Category: Sports News

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (41-25)

Opponent this week: vs. Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays)

Record this week: 3-3

Standout performances:

Eddys Leonard: 8-for-15, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Akil Baddoo: 6-for-14, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 5 BB, 1 K
Luis Matos: 5-for-16, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Luke Adams (No. 11): 5-for-17, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Kaleb Bowman: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Tyson Hardin (No. 16): 11 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 16 K

As you may have heard, the biggest news out of Nashville this week is the promotion of shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt (No. 4), who will join the Brewers on Tuesday for their upcoming series against the Guardians.

Pratt got off to a slow start in his first Triple-A season, but he’s been seeing the ball better lately, hitting .267/.357/.430 with a .787 OPS over the last month. During that stretch, he led all Sounds players in hits (23) and RBIs (15, tied with Akil Baddoo). For more on Pratt’s promotion, check out Dave’s coverage from when the news broke on Sunday afternoon.

After missing the last four games of last week’s series against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the recently-extended Luis Lara (No. 5) played in all six games this week, going 5-for-21 with a pair of RBIs. Lara, who’s hitting .329 with a .919 OPS and seven home runs on the season, should be the first outfield prospect promoted should any of the Brewers’ starting outfielders miss time.

Eddys Leonard paced the Sounds in batting average, going 8-for-15 with a homer and a triple. Leonard isn’t nearly as highly regarded as Pratt or Jett Williams (No. 3), but he’s been more productive at the plate than both. His .930 OPS and 10 home runs both lead the Sounds.

Luke Adams also had a great week, going 5-for-17 (.294) with a home run. Like Pratt, he’s started to heat up with the weather, posting a 1.066 OPS over the last month.

Luis Matos has also been solid for the Sounds. At just 24 years old — he won’t turn 25 until January — he’s still young enough, and has enough upside, to earn another opportunity with the Brewers. However, Matos is out of minor league options and had to clear waivers just to join Nashville, which complicates any potential path back to Milwaukee.

As for the pitching staff, Tyson Hardin continues to shove since his promotion to Triple-A. Over two starts this week, he allowed just three runs while racking up 16 strikeouts in 11 innings. After struggling to start the season in Double-A, Hardin now has a 1.89 ERA and 0.93 WHIP through his first six Triple-A starts.

Junior Fernández, Gerson Garabito, Reiss Knehr, and Craig Yoho all each pitched at least two scoreless innings. Brett Wichrowski, promoted to Nashville last week, has now given up eight runs through his first 10 2/3 innings in Triple-A.

Next week’s opponent: @ Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals)

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (32-29)

Opponent this week: @ Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox)

Record this week: 4-3

Standout performances:

Jesús Made (No. 1): 9-for-29, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Mike Boeve: 10-for-25, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K
Jacob Hurtubise: 6-for-17, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K
Blake Burke (No. 15): 8-for-26, 3 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K
Jack Seppings: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Tanner Gillis: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Jaron DeBerry: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Stiven Cruz: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Bishop Letson (No. 8): 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Death, taxes, and Jesús Made raking. Made’s OPS is actually under .800 (.785), but he’s hitting .280 with six home runs — as many as he had last year. Nothing to see here. He’s still the best prospect in baseball.

Mike Boeve, who was a top 10 organizational prospect at the beginning of last year before dropping out of the top 30 entirely, has quietly had a bounce-back season in Biloxi. He’s still not really hitting for power, but he’s hitting .276 with a .347 OBP over the last month — roughly in line with his season-long stats (.259 average, .351 OBP).

Blake Burke added an opposite-field home run this week, pushing his season total to 14. His power numbers have been in a class of their own; Darrien Miller and Matthew Wood rank second on the team with eight homers apiece.

Other than Made, Boeve, Burke, and Jacob Hurtubise, no Shucker hit over .300. Biloxi went 4-3 this week on the strength of their pitching. Five different pitchers — Jack Seppings, Tanner Gillis, Jaron DeBerry, Stiven Cruz, and Bishop Letson — pitched at least five innings while allowing three runs or less. Cameron Wagoner and Jesús Broca both pitched three scoreless innings.

Next week’s opponent: vs. Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves)

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (33-26)

Opponent this week: vs. Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Record this week: 4-2

Standout performances:

Andrew Fischer (No. 6): 6-for-13, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, 6 K
Josh Adamczewski (No. 10): 7-for-16, 2B, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
Josiah Ragsdale (No. 30): 5-for-14, BB, 4 K
Juan Baez: 4-for-12, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, 4 K
Daniel Guilarte: 3-for-10, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 5 K
Quinton Low: 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

The Timber Rattlers have had a great season, but their lineup took a significant hit on Sunday when Andrew Fischer and Josh Adamczewski earned promotions to Double-A Biloxi.

Fischer is already up to 20 home runs on the season, so much ado has been made about his performance, but Adamczewski’s promotion might be even more overdue than Fischer’s. He’s hit above .320 in each of his three seasons in the minor leagues, a stat that seems borderline unbelievable. In 166 games with Wisconsin this season, he’s slashing .331/.464/.572 with nine home runs and 21 extra-base hits.

The jury is still somewhat out on Adamczewski’s eventual defensive home. He began his professional career as a middle infielder but has spent the entire season in left field (save for 1 1/3 innings at second base). As we’re seeing with Lara, the Brewers may not have much room in the outfield if he’s ready soon. Still, Adamczewski’s hit tool has always been his calling card, and players who can hit tend to find their way into the lineup one way or another.

Other than Adamczewski and Fischer, not a lot of gaudy hitting numbers out of Wisconsin this week. Josiah Ragsdale, who’s been having a breakout season, was the only other Timber Rattler to hit over .300. Ragsdale, a seventh-round pick in 2025, hit .300 in 70 at-bats with the Warbirds (then the Carolina Mudcats) last year, so it’s not like he was completely off the prospect radar. Still, Ragsdale’s slugging percentage has jumped from .314 last year to .438 this season. With 169 at-bats under his belt, that improvement is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss as a fluke. He’s looking like a legitimate find by the Brewers’ scouting department.

Pitchers Braylon Owens (5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) and Ethan Dorchies (4 IP) had less than inspiring outings this week. Dorchies only allowed three hits but walked three batters and gave up three runs in his outing. Quinton Low went 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits but only a single earned run, and Josh Knoth pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out five.

Knoth, the No. 33 overall pick in 2023, missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In his first four games with the Timber Rattlers, he has a 2.19 ERA with 12 strikeouts and seven walks over 12 2/3 innings pitched. Knoth, who was highly regarded coming into the draft, is a name to keep an eye on as he starts to get his feet under him.

Next week’s opponent: @ Quad Cities River Bandits (Kansas City Royals)

Single-A Wilson Warbirds (34-29)

Opponent this week: @ Hill City Howlers (Cleveland Guardians)

Record this week: 3-4

Standout performances:

Juan Ortuno: 6-for-22, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
José Anderson: 5-for-26, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 12 K
Brady Ebel (No. 13): 3-for-17, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 6 K
Enniel Cortez: 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Much has been made of Andrew Fischer’s strikeout numbers, but José Anderson is closer to what Fischer’s skeptics fear he might be. After this week’s four homer showing, Anderson has already hit a whopping 16 home runs. He’s also struck out 104 times in 214 at-bats and is hitting just .182 with a .284 on-base percentage. Of his 39 hits, 16 (41%) have been home runs.

Anderson is still just 19 years old, so his troubling strikeout and on-base numbers don’t automatically rule out a major league future. At the same time, he clearly possesses major league caliber raw power. The combination makes him one of the most intriguing — and difficult to evaluate — prospects in the Brewers’ system.

Other than Anderson and Juan Ortuno (6-for-22 with three extra-base hits), the hitting stats out of Wilson this week aren’t anything to write home about. Brady Ebel cooled off with a 3-for-17 showing, although he hit two home runs. Handelfry Encarnacion went 2-for-24 with a pair of singles, although he only struck out three times. Pedro Ibarguen went 3-for-18 with a pair of doubles. Jadyn Fielder, who went 3-for-9, was the only Warbird to hit over .300.

As for the pitchers, Miqueas Mercedes threw three scoreless innings to bring his ERA down to 4.15. Mercedes, Enniel Cortez (4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER), and Bryce Schaum (1 2/3 IP, K, 2 BB) were the only pitchers to record scoreless weeks. That doesn’t include infielder Luis Lameda, who threw a scoreless inning at the end of the Warbirds’ 12-6 loss on Tuesday. The 20-year-old Lameda isn’t a pitcher, but this is a nice excuse to bring up that he’s hitting .296 with a .785 OPS after hitting just .211 in Single-A last year.

Next week’s opponent: vs. Charleston RiverDogs (Tampa Bay Rays)

Player of the Week

It has to be Andrew Fischer, who hit two home runs before his promotion to bring his season total to 20. Since the Timber Rattlers became a High-A affiliate in 2021, no player had hit more than 16 home runs in a season. Fischer’s 20 homers in just 54 games leave him two shy of the franchise record of 22, shared by Khris Davis (2010), Victor Roache (2013), and Clint Coulter (2014).

Fischer finishes his Timber Rattlers tenure with an extremely encouraging .298/.443/.675 slash line, offering an exciting glimpse of what could be in store for the 2025 first-round pick.

Play of the Week

Nice catch and a nicer throw by Juan Baez.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Off-day

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Off-day

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Off-day

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Off-day

Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 9-2 at FCL Tigers

3B Richard Matic 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
LF Wilberson De Pena 3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB — 11 homers this year, had five all of last year
LF Isael Arias 0-0
C Queni Pineda 1-5, 1 R, 3 K, 1 SB
2B Leni Done 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB
CF Jose Castro 3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K
RF Robbie Burnett 1-2, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RF Estivenzon Montero 0-2, 2 K
SS Dexters Peralta 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
DH Francisco Vilorio 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
1B Christofer Reyes 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Danny Flatt 2.2 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
Alexander Almonte 3.1 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K (win)
Jorge Luna 2 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Austin Breedlove 1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, pickoff error

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 11-1 (7) vs. DSL White Sox

CF Isaias Castillo 0-4, 3 K
SS Stiven Marinez 1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 K, throwing error
RF Yostin Pena 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 K
2B Juan Torres 2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB
DH Manuel Aguilar 2-2, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
3B Abrahan Pichardo 0-4, 1 K
C Cesar Lopez 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 R
1B Jose Peralta 1-1, 2 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB
LF Kendry Diaz 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K

Hector Moreno 1.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Fredy Penuelas 4.1 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 6 K (win) — 0.75 ERA in 12 innings, had a 10.23 ERA in 22 frames last year
Jose Vargas 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:W, 14-11 at DSL Twins

DH Daniel Santana 0-3, 1 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 3 SB
SS Mani Cedeno 2-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 CS
2B Carlos Bello 2-4, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 SB, 1 CS — second blast was a three-run shot to complete a six-run ninth and take the lead
RF David Carrera 1-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
C Alessandro Rodriguez 3-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K, throwing and pickoff error
1B Poly Ojeda 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB
3B Germayhoni Beltre 2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SB, throwing error
LF Richard Meran 0-3, 3 K
PR-LF Sebastian Pinto 0-1, 1 CS
CF Alfiery Matos 1-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SB — classic DSL game, eight steals and three caught stealing as a team

Randy Angomas 3.2 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 4 BB, 3 K
Kevin Centeno 3.1 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Diego Carrillo 1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (win, blown save)

If fans all around the major leagues are sick and tired of the Dodgers, they have a funny way of showing it.

The Dodgers win too much and spend too much, so offensive to so many outside Los Angeles that the league shutting down next season has somehow become an acceptable outcome if the Dodgers cannot be stripped of their payroll advantage.

So, a pox on all their honors, right?

Apparently not. When Major League Baseball unveiled its initial batch of All-Star voting results Monday, four players from the team that so bothers the rest of America were in position to make the National League starting lineup.

Shohei Ohtani leads at designated hitter, Freddie Freeman at first base, Max Muncy at third base, and Andy Pages in the outfield.

“You look across the league, across baseball, and we have a lot of recognizable names,” Muncy said. “We have really talented players who have been playing really well this year.

“For a lot of us, the game has been speaking for us.”

Read more:The hardest days are when calls don’t go through: Andy Pages opens up about family in Cuba

Maybe not all four hold their leads in voting. Or maybe the Dodgers get more, as they seem to do in everything: Mookie Betts ranks second at shortstop, and Will Smith ranks second at catcher. Never has any team had six players start an All-Star Game.

In all the years Andrew Friedman has assembled super teams here, never have the Dodgers had four players start an All-star Game. That has happened once in franchise history, in 1980: infielders Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes and Bill Russell and outfielder Reggie Smith.

Love the Dodgers, or love to hate them, fans are voting for them.

“We’ve played well the last couple of years,” Freeman said. “We’re playing well again.

“A lot of eyes are on us. A lot of fans know all of us. And we’re playing good baseball.”

In olden times, voting was conducted largely on paper ballots distributed at the stadium. With digital ballots, you can vote from anywhere, to the delight of a team that has extended its fan base to Japan.

“There’s no question we have a very, very strong fan base, domestically and internationally,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. “There’s no question that’s an advantage.

“But, in every case this year, the players that are up there this year certainly deserve it. It just speaks to the quality of the players we have.”

But, sir, your team is ruining baseball. Haven’t you heard?

“Who ever said that?” Kasten said. “I’ve always said the opposite. I think we have been good for baseball, and I think everyone in baseball would agree.”

Said Freeman: “I think that’s just noise. We’re good for baseball. You just saw it in Chicago.”

The Chicago White Sox average 22,000. The Dodgers showed up over the weekend, and the White Sox sold out — all three games, at 38,000 per game.

“To say we’re bad for baseball,” Freeman said, “I think that’s what Doc would say is a lazy statement.”

Doc is Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ manager. He laughed. He already branded popular critiques of the Dodgers as “lazy” once this season. He didn’t want to say it again.

But, if the Dodgers give people what they want to see, how can they be ruining the game?

“That’s a great point,” Roberts said. “I think people still love talent. They love the way our guys play. And they should be showcased in the midsummer classic.”

Read more:Once-dominant Dodgers bullpen unravels again in loss to White Sox

This year’s All-Star Game is in Philadelphia, home to the most passionate of fan bases. The Dodgers and Phillies each represent the National League, but can you imagine what the Phillies fans might have to say about four — or more — Dodgers introduced in the, er, home team lineup?

People love to hate the Dodgers. Philly fans love to hate, period.

“It would probably be a lot of fun,” Muncy said. “At the All-Star Game, you’re just there to celebrate the best players in baseball.

“Obviously, there will be boos and cheers for everybody. You’re just there to celebrate the talent, and not necessarily what team they’re playing for.”

If they’re playing for the Dodgers? Philly fans booed Santa Claus. Shohei Ohtani, you have been warned.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has been much more aggressive over the last couple of weeks in churning through young players on the roster than was originally expected. Victor Scott II, Nolan Gorman, and Yohel Pozo are currently in AAA Memphis, and Catcher Pedro Pages has been relegated to backup as Chaim Bloom has shown a greater willingness to shake things up as of late. Platoon thumper Nelson Velazquez, Lefty Catcher Jimmy Crooks, and corner infielder Blaze Jordan have overtaken the spots on the roster and have made a notable improvement in offensive output since.

The potential for churn and change could be on the horizon for the pitching staff, as both Kyle Leahy and Matthew Liberatore are not flourishing in their current roles, and the bullpen could benefit from some additional proven firepower to elevate it to the next level. Both Leahy and Liberatore were accomplished relievers before becoming starters over the last 2 seasons.

The thing that made Kyle Leahy so successful last season in his multi-inning reliever role was the shorter bursts allowed his stuff to play up and allow him to leverage the very best performing pitches in his arsenal. Having to throttle some of his stuff down to last longer in the game, which he isn’t particularly doing anyway, takes away from that and is proving to make him a below-average starter. I would argue for two elements. 1. It was a good idea to test their internal hypothesis that Leahy could be a big league starter. The value of his doing so would be a long-term benefit to the organization if it were successful. 2. It’s clear that it’s not the correct role for his capabilities, and he still has the capacity and opportunity to positively impact this roster with a shift back to the bullpen and jettisoning the ever-unlucky or ineffective Chris Roycroft from the 40-man.

The other part to this, and the more unfortunate, appears to be that the first half of last season was the aberration in Liberatore’s production, and the 2nd half of Libby was more of the real thing. Dating back to July 5th of 2025, Matthew Liberatore has pitched 130 IP and posted a 4.85 ERA and a 5.21 FIP. Liberatore has recently seen an uptick in strikeout rate, and perhaps taking that element to the pen would afford the Cardinals an additional weapon from the left side and prevent overexposure for Justin Bruihl, who performs effectively in lower leverage opportunities.

So, who takes their place?

Naturally, Hunter Dobbins would be the first name to step in for Kyle Leahy, and we’ve seen Dobbins have the ability to get into a groove and can provide the Cardinals with more length and the ability to provide production from a starter’s workload.

The other replacement? Cardinals 2024 MiLB Pitcher of the Year Quinn Matthews. It’s been a struggle for Quinn as he has taken a little longer than expected to adjust to the big league baseball in AAA, and he also dealt with a shoulder issue last season that delayed his development. Much like in 2025, Matthews struggled with his command but has seemed to figure something out in his last 2 starts. 2-0 12 IP, 0 ER, 15K’s, 2 BB’s. Remember how I recommended removing Roycroft from the 40-man roster earlier? It would be to add Matthews to it.

Adding both Dobbins and Matthews to the starting rotation would benefit the short and long term. Right in the Chaim Bloom wheelhouse. Moving Leahy and Liberatore to the bullpen while both have 4 years of control remaining benefits both the short and long term of the organization… You know where I’m going with this. The Cardinals have shown a willingness to make aggressive improvements with both the short and long term in mind, and it is yet to be seen if they will follow suit on the pitching side of things. The options are presenting themselves. The roles appear to be clear-cut as to how you maneuver the 40-man, but who would be the odd man out in the bullpen after Roycroft is unclear. I’m sure most of you would make the argument that it would be just removing Bruihl, and I wouldnt give that much push back on that, but I’m not sure how the Cardinals would feel about exposing Bruihl to waivers. I suppose we can chalk that up to the ol’ TBD on that front, but it will be something to keep an eye on moving forward.

(Stats via Baseball Savant, Prospect Savant, and FanGraphs)

-Thanks for reading

The Detroit Tigers took the series opener against the Houston Astros, 9-3, at Daikin Park on Monday night in a game that saw AJ Hinch’s team strike out 18 times but still nearly put up double-digit runs. Only one of those Ks belonged to Colt Keith, who homered in his other three at-bats and racked up six RBIs to power the good guys to the win.

Taking the mound on Tuesday for the Tigers is left-hander Framber Valdez, who will face his former team for the first time ever. The 32-year-old has alternated good and bad starts over his last six outings, with his most recent one being of the latter variety, surrendering four runs on six hits (two home runs) and two walks while striking out two over five frames to take the loss in a 6-4 final against the Minnesota Twins.

For the Astros, right-hander Hunter Brown will return from the injured list, where he has been shelved since the end of March after making just two starts. However, before going down with a Grade 2 right shoulder strain, the 27-year-old had looked sharp, albeit in a small sample size.

Brown last faced Detroit in last year’s American League Wildcard Game, in which he tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, surrendering a pair of hits (including a solo home run) and two walks while striking out nine in a game that the Tigers ultimately prevailed in, 5-2.

Here is a look at how the two match up on Tuesday night.

Detroit Tigers (30-42) vs. Houston Astros (33-41)

Time (ET): 8:10 p.m.
Place: Daikin Park, Houston, Texas
SB Nation Site:The Crawfish Boxes
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 74: LHP Framber Valdez (3-5, 4.40 ERA) vs. RHP Hunter Brown (1-0, 0.84 ERA)

VALDEZ

BROWN

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

If you’re looking to unplug from the Orioles for a while, you’ve got an easy excuse for the next week and a half. The Orioles are off to the West Coast, where six of their next nine games will start at 9:40 PM EST or later. That’s a lot of late, late nights for us viewers in the eastern time zone, and the Orioles haven’t exactly shown that they’re worth giving up sleep for.

This nine-game road trip is the Orioles’ longest since August 2024. It’s also the first time in two years that the O’s will play three different opponents on one trip. And two of those foes are first-place teams, one more daunting than the other. Starting tonight the O’s have a rematch against the 37-36 Mariners, who lead the AL West, after splitting a four-game series in Baltimore last week. Then the Birds will head to Los Angeles to take on the two-time defending champion Dodgers, who are running away with the AL West with a 45-27 record. The only sub-.500 team the O’s will play on this trip is the last-place Angels next Monday through Wednesday.

The Orioles, at five games under .500, are hanging on to the fringes of the weak AL Wild Card race, but they’re going to need to make a push sooner than later. Their losing homestand against the M’s and Padres didn’t exactly inspire confidence that they’re about to rattle off an extended winning streak, and now they’re heading to the other side of the country for their longest road trip in years against some tough opponents. It’s not ideal.

If the O’s can tread water with a 4-5 record or so on this road trip, I guess that would help them survive a while longer, even if it won’t push them any closer in the postseason race. At least that would beat the worst-case scenario of three series losses (or sweeps), which could be the nail in the coffin for the Orioles’ hopes of contention.

Come on, Orioles. On behalf of the sickos who will be staying up to an ungodly hour watching you play, don’t make us witness the death knell of your 2026 season. Let’s make this West Coast trip memorable — or at least slightly tolerable.

Links

Orioles players on track to be shut out in MLB All-Star fan voting – The Baltimore Sun

No real surprise here, as no Oriole is the best player in the AL at his position, and most aren’t particularly close. Which is kind of why they’re in this mess.

What’s the latest on Orioles’ Ryan Mountcastle? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

I keep forgetting that Ryan Mountcastle exists. I might continue to forget until the day he returns, which sounds like it’s at least a month away,

O’Neill leaning on experience as O’s slugger potentially turns corner – MLB.com

O’Neill’s contract, and a lack of viable outfielders in the O’s minors, will give him plenty of leash. But I’m gonna need to see more than a 7-for-20 stretch before I believe that he’s “turning the corner.”

The biggest win of Ryan Helsley’s season? His young daughter can hear. – The Baltimore Banner

I’m not crying. You’re crying.

MLB Issues Three-Game Suspension To Ron Marinaccio – MLB Trade Rumors

Marinaccio is appealing his suspension for throwing at Gunnar Henderson on Saturday. No truth to the rumor that he’ll be calling Craig Albernaz to speak in his defense.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day, including lefty Joe Saunders (45), whose improbable Wild Card Game win over Yu Darvish and the Rangers in 2012 is the stuff of Birdland legend. Enjoy your day, Joe. Other ex-Orioles with June 16 birthdays are infielder Chris Gomez (55) and the late right-hander Ernie Johnson (b. 1924, d. 2011).

On this date in 2015, the Orioles set a franchise record by hitting eight home runs, powering a 19-3 shellacking of the Phillies at Camden Yards. Right fielder Chris Parmelee mashed two dingers in his Orioles debut, and Manny Machado added a pair, while Jimmy Paredes, Chris Davis, David Lough, and Ryan Flaherty each hit one. Phillies reliever Dustin McGowan coughed up five of those homers and never pitched for the team again.

Random Orioles game of the day

On June 16, 1983, the Orioles lost a walkoff to the Brewers in 11 innings, 2-1, at County Stadium in Milwaukee. This one was a heartbreaker for O’s starter Scott McGregor, who carried a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth and retired the first two batters, putting him one out away from a shutout win. But Cecil Cooper kept the Brewers alive with a double and Ted Simmons singled him home to tie the score.

McGregor ended up pitching 10 innings with just that one run of damage, but reliever Tim Stoddard surrendered a walkoff homer to Rick Manning in the 11th. Meanwhile, the O’s offense squandered plenty of scoring opportunities, scoring just one run on 10 hits. They went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners on base.

No biggie. That season turned out pretty well for the Orioles anyway.

Phillies News:

• See where your favorite Phillies rank in the All-Star Ballot standings, get out and vote!
• Phillies are rumored to be eying up Angel’s Jo Adell and Cub’s Seiya Suzuki
• A Phillies Mailbag from TheAthletic to answer all those questions you never knew you needed ($$)

MLB News:

• 5 under-the-radar MLB Trade Targets, including Reid Detmers and Gavin Sheets
• Braves’ Spencer Strider getting shutdown a month because of elbow inflammation, thatsashame.gif
• Rangers’ Corey Seager on the IL for a concussion, uh oh
• Giants are reportedly deciding if a sell-off is coming, can they move anything worthwhile?

Tuesday notes…

• ITEM ONE:
• ITEM TWO:
• ITEM THREE:
• ITEM FOUR:

Cubs lineup:

Rockies lineup:

Edward Cabrera, RHP vs. Ryan Feltner, RHP

This is a pitching rematch of the game last Thursday at Coors Field.

Edward Cabrera threw 5.2 innings and allowed five hits and two runs, striking out five. Both of the hits were solo homers.

The Cubs hit Ryan Feltner hard, scoring six runs in 4.1 innings, with the big blow being Seiya Suzuki’s grand slam.

We’ll take another one just like that, please.

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Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

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Discuss amongst yourselves.

The Yankees are welcoming one of the AL Central leader into town tonight, and it’s not the Cleveland Guardians team that they’ve played so much of recently. No, after shuffling back and forth once more it is the Chicago White Sox sitting atop the Central by tiebreaker at this moment, surprising everyone by jumping out to a 38-32 record and escaping the cellar of the division. However, you’d be forgiven for not thinking that could’ve been a possibility, both because of that record being only a few games above .500 and for the fact that they’re sitting at a meager +12 run differential heading into Tuesday’s action.

They’re far from the only ones struggling in that department. The White Sox’s main competition, and the team that was alone in first place just a week ago, is actually negative in run differential. The Guardians have been outscored by three runs this year, yet sit in prime position to contend for a postseason berth with a 39-33 record. The same is true in the AL West, where the competition is even more bunched up: the 37-36 Mariners control first place by a half-game and have the second-highest run differential in the AL, but all that’s good for is a +20 mark when the Yankees lord above them with +107. The Athletics are dead even at 36-36 but would occupy a Wild Card slot if the season ended today, and they have a whopping -42 run differential! The Rangers are barely below .500 and barely above in the run differential discussion being positive by four runs, but they’re only a game out of a Wild Card.

The Yankees are busy trying to get some separation from the Rays, but they’re a piece of that puzzle as well — the only other team in the AL to have cracked 40 wins thus far, Tampa sits at a +7 in run differential after dropping a nail-biter to the Dodgers on Monday. The rest of the AL East is under the bus as a result of their poor play, but the Rays have been one of the few outliers to separate themselves from the pack and contest the Yankees, thanks in no small part to having swept them early in the year and taking a split in their latter meeting. They’re the only ones standing in New York’s way at the moment though, and as Jake discussed yesterday morning, it’s not exactly early in the season anymore. But we’ve taken the microscope to the East already, so I want to point it at the rest of the cast today.

Chicago and Cleveland sit a fair bit over the rest of the AL Central, but the gap is hardly insurmountable, especially given how both teams have been dealt blows to their roster. Munetaka Murakami was one of the biggest revelations of the early season after getting looked over in the offseason, but his injury took a big chunk of Chicago’s offensive engine out with him. Cleveland sits in a similar boat with a much-more established face, having lost Jose Ramírez for the next few months. Does that open the door for a team like the Twins, who have sat in mediocrity for most of the year but have rarely left the middle of the pack? They lack the depth of those two teams, but they’re only six games out and have played better ball in June than how they ended May. Could that be the glimmer of hope for the Tigers, thought to be dead in the water after losing Tarik Skubal and falling into the cellar after being picked as preseason favorites? Skubal is back now, and despite a terrible record are only nine games out of it — they blew a bigger division lead just last year, so perhaps this could be their revenge. The Royals are probably the hardest sell of the bunch, deserving of their last place position, but they have an MVP frontrunner in Bobby Witt Jr. and could perhaps will themselves into Wild Card talks if no one else takes the reins.

Out in the West, things are even more chaotic. The Mariners are ahead only after getting themselves out of their early season doldrums, and seeing their offense start to come to life. The rotation is one of the scariest in the league, even with a rather ineffective Luis Castillo, but that hasn’t netted them any ground in the standings at the end of the day. The A’s defy rhyme or reason, boasting a strong enough offense but have been buried by their inability to prevent runs, and yet for a long portion of the year they led this division and still find themselves a mere half-game out. Texas has had the inverse problem, with a stellar rotation buoyed by an offense that has had role players step up but lacked any meaningful production from their stars. Somehow Houston, who looked dead and buried after an abysmal April that saw them weather an onslaught of injuries, is only four games out of the Wild Card and 4.5 out of the division outright. I’m willing to write off the Angels (sorry Mike Trout, nice to see you doing well again though), but everyone else in this division looks ready to scrap their way to 87 wins and potentially come out with the crown. It’s wild to see.

If push came to shove, I couldn’t name a single one of these teams that I feel confident in separating from the pack. I could see logic in picking any one of them, but not enough to rule out the reasons that the others have kept them within arm’s reach this whole time. A week ago Cleveland looked to be the one closest to breaking out, but they lost their homegrown hero and suddenly that gap has gone up in smoke again. I do think the Tigers have a run in them that’ll keep the Central bunched up, while the West is anyone’s guess — I think the A’s will finally play to their strength level and fall behind the pack, but I don’t know if that will be the Mariners outclassing them so much as it will be them just fading away after a decent enough start. I think the last thing anyone out west wants to see is Houston get any closer, but Yordan Alvarez might be willing that team to just that. Is there a team that you believe will cut themselves out of the net? Who are they, and what gives you that belief if you have it?

We’ve got a busy day ahead of us, so let’s run through the docket quick. Matt starts us off with a look at the White Sox pitchers the Yankees will face in this upcoming series, and then I’ll be back to break down the Rays’ loss to the Dodgers in detail as our only feature game of the Rivalry Roundup. Jeff gets to wish a current Yankee a happy birthday as Will Warren turns 27, Michael covers the last week down in the minor leagues, Sam examines some potential parallels to the 2019 Next Man Up Yankees, and Nick delivers the Yankee Reliever Confidence Index for June.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Chicago Sports Network

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY