Category: Sports News

This was maybe my favorite performance from any Guardians player this season. Seeing Travis Bazzana blossom into a star in his rookie season brings me so much joy. After his 4-4 2 HR performance tonight, he now leads all 2B in the MLB in WRC+ and OPS. I don’t know if he’ll get the votes for it, but he absolutely deserves to be the starting 2B for the American League in the All-Star game.

Bazzana deserves an immense amount of praise for his performance tonight, but I don’t want it to overshadow what Joey Cantillo did. This was easily his best start of the season all things considered. He had been struggling mightily as of late and to see him give you 8 efficient innings of one run ball with 9 strikeouts against THAT lineup is absolutely beautiful, and very very much needed. A performance like this is more than just a mark in the win column, this will do wonders for Joey’s confidence moving forward.

Kyle Manzardo and Patrick Bailey also had big nights. Manzardo went 2-4 with a HR and 3 RBIs, while Bailey had his first 3 hit game as a Guardian.

The Guardians will try to win the rubber match tomorrow at 2:10 pm ET. It will be Slade Cecconi vs Kai-Wei Teng.

With the Braves having secured a series win over the formidable Brewers, the good vibes are back (for now) after a tough little stretch of games. They’ve won the first two games of the series against a really tough Milwaukee team throwing two really good starters. The teams still has holes to fill at the deadline and performance issues to turn around, but it feels nice to play a series with a playoff-vibe and win the first two. Now lets go for the sweep today.

Braves News

Michael Harris has returned to the lineup after a few days out hurt, but Ozzie Albies defined a walk-off win to clinch the series over Milwaukee.

MLB News

Orioles’ star Adley Rutschman will miss at least a week on the concussion IL after a freakish play resulted in him being hit in the head with an errant throw.

The Diamondbacks placed Michael Soroka and Jordan Lawler on the IL, in a tough combination for Arizona.

The Blue Jays are set to activate Shane Beiber off the 60-day IL to make his season debut on Monday.

Brewers skipper Pat Murphy might find himself on the injured list in the near future.

Murphy told reporters on Saturday that he plans to have back surgery on Thursday, and getting an additional procedure on his hip during the All-Star break.

Though he did not reveal details on the surgeries, Murphy said that the back discomfort is related to his hip, and that the pain has gotten worse recently.

“I can’t live like that,” Murphy said. “I’m having the surgery so it works out good.”

Murphy, 67, has been named National League Manager of the Year the past two seasons, and is currently in his third season in Milwaukee.

Ahead of the 2026 season, Murphy signed a three-year deal to remain with the Brewers which made him one of the highest-paid managers in the MLB.

This season, Murphy has helped lead Milwaukee to a 45-29 record, sitting atop of the NL Central.

Murphy, who is known for his stern coaching manner, recently called out Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe for his antics on the mound during a game against the Cardinals in May.

Uribe struck out Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson to end the eighth inning of Milwaukee’s 6-0 win over St. Louis on May 27, and proceeded to make WWE-style crotch chops toward the Cardinals dugout.

“I don’t know what got over him. I mean, he’s been an emotional guy, but that kind of thing, that’s just not how we do things,” Murphy said. “I was embarrassed by it. Why are we doing it? It’s a 6-0 game. What are we doing there?”

“I love the kid. Believe me, I love the kid,” Murphy added. “There’s so much good in this kid. He’s been so great for us in so many ways, but that’s unacceptable. So, whatever’s going on, you can’t tolerate that.

“For his teammates, and for everything, it’s not going to be tolerated, that’s all there is to it.”

Rockies 2, Rockies 1

Leverage index and box score

Graphics via FanGraphs.

The Other Jake: Jake Mangum, -0.33

Over the Hill: Jaden Hill, +0.38 WPA

Game thread comment of the day

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Bryce Harper can add another stellar accomplishment to his already impressive career resume: hitting for the cycle.

The two-time MVP accomplished the feat to help boost the Philadelphia Phillies to a 15-3 spanking of the New York Mets in a home game at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, June 20.

Harper started the night off with a bang, hitting a solo home run in the first inning. He then doubled and singled in the third inning when Philadelphia had eight runs. He completed the cycle with a triple in the fifth inning.

It was a two-RBI triple. With two outs and a 2-1 count, Tobias Myers wound up and threw a pitch right over the plate. Harper smacked it to left center perfectly in between two Mets outfielders. He sprinted around the bases and slid into third. He punched his fist in the air and high-fived third base coach Anthony Contreras in celebration.

BRYCE HARPER TRIPLES TO COMPLETE THE CYCLE! pic.twitter.com/prfwNsDL1b

— MLB (@MLB) June 21, 2026

Another look at Bryce Harper's triple to complete the cycle in the 5th inning! pic.twitter.com/w8peLT1QUw

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 21, 2026

Per ESPN, the Phillies star is the first player to hit for the cycle in just five innings since 2015. According to the MLB, this is the 11th cycle in franchise history.

Kyle Schwarber also fueled the team with three home runs. The FOX broadcast said the last time teammates hit for the cycle and three home runs in the same game was in 1932 when Tony Lazzeri hit for the cycle and Lou Gehrig hit four home runs for the New York Yankees.

"It's really cool," Schwarber said. "You look through our lineup up and down, but we put together some really good at-bats. ... Just glad that it was a great overall team win. Great night by Harp. We just gotta keep rolling and putting these together."

"Being able to get that tonight was really cool," Harper added of his accomplishment while also paying respect to his teammate. "Being able to see him hit three homers and do his job, there's no greater power hitter in our game right now."

Philadelphia is second place in the NL East with a 41-35 record midway through the season. The front office fired manager Rob Thomson in April after the team started 9-19.

The Mets are at the bottom of the division with a 34-42 record. Among their woes this season are allowing an in-the-park grand slam to the Washington Nationals and being swept by the Colorado Rockies, who had the worst record in franchise history last season.

Buffalo Bisons 4, Charlotte Knights 2
It was a heartbreaker for the Knights (41-33) way up north, as they hoped a two-spot in the second inning might hold up for all nine innings. That was a foolish hope, although the Bisons waited until their very last strike in regulation to walk off the 4-2 win:

(It’s never a good thing when the color guy says “goodbye” upon contact with your hopeful final toss of the night. We feel you, Garrett Schoenle.)

Honestly, David Sandlin would have better suited if he’d taken a puddle-jumper from Buffalo to Detroit to start against the Tigers today rather than the Sox trotting out a firing squad of a bullpen day, because he shut down the Bisons and was in line for the win (Sandlin’s ERA over eight Charlotte starts is a sparkling 1.32 after today’s effort, although one earned in five innings meant the righty’s ERA went up).

Obviously, the offensive effort was subpar and it’s hard to blame either Tyler Schweitzer (blown save for giving up one run over two innings) or Schoenle (one hit, one walk over five outs before that fateful meatball to end the game) for the loss.

Pensacola Blue Wahoos 4, Birmingham Barons 0 (7 innings)
It was quite the bizarre contest in Florida tonight, as the game was delayed FOUR HOURS by rain, with first pitch at 11:04 p.m. ET. Quite naturally, the two squads sprinted through the game best as possible, with an apparent 1 a.m. curfew looming.

Birmingham had just three hits over seven innings — but then, so did the Wahoos, over six. The difference in the game was that Pensacola put some oomph into their hits, only two stayed in the park. And another difference, in the OUCH category, is that while Barons hurlers threw a game devoid of free passes, Pensacola pitchers issued EIGHT to Bham, helping make 0-for-6 with RISP and nine left on base look all the more gaudy.

This recap has already taken longer to write than tonight’s game itself, so let’s just get to the polls and let the abysmal Barons (26-42) get a bit of shuteye before tomorrow’s soggy finale.

Greensboro Grasshoppers 5, Winston-Salem Dash 1
He snuck up on me, but Juan Carela is back after TJS, and has been aces through four starts in 2026 (two ACL, two WSD): 0.93 ERA, 1.05 WHIP. Tonight was Carela’s second straight start of three innings, baby steps for sure but the results have been dy-no-mite. The Grasshoppers were hogtied on just two hits, and Carela slapped up five Ks. Unfortunately, Grant Umberger came in as the bulk pitcher today, and had significant trouble. All Hoppers damage came off of the southpaw, who’s had a rough run of things after a superb pro debut in 2025.

As for the bats, the Dash had five hits and none for extra bases, 10 Ks and two walks. What the hell else you need to know? The 38-30 Dash try to salvage the finale tomorrow afternoon.

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 10, Fayetteville Woodpeckers 0
It was a humdinger in Arkansas, as the CBs laid some heavy lumber and whomped the Woodpeckers with runs in every inning but the second, fifth and sixth. It was a 12-hit attack (including Jaden Fauske’s third homer of the season) along with seven walks (Alexander Albertus strolled three times and added a single) that left Fayetteville no chance

And that no chance was secured with exquisite pitching. Gabriel Rodríguez got the start and cruised through four innings at just 58 pitches, but the 22-year-old seems to be on a duration restriction and was done at that point. Vulturing the win but pitching well in his own right was piggybacker Blaine Wynk, who went for three frames just as tidy as Gabriel’s.

The CBs jutted back to .500 (34-34) in style tonight.

ROOKIE LEAGUES

ACL Brewers 4, ACL White Sox 1 (7 innings)
The Complex Sox, lovers of mystery and cliffhangers, waited until the bottom of the seventh to score today. Milwaukee wasn’t playing along, running up four scores much earlier in the game. What’s up the Brewers org, winning and stuff being so important to them? D’Angelo Tejada continued his buff season at the plate with two knocks in two ABs, and the only Complex Sox SB of the game. (Speaking of steals, the Sox were a bit embarrassed by MKE catcher Freider Rojas, who caught them in thefts three of four times today.) On the mound, it was the story of two Charlotte Knights rehab assignments: One good in Tommy Vail (2 IP, BB, 3 Ks), one bad in Wikelman González (2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 K).

DSL Blue Jays 7, DSL White Sox 6 (7 innings)
Depending on whether you’re a cup-half-full or -empty fan, this was a good or bad game for the youngest members of the White Sox org. The empty-cup portion of the morning was facing a 4-10 Blue Jays club on the road and falling behind, 7-1, five innings in. The Blue Jays scored in every frame, in a relentless nickel-and-diming of the DSL Sox staff. The full-cup game was all packed into the top of the seventh, when the Sox made a mad dash at a comeback win: Six walks and two fielder’s choices ran the score all the way up to 7-6, but a strikeout by Orlando Patino with a runner on first ended it. Just two hits for the DSL Sox were bolstered by nine walks in the game, but the kids walk away with a 5-10 record on the season.

It was an offensive onslaught for the Phillies on Saturday.

During Philadelphia’s 15-3 blowout win over the Mets, Bryce Harper became the 11th player in the franchise’s history to hit for the cycle, and slugger Kyle Schwarber blasted three home runs — two of which came in the same inning.

Harper finished his first career cycle by the fifth inning, blasting a his 16th homer of the season in the first.

“I was trying to hit homers,” Harper said. “Just trying to have some fun.”

He then doubled and scored on an error in the third, then singled after Schwarber’s second home run of the inning.

In the fifth, Harper lined a ball into the gap in left-center field and motored around to third base for a two-run triple, becoming the first Phillies player to hit for the cycle since Weston Wilson on Aug. 15, 2024.

Harper also became the first player to hit for the cycle in the first five innings since Adrian Beltre did it for the Rangers back in 2015.

There was some controversy surrounding Harper’s triple in the fifth that completed the cycle, however, with some fans pointing to how the Mets tried to make a play at the plate rather than third base in which the two-time NL MVP was running toward.

As for Schwarber, he led off the Phillies’ eight-run third inning with a 456-foot blast off of Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta.

Later in the inning, Schwarber hit a three-run shot off Cionel Perez into nearly the same spot, 457 feet away.

Schwarber is the 67th player in major league history to hit two home runs in an inning and the second this season, joining Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, who accomplished the feat on June 12.

“That was cool,” Schwarber said. “First time I’ve done it in my career. I think it was a pretty cool overall night in general.”

Schwarber hit his third homer of the game in the seventh off reliever Tobias Myers, which gives him an MLB-leading 28 home runs.

— With AP

A career-high 10 earned runs in 2.2 IP of Saturday's 15-3 loss at the Phillies brought Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta to a 5-6 record and 4.83 ERA through 16 starts with New York.

"Before today, it probably wasn't that terrible," he said of his first season with the Mets, who acquired him and right-hander Tobias Meyers in a late-January trade from the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop Jett Williams and right-hander Brandon Sproat. "But today's not good."

Peralta recorded the game's first two outs before Bryce Harper, who hit for the cycle in just five innings, blasted a two-run solo shot to right-center field and put the Phillies (41-35) on the board.

A two-run second inning followed, and the Mets went down by 11 after an eight-run frame in the third.

Peralta threw 52 strikes on 80 pitches while striking out two and walking one, battling command issues as the Mets (34-42) were tasked with working from behind in counts.

"I don't know," Peralta said of how he rebounds. "Just moving forward from this one and getting some work and make the adjustment."

However, Peralta is "not worried about" his standing at this point in the season with time to mount a turnaround.

"I'm not worried about it," Peralta said. "Of course I don't feel good right now, but I'm not worried about it."

How does Mets manager Carlos Mendoza plan to help Peralta get there?

"The same way we did it with Sean (Manaea), the same way we did it with Nolan (McLean)," Mendoza said. "He's too good of a pitcher. I mean, this is a guy that, when you look at his track record, he's been one of the best pitchers in the game. He's going through a little bit of a rough stretch here.

"But if somebody's able to bounce back after bad outings, it's a guy like Freddy. He's a competitor. He's a guy that's going to come back the next day and look for ways to get better and improve, and that's what we will do."

This month has been mixed for Peralta, who started it with one run allowed on six hits in six innings of the Mets' 7-1 win at the Seattle Mariners June 3.

He surrendered six runs on six hits June 9, a 7-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, before rebounding with one run allowed on four hits in five innings of this past Sunday's 8-1 win over the Atlanta Braves,

"Just focusing on the good things and just trying to come back and feel like myself and forget about the past and just moving forward and try to become who I really am and take it that way and just finish that way through the season," Peralta said.

"I think I've been a little inconsistent, but I have time to be better," Peralta added.

Like Peralta, the Mets enter the month's final week seeking consistency. They have not won three straight games or more since a four-game streak May 27-31, and their 8-9 mark in June has kept them from sustaining momentum.

"I mean, that's the key, right?" Mendoza said. "That's why we've been having a little bit of a hard time here, trying to get some winning streaks. But they're too good. They're talented. We've got to be able to figure this out.

"We're going to need them and, when they get going here, when need them to get going pretty soon. That's when you start putting together some consistent winning baseball. So, again, they're talented, but we expect -- and they expect -- more out of them."

PHILADELPHIA — Freddy Peralta became Freddy Krueger on Saturday, mortifying anyone wearing a Mets uniform but scaring exactly nobody he faced.

In this chapter of “Nightmare on Broad Street,” Freddy and the Mets were dead by the third inning in a brutal 15-3 loss to the Phillies.

Peralta, in his worst career performance, allowed 10 earned runs on 10 hits and one walk over 2 ²/₃ innings. The alleged Mets ace saw his ERA inflate to 4.83, even behind Sean Manaea (4.64) in this disappointing Mets rotation. David Peterson and his 5.91 ERA are headed to the mound for Sunday night’s series finale.

Kyle Schwarber blasted three homers (including two in one inning) and Bryce Harper hit for the cycle. The good news for the Mets is it counts as only one loss.

But Peralta’s woes can’t be discounted. The right-hander was only two starts removed from allowing six earned runs in a loss to the Cardinals and he wasn’t particularly sharp last Sunday, when he lasted only five innings against the Braves (three of the four runs he allowed in that start were unearned).

“I think I have been a little inconsistent,” Peralta said. “But I have time to be better.”

Simply, Peralta is entering “bust” territory after arriving in Queens last winter as the centerpiece of a trade that sent Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to Milwaukee. The Mets also received Tobias Myers in the deal.

“This is a guy, when you look at his track record, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the game,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s going through a little bit of a rough stretch here, but if somebody is able to bounce back after bad outings, it’s a guy like Freddy. He is a competitor. He is a guy that is going to come back the next day and look for ways to get better and improve. That is what we will do.”

Mendoza noted that Peralta’s velocity hasn’t been an issue — with his fastball sitting in the 96 mph neighborhood — but the right-hander too often is working from behind in the count.

Peralta got tagged early, allowing a two-out homer to Harper in the first that gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead.

J.T. Realmuto and Justin Crawford each delivered an RBI double in the second, extending the Phillies lead to 3-0. Alec Bohm’s leadoff single to right — the Phillies won a replay reversal on a ball Eric Wagaman trapped — started the rally.

Peralta never survived the third. Schwarber homered leading off the inning and another run scored when Marcus Semien threw away Brandon Marsh’s grounder following Harper’s double. Bryson Stott followed with a fly to left that landed behind Juan Soto at the base of the left field fence for an RBI double, widening the Mets deficit to 6-0.

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The Phillies weren’t nearly finished in the inning. After Realmuto doubled in another run and Peralta recorded the second out, Crawford walked and Trea Turner’s RBI single knocked out Peralta. Enter Cionel Pérez, who served up a blast to Schwarber that buried the Mets in an 11-0 hole. Schwarber became the fourth player in Phillies history with a two-homer inning.

“I am just trying to come back and feel like myself and forget about the past,” Peralta said. “Just moving forward and trying to become who I really am and take it that way and just finish in that way to the season.”

Mark Vientos homered in the fourth to get the Mets on the scoreboard. The homer was Vientos’ ninth this season.

Harper’s two-run triple in the fifth was his last piece to the cycle – he became the 10th player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.

Carson Benge blasted a two-run homer in the seventh that brought the Mets to within 13-3.

Myers surrendered a two-run homer to Schwarber in the seventh inning. The blast gave Schwarber a three-homer game for the fifth time in his career.

Cristopher Sánchez allowed one earned run on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk over six innings. The left-hander (who had a scoreless streak of 50 ²/₃ innings this season) lowered his ERA to 1.80. This was his 23rd straight start in this ballpark allowing two earned runs or fewer.

“Especially when he gets an 11-run lead, he’s going to get ahead,” Mendoza said. “He’s going to use all of his pitches and that is what makes him who he is, too.”

After dropping their first matchup of the season last night, the Philadelphia Phillies (41-35) made some history in the second meeting with a 15-3 dismantling of the New York Mets (34-42) on Saturday night.

Bryce Harper notched his first career cycle, Kyle Schwarber hit three home runs and Cristopher Sanchez picked up his ninth win.

Harper got the Phillies on the board first with a solo homer in the first inning then doubled and singled in the third to put the cycle within reach. He completed the feat in the fifth with a hard hit ball in the left field gap that would have been a double in most other situations, if not for Trea Turner running for home and Harper’s aggressive chase of the accomplishment.

The Phillies sent 12 batters to the plate in the third as they scored eight runs, their highest scoring frame of the season. The other Phils’ batter with two hits in the inning was Kyle Schwarber, who started things off with a solo home run followed by a three-run bomb in his second go-round.

Schwarber capped off the huge night by the team’s two biggest offensive contributors with a two-run home run in the seventh inning, his third of the game and 28th of the season, extending his major league lead.

Schwarber and Harper were two of the five starters to record multiple hits, joined by Turner, Justin Crawford and JT Realmuto, whose pair of doubles were part of the offense’s 10 extra base hits. The Phils’ 17 hits equalled their season high mark, which they set a week ago in Milwaukee.

The Mets scored all three of their runs via the long ball, with Mark Vientos tagging Cristopher Sanchez for a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run blast by rookie, Carson Benge, off of Max Lazar in the seventh.

Harper is the first Phillie to hit for the cycle since Weston Wilson on August 15, 2024.

Schwarber is the first Phillie to hit two home runs in the same inning since Turner did it on August 19, 2023 against the Washington Nationals, and is the first MLB player with two in an inning and three or more in the same game since Mike Cameron on May 2, 2002.

Harper and Schwarber are the second pair of teammates to hit for the cycle and hit three home runs in the same game in MLB history after New York Yankees’ legends Tony Lazzeri and Lou Gehrig on June 3, 1932.

The 15 runs are the most the Phillies have scored against the Mets since June 27, 2023 and the 12-run margin of victory is their largest against them since September 20, 2005.

Zack Wheeler will face off against Mets’ lefty, David Peterson, tomorrow on Sunday Night Baseball.