave. between 20th and 21st Streets — are reserved for residents who live right along the park, members of the National Arts Club and Players club, or members of the Brotherhood Synagogue or Calvary-St. George’s Church. Guests at the Gramercy Park hotel, which is set to reopen this fall after renovations, can also get keys.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama appears to draw a statue in NYC’s Gramercy Park. Instagram/visitourmedia
So it’s not clear how Wembanyama got access. The Spurs appear to be staying at the Ritz-Carlton NoMad on 28th Street, according to videos posted on social media.
More Coverage on the Knicks during the 2026 NBA Finals
The Gramercy Park video comes as the Spurs trail the Knicks 2-0 in the series after Wembanyama missed a game-winning shot attempt at the end of Friday’s 105-104 Knicks victory.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama during practice at MSG on June 7, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Wembanyama was asked Sunday about how he handles pressure.
“I think the key is acceptance a lot of times and taking a step back, realizing the journey that’s behind us and what’s ahead of us, and just being OK with who I am, where I am, what I’m doing,” he said. “At the end of the day, this is everything I wished for, so there’s no reason to really overthink it. This is what I’m built for.”
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal pitched five scoreless innings in the two-time Cy Young Award winner’s first minor league rehabilitation appearance since undergoing elbow surgery in May.
Skubal struck out six and allowed two hits for Single-A West Michigan against Dayton. Forty-four of his 54 pitches were strikes.
“I think velocity was good,” Skubal told reporters. “Execution was good. I feel like I threw a ton of strikes. I was in the zone a lot today. Good day.”
The 29-year-old left-hander had a non-invasive procedure on May 6 to remove a loose body from his throwing elbow. Skubal last pitched for the Tigers on April 29.
Skubal is 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in seven starts this season. He has struck out 45 and walked only six over 43 1/3 innings. Skubal has won the AL Cy Young Award each of the last two seasons.
Skubal was asked when he might be pitching for the Tigers again.
“There’s a plan in place,” Skubal said. “I need to wake up and feel better, feel good tomorrow and have a good week of work and then we’ll make that decision when we need to make it. It doesn’t really do me any good to tell you guys when I’m pitching next. I need to make sure that I bounce back from this one really well.”
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 7: OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks talks to the media during 2026 NBA Finals Practice and Media Availability on June 7, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Pinched myself. Still awake. Here we go.
The Knicks return to Madison Square Garden tonight for Game Three of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. The Knicks have won 13 straight games and are two wins from their first championship since 1973, while the Spurs face a 3-0 series deficit from which no team has ever recovered.
Our heroes won Game Two, 105-104, on Friday at Frost Bank Center. The score looks close because it was close. Skin-of-their-teeth close. Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Mikal Bridges added 20 points, but it was Jalen Brunson’s late bucket and steal, plus costly mistakes by Victor Wembanyama, that held off a 14-0 fourth-quarter run by the Spurs.
Wembanyama finished with 29 points, but the game flipped when Towns attacked him steadily. Also, Wemby attempting just four field goals in the first half was remarkable (hence, I’m remarking on it). To his credit, Wembanyama showed leadership after intermission and rallied his troops to near victory. If not for his backbreaking pass (into the back of Stephon Castle) and his final brick . . . the Knicks would be in a very different position coming home tonight.
You heard that the Knicks gave up too many picks to get Bridges? Pshaw. He has proven himself worthy of the trade in these playoffs. In Game Two, Bridges was on such a heater that every time he rose to shoot, we were sure it was money. With the city gone Knicks-crazy, expect the Brooklyn Bridge to be renamed the Mikal Bridge if they win the championship. Appropriate, given that he crossed it to join us.
New York’s supporting cast keeps showing up. Landry Shamet keeps hitting huge, steeply discounted shots. Josh Hart did Hart things (fewer than in Game One, but totally fine). OG Anunoby made momentum-changing defensive plays, and his dunk on Wemby should be on a poster in your bedroom. Miles “Deuce” McBride made a couple of timely shots. Everyone’s showing up for the party! Jordan Clarkson is due for a few minutes in the limelight tonight.
Fun fact: the Knicks have not lost a third quarter in 16 straight playoff games. Either Coach Brown and his staff are making excellent halftime adjustments, or the players are hitting the go-go powder before returning to the court. Whatever works!
The Spurs’ expected starting five tonight: Julian Champagnie (40% from three in the Finals), Devin Vassell (five assists, nine rebounds in Game Two), Victor Wembanyama (29 points, nine rebounds, four blocks in Game Two), De’Aaron Fox (20 points, five assists, 63% FG in Game Two), and Stephon Castle (14 points, four assists in Game Two). Castle rolled an ankle late in the last game but is expected to be available. Fox continues to play through a high-ankle sprain. Both teams are otherwise healthy.
Three factors will likely decide the game. First, Towns must continue to dominate Wembanyama and avoid foul trouble. Second, the Knicks need to limit turnovers after committing 15 in Game Two. Third, they must keep up the pace to tire out the lanky Frenchman, while also not tiring themselves out. ESPN gives the Knicks a 58% chance. Fair enough. We’re picking the Knicks by eight.
Because my wife got so excited watching the first game, she joined me to watch the final quarter on Friday. She squealed through most of it. I might’ve squealed a little, too. After the final buzzer, as Wemby was leaving the court, Jen said to my horror, “I feel bad for him. And the fans! They all look so sad!”
She doesn’t understand. No one has ever cared for Knicks fans. I picked New York to win the Finals in six games, but now it feels like they have to sweep to finally get the respect they deserve. Anything less will be tagged with disclaimers—that Games One and Two were given away by the Spurs, and Fox was injured, and blah blah blah. As for sympathy: the Knickerbockers will never get any sympathy if they screw the pooch and lose the series. No one would cry for our heartbreak. They’d just laugh with the usual derision and say, LOLKnicks. So, I say let’s sweep to avoid any misery and squash any potential qualifying narratives.
Go Knicks!!!
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (2-0) at San Antonio Spurs (0-2) Date: Monday, June 8, 2026 Time: 8:30 PM ET Place: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NY TV: ABC Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 6: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium on June 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers had a winning week, taking four of seven games, by splitting with the Diamondbacks in Arizona, then winning two of three at home against the Angels. But they both started and ended the week with losses, frustrating in different ways.
On Monday in Phoenix, they were burned by a lack of offense. On Sunday at Dodger Stadium, the offense was there but the pitching staff had a rare clunker. Pitching has carried the Dodgers this season, but the offense this week fell a little short averaging more than three quarters of a run less than their average.
Put another way, a Dodgers pitcher had a scoreless start of at least six innings three times last week, but said starter only got the win in one of those games. But that same offense scored nine runs in the first inning on Saturday for their biggest frame in five years. This team contains multitudes.
Batter of the week
Shohei Ohtani carried the offense during the week with 12 hits in 25, including two doubles, a triple, and a home run, all part of a 1.312 OPS. He had five multi-hit games in his six games played this week
Ohtani has been humming along in top gear at the plate for the last four weeks, hitting .419/.510/.721 over his last 23 games.
Couple this week at the plate with his six scoreless innings on the mound on Wednesday in Phoenix, it’ll be time to open an investigation if Ohtani doesn’t win National League player of the week.
Honorable mention goes to Dalton Rushing, who started four games behind the plate this week as Will Smith dealt with neck stiffness on Saturday and Sunday, and had four hits on Sunday, including a double and home run.
Honorable mention also goes to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who retired 22 straight batters in his eight-inning gem on Saturday, Justin Wrobleski with his six scoreless innings on Thursday in Arizona, and Ohtani’s six shutout frames on Wednesday.
Week 11 results
4-3 record 31 runs scored (4.43 per game) 27 runs allowed (3.86 per game) .563 pythagorean win percentage
Year to date
42-24 record 345 runs scored (5.23 per game) 212 runs allowed (3.21 per game) .709 pythagorean win percentage (47-19)
Transactions
Saturday: Pitcher Nick Frasso got added back to the 40-man roster but remained in Triple-A Oklahoma City. To make room, Tyler Glasnow was moved to the 60-day IL as he’s been shut down from throwing due to his back injury.
The Dodgers run the Bobby Bonilla gauntlet, hitting the road to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox. Chicago’s rotation for the weekend is more of a guess.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - APRIL 22: Michael Arroyo #8 of the Arkansas Travelers prepares to bat during the game between the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Tacoma Rainiers
Tacoma’s been in a major rut as of late. Down a large portion of their offensive fire power due to a variety of reasons, the already depleted pitching staff has been struggling to buoy the lineup and has subsequently led to some rather tough losses. Dropping four of six this week, the Rainiers fell to 25-38 on the season and will look to flush their first half woes come midsummer.
Longtime farmhand Spencer Packard missed a couple weeks earlier this season, but he’s back and producing consistently for this lineup as a left-handed masher. Up to a .342 average this season, Packard had 10 hits on the series and currently stands with an OPS of .868 at the Triple-A level. The 28 year old has a tough path forward as a defensively limited corner outfielder that’s behind both Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone on the depth chart, but perhaps another team looking for some balance to their lineup will be inclined to give him a shot in a minor trade package at the deadline.
Arkansas Travelers
The Travs had a fantastic series against Corpus Christi this week, taking five of six from the Houston affiliate in their home ballpark. Despite their success, the Travs remain in second place within their division, unable to pace with the red hot Dodgers affiliate from Tulsa. Just a game and a half back with plenty of time left to make their move, the Travs remain well positioned to take the first half title should they be able to maintain this level of play.
Michael Arroyo having a monster series. 4 hits & 2 home runs in his last game & starts today with a solid single. Average up to .276 with a .784 OPS. pic.twitter.com/nOBOdSlyFq
Hello, Arroyo! After a middling start to the season, top prospect Michael Arroyo broke out this week and was absolutely on fire at the plate. Logging nine hits across five games on the series, Arroyo posted a slashline of .429/.500/.714 and raised his season OPS up to .772. Arroyo’s general peripherals aren’t too far out of line to where they’ve been in the past, and though we’re out of pure “small sample” nonsense, a few months of deflated play is far from the end of the world for a 21 year old nearing a promotion to Triple-A. Context here is key; Arroyo is still wildly ahead of the bulk of his peers, and should he maintain this hot streak for a few weeks, he’ll be right back to where evaluators and fans alike expected him to be from the get go.
Not to be outdone at the dish, Lazaro Montes showed his distaste for Dickey Stephens Park by launching another five homers on the road this week, raising his season OPS up to .885. Montes is running some extreme splits this year, with the hulking slugger owning a home OPS of just .515 compared to a monstrous 1.206 mark on the road. Furthermore, his left/right splits have been far more pronounced than in years past; A .542 OPS vs lefties is considerably lower than his career averages, though with just 73 PA on the year, sample size is likely more of the driving factor than anything else. Considering his K% and BB% are nearly identical regardless of handedness, it feels like there’s likely some positive regression toward the mean left for the season. Off to a fantastic start to his year, look for Laz to light up the PCL as soon as he gets his shot at the Triple-A level.
Kade Anderson was unreal again. Final line: 5IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 9K, 16 whiffs, 73 pitches, 47 strikes.
Rounding out the week of outlandish performances, Kade Anderson spun an absolute gem this week, allowing just one baserunner across five innings and punching out nine. With four above average offerings and unprecedented command of each one, Anderson is dominating opposing hitters in the zone despite average velocity from the left side. There’s really not much more to say about Anderson that hasn’t been said already; Anderson is unquestionably one of the best prospects in all of baseball, and if he were asked, he could probably pitch in a major league rotation tomorrow.
Everett AquaSox
The Frogs managed a series win against the league-leading Eugene Emeralds this week, taking four of six from one of the best teams in all of minor league baseball. Now back over .500 for the first time in a while, the AquaSox will look to build upon this fantastic series win and carry some momentum into the second half.
Jonny Farmelo built on his solid series last week and turned in perhaps his best week of the season. Totaling nine hits against Eugene, Farmelo launched a trio of homers this series and collected six extra base hits. Better still, Farmelo continues to draw walks at an excellent clip and raised his season mark to 16.67%, a truly outstanding figure for someone with a relative lack of plate appearances due to injury. He’s still not back to his old self on the basepaths just yet, but with his topline speed looking positive, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll regain his prowess at stealing bases and continue to ascend toward his sky high potential.
Brandon Eike has continued his hot hitting and looks to be due for a promotion to Double-A in the coming weeks. A natural third baseman, Eike has split time at both corner infield positions this season and has pummeled the baseball all season. Sitting presently with an OPS of .876, Eike’s power stroke will need to carry him throughout his career as he ascends through the minor leagues; his walk rates are roughly average and his less-than-stellar contact skills make him a “TTO” type of player long-term. Hopefully he’s able to prove himself at the Double-A level and prove he’s a real candidate for the big leagues down the line.
Inland Empire 66ers
The 66ers split against a very solid San Jose team this week, a Giants affiliate currently sitting in first place of the North division in the California League. Inland Empire has had a rough go of it through the first couple of months this season, but perhaps a second half surge is somewhere on the horizon.
Outfielder Korbyn Dickerson has been on a really nice stretch of late. Missing a few games early this week (though unconfirmed, it looked as though it was a precautionary measure), Dickerson continued his hot hitting and collected four hits across three games this weekend. With both a homer and a triple under his belt, Dickerson is in the middle of an eleven game hitting streak and has raised his season OPS up to .835 with 12 stolen bases. Dickerson is one of the strongest prospects outside of the “upper tier” that features the organization’s first or second rounders in recent years, and though his draft position ended up being several rounds lower, Dickerson’s upside remains on par with many of the players drafted ahead of him. He’s a name to monitor over the coming weeks.
Another week, another Mason Peters gem. Now sitting with a 1.59 ERA on the season, Peters is tied for third in all of minor league baseball (with top prospect Seth Hernandez) with a 31.8% K-BB% among pitchers who’ve thrown as many innings as he has, only trailing Toronto’s Nolan Perry and the aforementioned Kade Anderson. Peters’ ascent has been hard to understate this season; he’s increased his prospect pedigree in a very real way and should consistently find himself on the cusp of the organizational top ten when mid-season rankings become public.
ACL Mariners
The top prospects residing on the Baby M’s roster have been on something of a skid as of late, but it’s still rather early to be drawing any conclusions right now. We’ll see where they stand come the end of the season, but right now, both Becker and Bautista haven’t produced as well as you’d like to see.
DSL Mariners
The DSL squad kicked off their season with a bang this week! Currently on a four game streak of scoring in the double digits, this iteration of the DSL team looks far more competent offensively than we’ve seen in recent years. It should be a very exciting season down in the DR!
Seattle Mariners prospect Juan Rijo, who signed for $2.2M in January hit his first professional home run. pic.twitter.com/68tyZsN2oJ
— Dmoney #ElijahWilliamsFC (@JoshCaronIsHim) June 3, 2026
Top prospects Juan Rijo and Gregory Pio are the top two names to know on this roster. Both receiving hefty bonuses this past cycle, the pair of outfielder have produced well over the first handful of games in their professional career and feature tantalizing potential. They’re both batting .333 or better and have shown off impressive slug to boot. Both figure to fit somewhere inside the top 20 prospects organizationally.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 07: Carson Benge #3 of the New York Mets rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the San Diego Padres during the sixth inning at Petco Park on June 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.
MONDAY
The Mets played their 12th extra-inning game of the season. No other team in MLB has played more than nine this season. Only the 1971 Mets and 1978 Mets experienced more extra-inning affairs through their first 60 games of a season.
The Mets mustered just two hits in ten innings. It’s the fourth time in franchise history they’ve managed two hits or fewer in an extra-inning game, joining: October 1, 1982 at Philadelphia; July 6, 1972 vs. San Diego; June 14, 1965 at Cincinnati. Somehow, the Mets’ record in these contests is now an even 2-2.
The Mets made five outs on balls hit with an exit velocity of 100+ mph for a second consecutive game, and their fifteenth game this season. The Mets are tied with the Braves for the most such games in the Majors this season.
In the Mets’ 13th game at T-Mobile Park, Marcus Semien became the first Met to homer from the right side in Seattle.
Jared Young’s 424-foot homer off Emerson Hancock is the longest home run hit by a Met at T-Mobile Park in the Statcast era (since 2015).
TUESDAY
Carson Benge recorded his first multi-homer game, becoming the youngest Met with a multihomer game since Francisco Alvarez had one at 21 years and 315 days old on September 30, 2023 against the Phillies.
Benge, Juan Soto, and Brett Baty all recorded hits with an exit velocity over 109 mph. It’s the first time that three Mets notched hits at 109+ mph in a game since September 17, 2025, when Baty, Pete Alonso, and Starling Marte did it against the Padres.
Cionel Pérez set the Mets’ record for fastest pitch by a left-handed pitcher this season on four separate occasions, dialing it up to 97.8, then 98.2, then 98.3, and then 98.5 mph. As of May 29, no Met left-hander had thrown a pitch above 95.0 mph this season. Since then, Pérez has thrown 19 in three innings of work.
Logan Gilbert generated 21 swings and misses against the Mets, trailing only a pair of Dodgers in Yoshinobu Yamamoto (23) and Shohei Ohtani (22) for the most in a game against New York this season.
WEDNESDSAY
The Mets won at T-Mobile Park, snapping a seven-game losing streak in Seattle dating back to July 29, 2017, when a 23-year-old Edwin Díaz secured the save against the Mets.
Bo Bichette’s four-hit game was the 19th of his career. Since his rookie season in 2019, only Luis Arraez (23) has more four-hit games, while Freddie Freeman and former Met Amed Rosario are tied with him for second place at 19 four-hit games.
Carson Benge became just the ninth Met to record 10 stolen bases before their 60th career game. He will surely have company in that club soon, as A.J. Ewing already has 7 stolen bases in just 25 career games.
Freddy Peralta generated 18 swings and misses over his six innings of work. That’s the most whiffs in a game for a Met this season, and the most for a Mets right-hander since Kodai Senga racked up 22 at Coors Field on June 6, 2025.
The Mariners’ Dominic Canzone recorded two batted balls with an exit velocity of 112 mph or higher. He’s only the fourth player in the Statcast era to pull off that feat against the Mets, joining Yordan Alvarez and Oneil Cruz — each of whom have done it once — as well as Giancarlo Stanton, who has done it a whopping six times.
FRIDAY
A.J. Ewing became the youngest Met to steal two bases in a game since Fernando Martínez, who at 20 years and 234 days old was the youngest Met ever to do it on June 1, 2009 during an 8-5 loss in Pittsburgh.
Ewing also recorded his sixth game with at least one hit and at least one stolen base. That ties him with Ronny Mauricio for the most such games through a player’s first 23 career games in Mets history.
Bo Bichette hit his one triple of the season. I say “his one triple of the season” since in five of Bichette’s past six seasons, he has finished the year with exactly one triple to his name.
Luis Torrens hit a home run to center and a double off the left-center-field fence. It’s the second time in Torrens’ career that he’s recorded two batted balls which traveled a Statcast-projected 375+ feet in the same game. The other time came exactly two years earlier, on June 5, 2024 in Washington.
Torrens recorded back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time this season. Jared Young…also recorded back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time this season.
The Mets earned their third win with zero runs allowed and three or fewer hits allowed this season. The only teams in MLB with more such wins this season are the Brewers (4) and Dodgers (5).
Since the start of May, only one Mets pitcher has finished a game with at least 5.2 scoreless innings: Christian Scott, who has done it twice.
The Mets earned their eighth shutout win against the Padres since 2012. Six of the previous seven were started by Cy Young winners, with one started by Johan Santana, one started by R.A. Dickey, one started by Max Scherzer, and three started by Jacob deGrom. The other was started by Noah Syndergaard on July 28, 2015 — one night before the Mets nearly made a franchise-altering trade.
SATURDAY
A.J. Ewing put together a seven-pitch at-bat against fireballer Mason Miller with two outs in the ninth, eventually drawing a walk. That ties the Nationals’ Luis García Jr. and the Angels’ Yoán Moncada for the longest at-bat from the left side against Miller this season.
To make that at-bat against Miller more impressive, the 103.3-mph fastball that Ewing fouled off was the fastest pitch a Met batter has seen since April 12, 2025, when Luis Torrens fouled off a 103.7-mph fastball from none other than A’s closer Mason Miller. That pitch also came with the Mets down to their final strike.
Nolan McLean threw a career-high 101 pitches. He had previously reached exactly 100 pitches on three separate occasions this season.
Padres catcher Freddy Fermin hit his first home run of the season, and his first home run since September 16, 2025…against the Mets at Citi Field. Combined with his three-RBI performance on Sunday, six of Fermin’s last eight RBI have now come against the Mets dating back to last season.
SUNDAY
Carson Benge became the third-youngest Met to record a five-hit game. Only John Milner (22 years, 255 days on September 8, 1972) and José Reyes (22 years, 328 days on May 5, 2006) did it younger. Benge was the first Met with a five-hit game since Francisco Lindor on July 6, 2023, and the first Mets rookie with a five-hit game since Pete Alonso on August 15, 2019 (Amed Rosario also had five hits that day, marking the only time two Mets have accomplished the feat in the same game).
The Mets recorded eight base hits with an exit velocity of 100+ mph, tying their record for most in a game this season. A.J. Ewing, MJ Melendez, and Brett Baty each had one, Bo Bichette had two, and Benge had three.
Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:
Here are the Mets’ all-time leaders for hits out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order:
Tom Seaver (146) Dwight Gooden (144) Tomás Nido (102) Jerry Koosman (98) Sid Fernandez (94)
(If you’re wondering, Francisco Alvarez is currently tied for 10th place with 57.)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 06: Dylan Crews #3 of the Washington Nationals gets ready in the batters box against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 06, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After spending the first month and a half of the 2026 season in Triple A, Dylan Crews has now played 16 games at the big league level this season. In that time, the results haven’t quite shown up for him, with a .197 batting average, 1.5% walk rate, and 58 wRC+, but it hasn’t been all bad either. Let’s take a look at everything going right, and wrong, for Dylan Crews since he returned to the majors.
Starting with the good, Crews has torn the cover off the ball since his return to the bigs, with an average exit velocity of 90.8 MPH, ranking in the 83rd percentile of all big league hitters. He had been roasting the ball in Triple A, with a 99th percentile average exit velocity of 94.7 MPH up in Rochester, so it’s great to see that part of his game still translating.
Crews has also cut down his strikeout rate 5.1% from 2025 to 2026, down from 23.6%, in the 49th percentile, to 18.5%, in the 75th percentile. While his chase rate has gone up from 29% to 38%, he has cut down his whiff rate from 30% to 24%, meaning he’s getting the result he wants more often when he swings the bat. While he’s been more aggressive on pitches outside the zone in 2026, Crews has also been more aggressive on pitches inside the zone, taking his Z-Swing% from 66%, the 45th percentile, to 69%, in the 71st percentile.
Dylan Crews’ Statcast metrics from 2025 to 2026 The good: Average EV: ⬆️1.3 MPH Whiff Rate: ⬇️6.2% K%: ⬇️4.3%
The bad: Chase Rate:⬆️9.3% BB%:⬇️5.7%
Needs to be working the counts more and laying off pitchers pitches so to earn himself strikes to hit pic.twitter.com/gpzza8We33
Crews has been hitting the ball harder, making more contact when he does swing, and has been more aggressive on swinging at good pitches to hit, so what has been going wrong for him that his numbers are still lacking? The primary issue for him at the moment is his chase rate, which, as mentioned before, is in the 38th percentile, ranking in the 11th percentile in MLB. The free-swinging approach has led to a lot of hard contact so Crews so far, but it has also put him behind in a lot of counts, as he goes fishing for breaking balls out of the zone.
Crews has also continued to struggle to pull his flyballs in the air consistently, an issue that has plagued his power potential for a few years now. His 8.7% pulled flyball rate is in the 13th percentile of big league hitters, and plays a large role in why his slugging percentage of .322 is .145 points under his expected slugging percentage of .467. Crews’ exit velocities are encouraging enough to suggest he could hit 20+ home runs per year eventually, but not if he is limiting his ability to get the ball over the wall by hitting it to center and right field.
Crews has also not been taking many walks in his return to the bigs, with 1 walk in 65 plate appearances, resulting in a 1.5% walk rate. Crews hasn’t struggled drawing walks in his first 2 big league stints, so his low walk rate shouldn’t be too much of a concern yet with such a limited sample size, but it is interesting how much of a point Crews has made it to be aggressive in the box, swinging early and often in counts looking to do damage.
Overall, the surface numbers don’t look great for Crews in what is now his 3rd big league season, but the under-the-hood metrics suggest he is making some improvements, which could result in success in the near future. He needs to make some adjustments, such as cutting down on the chase rate and lifting the ball more to the pull side, and he may never be elite in those categories, but Crews certainly has the tools to be a productive big league hitter over a large sample size one day.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 31: Lane Thomas #15 of the Kansas City Royals singles against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on May 31, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In baseball, there is the game that’s played on the field, and then there are the games within the game. One of those games has to do with handedness. While only about 10% of the general public is left-handed, about 25% of big league innings are tossed by lefties.
This presents an interesting reality: batters perform better against the opposite-handed pitcher–and vice-versa–the vast majority of the time. When you see a player’s batting or pitching line, then, you can think of it as being split between right- and left-handed opponents. Differences in performance versus same and opposite-handed opponents are so common and often so stark that it really should be at the top of our minds more often than it is.
So what is the reason why this is the case? There are a slew of them. But surely big leaguers would agree why they perform worse against opposite-handed players, right?
“I think it’s mostly angle,” Michael Massey told me about why righties are easier to hit for him.
“I don’t know if I have an explanation,” Lane Thomas replied when asked why he hits lefties better.
“It’s just reps and it’s also kind of mental for me,” Carter Jensen said about doing better against righties.
Hm. Well. Maybe it’s a little more complicated.
Different release points, different angles
The most obvious difference between right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers is where the baseball leaves their hand. Since our arms are on the side of the body and human throwing motion is not perfectly overhand, the average release point between different-handed pitchers can be pretty stark.
Thanks to Statcast, we can see this relatively easily. Pitcher release angles vary widely, but generally speaking there’s about a four-foot distance between the release point of the average right-hander and the average left hander. That’s a pretty big difference.
Isaac Collins is one of the few remaining switch hitters in the league, and he’s the only switch hitter on the active Royals roster. He says the angles of pitches coming to the plate are the primary reason he’s a switch hitter.
“Since I was about 13, 14, I’ve only hit right-handed off lefties and I’ve only hit left-handed off righties,” Collins said. “It’s really just the angle of balls coming in. You see the ball better…It’s just kind of like a visual thing.”
Do lefties and righties have different arm angles compared to each other? While the sidearming lefty reliever may come to mind, the reality is that fewer left-handers throw at extremely low arm angles than righties. Across both lefties and righties, the median arm angle is 39.1 degrees. But while 45.5% of lefties throw at an arm angle below 39.1 degrees, 51.2% of righties do.
There is another factor here, Carter Jensen mentioned: release-point distance. The difference is small, but you have a little more time against opposite-handed pitchers. “[With] left on left heaters, you’re going to have less time against the [lefty] than you would have right on left here just because of the angle and the extension,” Jensen said. “[The] left-handed extension from a guy throwing a heater is a lot closer than a right-handed.”
Pitch movement
Arm angles and release points are important, but when you combine angles with pitch movement, you start to get to some interesting combinations. Identifying pitch types can be tricky for even seasoned baseball fans, but one of the key differentiators is horizontal movement. Pitches have either arm-side movement or glove-side movement. These can be called “run” or “cut” or “sweep,” but keeping to arm or glove movement is clean (and it’s what Statcast does).
While some pitchers throw funky pitches that don’t follow the standard movement, in general you can categorize types of pitches this way:
Of course, “arm-side” and “glove-side” mean opposite things to the batter’s perspective depending on which side of the plate you stand. Against same-handed pitchers, arm-side movement breaks towards you and glove-side movement breaks away from you. But against opposite-handed pitchers, arm-side movement breaks away from you and glove-side pitches break towards you.
Can arm-side pitches like a changeup or sinker move a lot horizontally? Sure. But it’s the glove-side pitch types that are the ones with a lot of horizontal movement. Lane Thomas identified that as the biggest reason why it’s more comfortable to face opposite-handed pitchers.
“I just think you don’t have anything breaking away from you [against opposite-handed pitchers],” Thomas said. “Everything starts away and it’s coming into you…a lot of the breaking balls just start right at you to be a good pitch to hit.”
And for Michael Massey, the vertical movement is another factor to consider.
“For me, at least lefties that kind of have the ‘X’ game and make it sink and sweep, make it a little bit tougher because they can really stretch the plate,” Massey said. “The lefties that are more foreseeable are where nothing’s coming in, probably a little bit easier of a matchup for a same-side guy, just because you don’t have to worry about anything coming into you.”
Practice, practice, practice
There are certainly some very real impacts on platoon hitting, but just about the only consistent thing mentioned was the impact of experience on hitting same-handed pitching. The more you do it, the better you get.
“Part of playing this game right is physical mechanics and the swing and all that stuff, but the other part is your decision making and your decision making is built through the reps,” Massey said. “Every time you see a right-hander that throws from this angle with this type of spin, it goes into your database. And the next time you see that, you’re a little bit more familiar with it. And so I think obviously when you don’t get as many reps at doing something, you just don’t build that database as much and that database isn’t as advanced, which makes it tougher to be able to lay off certain pitches or see certain pitches because your mind hasn’t seen it enough.”
Jensen agreed. “I think I see the ball perfectly fine with both sides,” he said. “I think that against righties it’s just easier because I have so many more reps against righties.”
“I haven’t really gotten as many at-bats off righties,” Thomas said. “So it’s obviously harder to do something I haven’t done consistently. But that just seems to be the trend in the game or splits wouldn’t even be a thing.”
There’s something to be said here that players shouldn’t be shoved into a platoon-only role too early as pros, because that just reinforces the issues at play with getting enough reps. However, there are only so many plate appearances you can get against left-handed pitching in particular. Left-handers are over-represented in the pitching world, but when only 10% of the population is left-handed, opportunities to face them regularly are inherently limited.
At the end of the day, there are so many factors in play that the mental side of things is nearly as important. “I think it’s just a tricky subject,” Jensen said. “I feel like it’s different for everybody. Or for me, it’s just reps and also kind of mental.”
“I don’t dislike hitting lefties…at the end of the day hitting righty or lefty, if I stick to my plan, I’m in a good spot.”
May 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Juan Soto (22) celebrates in the dugout with his teammates after hitting a two run home run in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
If you had told me back in March that during the week where the Atlanta Braves are scheduled to play the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets that the White Sox would be a bigger (and legitimate) threat against the Braves, I would’ve laughed in your face and/or rejoiced in the fact that if the White Sox are better than the Mets then the Mets must be in some serious trouble.
As it turns out, the White Sox are actually one of the surprise stories of this season so far. It’s June and they’re over .500 — this is the first time that they’ve been over .500 in any season past April since 2022! They’ve been fun and now the Playoff Odds over at FanGraphs are actually giving them a little bit more respect! Back on Opening Day, Chicago only had a 1.1 percent chance of making the Postseason in any form. Now, those odds have skyrocketed to 17 percent — that might not look like a lot and they’re still very much favored to fall off eventually but it’s still impressive that the Pale Hose have gotten this deep into the season without face planting. Those fans deserve something to cheer for after enduring the past couple of seasons and I hope they’re enjoying it.
The White Sox have been an enjoyable story so far and I can also imagine that a lot of y’all have been enjoying what’s going on on the blue-and-orange side of New York as well. The Mets and Phillies both got off to nightmarish starts and New York is still recovering from their disastrous April. New York’s Playoff Odds have taken a freefall since Opening Day, which is when FanGraphs gave them an 80 percent shot of playing in October. Those odds are now down to just over 21 percent — it’s not exactly over for the Mets but they have a lot of work to be done if they’re going to have any hope of really making waves in the NL Wild Card race, let alone the division. So we’ve got one team that has a positive outlook and another team that’s dealing with some more disappointment. Let’s talk about what lies ahead for the Braves this week.
June 9-11: Chicago White Sox
Current Record: 34-31 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 77-85
As a neutral fan, I am very, very sad to not be able to watch slugger Munetaka Murakami during this series, as he’s on the IL with a hamstring strain. I’ve followed Murakami since his days of playing with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and his experiences with Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic so I’ve personally been thrilled to see him thrive in Major League Baseball so far. As a Braves fan, I’m still sad about the injury but I’m not going to complain about Atlanta not seeing him during this series since he’s been crushing it and I don’t want to see him crush it against the Braves.
With that being said, it’s not like this White Sox lineup has slowed down without Murakami. Murakami’s last game was on May 29 and ever since May 30 (heading into June 7’s action), the White Sox as a team have hit .270/.335/.500 with a wOBA of .364 (expected wOBA of .332) and a wRC+ of 131. For comparison’s sake, the Braves have hit .233/.310/.443 with a .328 wOBA (xwOBA of .342) and a wRC+ of 109. While the Braves have been better over the course of the season so far (team wRC+ of 111 heading into Sunday), the White Sox aren’t far behind with a team wRC+ of 107.
The South Siders might be missing Murakami but they’ve still got guys like Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery and Tristan Peters getting the job done for them at the plate. Chase Meidroth has been reliable as well, Sam Antonacci has made it happen for them when called upon and they’ve even gotten solid production out of Randal Grichuk when he’s gotten the nod. This is an exciting lineup at the moment and it’s a far cry from what this club was up to for the past couple of years when the futility was overwhelming.
With all of that being said, if this team has a soft underbelly then it might be their pitching staff. The proof of this is that the White Sox are starting Erick Fedde on Tuesday. With all due respect to our old friend Fedde (who actually pitched five shutout innings against the Twins in his last outing) having him in the rotation isn’t exactly a good sign for the quality of the rotation.
Sure, Davis Martin has been great so far and guys like Grant Taylor and Sean Burke are young and exciting but outside of those two, there’s not a lot to get excited about in either the rotation or the bullpen. It is nice to see old friend Sean Newcomb having a successful season but again, if you’re having to rely on guys like that then that’s not exactly conducive to overall team success. With the way Atlanta’s lineup has performed so far, they should be able to do some damage and we might see a slugfest or two break out at the place they used to call New Comiskey.
Tuesday, June 9 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV) Wednesday, June 10 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision) Thursday, June 11 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
June 12-14: New York Mets
Current Record: 29-36 Projected Record (as of June 8): 80-82
Oh great, it’s these guys. You know ‘em and you (probably) hate ‘em but there’s a less familiar feeling to this particular ball club in 2026. Old “favorites” like Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte have all moved on to greener pastures. Francisco Lindor is still around and it’s no fun to hate him since he’s pretty cool (and also unfortunately on the IL). Instead, the Mets are going through a bit of a retooling period that has yet to bear any real fruit at the moment. They’re sitting in dead last in the NL East and are far, far in Atlanta’s rearview mirror at the moment.
They have bounced back a bit after their moribund start to the season where they lost 12 straight games at their absolute nadir but it’s been nowhere to the level of what’s gone on in Philadelphia where the Phillies are actually back over .500 and have clearly gotten their season back on track. The Mets are still stuck in the mud and a lot of that has to do with the fact that their offense has been pretty terrible so far this season. They currently have one of the worst team wRC+ marks in all of baseball (they went into action on June 7 with a team wRC+ of 87 with only the Rockies and Padres being worse).
Juan Soto is still Juan Soto so he absolutely has to be taken seriously whenever he’s at the plate but outside of that, he’s the only guy on this team that has been a real threat to do damage on a nightly basis. The only other regulars who have been anywhere close to consistent at the plate are MJ Melendez and Francisco Alvarez since they’re the only other Mets regulars with a wRC+ over 100 — and they both are only just barely clearing that mark. New York’s new keystone combination of Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien has been very disappointing for the Mets so far and their underperformance has gone a long way towards setting a tone of mediocrity for this team at the moment. Jared Young has been trying his best to provide a spark but yeah, outside of him and Soto, there is not a lot going on with this team at the plate.
As far as the pitching goes, they’ve been a lot more consistent with their production on the mound but as evidenced by this team’s record and position in the standings, it still hasn’t been enough to lift them up and carry this team. Clay Holmes is on the 60-day IL and until this weekend, he was still the sole leader in fWAR (1.2) for the Mets’ pitching staff. The trio of Freddy Peralta, Norm McLean and David Peterson has been pretty solid so far but outside of that, the rotation hasn’t really been imposing at all. New York’s bullpen has been pretty effective, though — Huascar Brazoban is on track for his best season yet (and has served as a good opener on a few occasions), Luke Weaver has been turning back the clock with his efforts, then Brooks Raley and Devin Williams have both done fine so far.
Again, it still hasn’t been enough to lift the Mets out of the mess that they’re currently in but the Mets can at least take some solace in knowing that they won’t be absolutely terrible. On paper, the Braves should head into this series expecting at least a series win but we all know that no matter what the record is for either team, these games will likely be hard-fought. This is the first time the Braves have seen the Mets all season and hopefully Atlanta will take this opportunity to kick them while they’re down. The entire season series between these two will be played between this week and mid-August, so this is a chance for the Braves to set the tone with these dudes here in this portion of the season. We’ll see what happens.
Friday, June 12 at 7:10 p.m. ET (Apple TV) Saturday, June 13 at 4:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision) Sunday, June 14 at 1:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
If the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over while expecting a different result, then maybe the issue is me and not Jalen Brunson’s long-range stroke.
The San Antonio Spurs are doing a solid job slowing down the New York Knicks' star in the NBA Finals, including limiting him to a 4-for-16 mark from beyond the 3-point arc.
But after watching him miss multiple open looks from the perimeter — like a slot machine coming up “7, 7, Cherry” — I can’t help but bite a third time in my Jalen Brunson prop picks for Game 3.
Jalen Brunson best bet: Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 threes (+120 at bet365)
Three times in the fourth quarter of Game 2, I held my breath in anticipation as Jalen Brunson fired from beyond the arc. And three times I cringed in frustration as the New York Knicks' guard failed to hit his third triple.
What made those misses sting even more was that there was not a San Antonio Spurs player in the zip code. That’s been the case in many of Brunson’s 3-point attempts.
Entering tonight, 14 of Brunson’s 18 threes are graded as “open” or “wide open” with no defender within at least four feet. He’s actually been worse on 3-point shots with nobody within six feet, shooting 1-for-7 on wide-open attempts.
It’s enough for any prop bettors to blacklist Brunson’s 3-point market, but with the vig climbing on the Over 2.5 treys and the finals coming to New York, the value is there.
Through two NBA Finals games, his 3-point volume is much higher than in the previous series. Those twin eight 3PA efforts are tied as his third most active outings from distance in the playoffs, and with the Spurs not throwing as many double teams at Brunson, the space will continue to be there.
The trip to Madison Square Garden will help those triples drop tonight. On the season, Brunson does shoot better from deep at home, and in the postseason, his 3-point success spikes to 37% compared to just 30.6% on the road.
Player projections range from 2.2 to 2.7 triples, with the majority of models at 2.5 or higher. My number comes out to 2.6 threes from Brunson, which should have the Over 2.5 listed around +112.
Sportsbooks are offering that as high as +140, so shop your available operators.
Jalen Brunson same-game parlay
The Knicks step up in the crunch while the Spurs have sputtered in those closing minutes. Madison Square Garden will be electric, and if a young San Antonio team found the moment too much at home, just wait until they get a bite of the Big Apple.
That crowd is going to erupt when Brunson bangs home three triples, along with his signature celebration.
Mikal Bridges has been a mid-range monster against San Antonio, picking up the slack with the Spurs focusing defensive fire on Brunson. His projections flirt with 15 points in Game 3.
Cash your ML bets quicker with bet365's early win payout
Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game NBA moneyline bet gets paid out as a winner if your team goes up by 20+ points!
Bet Now supimg src="https://images.covers.com/betting/sportsbooks/2/bet365.png?width=75&height=undefined" alt="bet365" width="125" height="36"/sup
Learn more about this feature, and all of bet365's offerings, with our comprehensive bet365 review.
21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
