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Southpaws have had zero answers for the Bronx Bombers all year.

Look for New York's bats to tee off once again on Ranger Suarez this Saturday according to my Red Sox vs. Yankees predictions.

Let's take a closer look at my MLB picks for June 6.

Who will win Red Sox vs Yankees today: New York Yankees (-135)

Ranger Suarez has started four games against teams ranking Top-10 in OPS vs. left-handed pitching – and they didn’t go so well. He allowed 13 runs and posted a 6.13 ERA during those games.

The New York Yankeeslead the majors in OPS against lefties so they’re a prime candidate to cause Suarez problems.

Even without Aaron Judge, they’re well-equipped to do so. They have five lefties in their projected lineup – Suarez has struggled against left-handed hitters – as well as lefty masher Paul Goldschmidt.

Look for the bats to lead the Yankees to victory. Playable to -145.

COVERS INTEL:Ranger Suarez ranks 22nd percentile in whiff rate. He is not missing bats.

Red Sox vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-110)

The Yankees rankTop-3 in OPS, ISO, OBP, xWOBA, and hard hit rate when facing left-handed pitching. They’re an elite offense across the board and should do plenty of damage against Suarez.

The Boston Red Sox are capable of chipping in a few runs. They have hit righties very well over the past four weeks, sitting ninth in wOBA, ninth in ISO, and fourth in batting average. 

Will Warren has a brutal track record against the Sox as well. He allowed 15 runs over three starts against them last season while averaging just 14.3 outs.

Play the Over to -120.

Red Sox vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Red Sox +115 | Yankees -135
• Run line: Red Sox +1.5 (-175) | Yankees -1.5 (+150)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-110) | Under 8.5 (-110)

Red Sox vs Yankees trend

New York has hit the Game Total Over in five of their last seven games (+3.9 units, 52% ROI) Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Yankees.

How to watch Red Sox vs Yankees and game info

Red Sox vs Yankees latest injuries

Red Sox vs Yankees weather

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A busy Saturday in the MLB features a full 15-game slate and tons of juicy MLB player props to pick from.

Shohei Ohtani, Jeremy Pena, and Jacob Misiorowski are all featured in my favorite MLB picks for Saturday, June 6.

I’ll break down why all three will dominate on the diamond today.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Jeremy Pena	Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI	-142
Jacob Misiorowski	Over 8.5 strikeouts	+120
Shohei Ohtani	Over 1.5 total bases	-116

Jeremy Pena Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI

Jeremy Pena has been on fire this past week, batting an even .500 with Over 1.5 hits, runs, and RBI in four straight and nine of his last 12 outings.

Pena and the Houston Astros will face Athletics starter Kade Morris, who is set to make his MLB debut on Saturday. 

The 23-year-old has not exactly been impressive in Triple-A this season, posting a 4.45 ERA and 1.47 WHIP over 11 starts, but the Athletics are desperate for arms of any kind with starters Luis Severino and Aaron Civale both sidelined.

Pena is hitting .304 vs. righties this season, and a ridiculous .375 at Daikin Park.

A scorching Pena facing a 23-year-old making his MLB debut? Play this one up to -150.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, Space City Home Network

Jacob Misiorowski Over 8.5 strikeouts 

It’s still early, but Jacob Misiorowski is already putting his name in Cy Young odds discussion.

The Milwaukee Brewers sophomore leads the majors in strikeouts (108) and K/9 (13.7), while ranking first among starters in WHIP (0.79).

Misiorowski has punched out at least eight batters in eight straight starts, with Over 8.5 strikeouts in five of those contests. He’ll enjoy the upper hand against the Colorado Rockies tonight, one of five teams in the MLB to average more than nine Ks per game.

Misiorowski’s Whiff% is in the 98th percentile, thanks to his four-seamer and curveball, which are both getting whiffed nearly 50% of the time.

Seventy-four of Misiorowski’s 108 strikeouts have come by way of his fastball, which averages out at 99.9 mph. He’ll match up very well against the Rockies, who have struck out 190 times against the four-seamer this year — more than any other team in the majors.

I’m playing this prop up to +100, and I’d recommend looking at Misiorowski Under 1.5 earned runs as well.

• Time: 9:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rockies.TV, Brewers.TV

Shohei Ohtani Over 1.5 total bases

After getting off to a sluggish start, Shohei Ohtani has officially returned to his MVP form.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar leads the majors with a .362 batting average over the last 30 days to go along with a stunning 1.056 OPS.

Ohtani has smacked Over 1.5 total bases in six of his last eight games and is poised to pad his stats tonight against the rival Los Angeles Angels and their brutal pitching staff.

Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz posted a 7.85 ERA and 1.81 WHIP over six starts in May, while his xBA and Hard-Hit% both rank in the Bottom 25th percentile this season. 

Kochanowicz throws his sinker nearly 40% of the time — a pitch that Ohtani is hitting .313 against when facing righties. He’ll be backed up by the worst bullpen in the majors, which sports a 5.14 ERA and 1.54 WHIP.

I’d play this prop to -130. You could also look at the extra-base hit market, where Ohtani’s getting pretty juicy odds.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ABTV, SportsNet LA

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Many football fans will hate-watch the Los Angeles Rams in 2026 following their blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett. The Rams have become the NFL’s version of the Dodgers, a star-studded powerhouse willing to do whatever it takes to win, and being disliked comes with the territory.

If you know anything about the MLB, you already know that the Dodgers are pretty darn good. This is a team that has won back-to-back World Series and has five 100-win seasons in the last decade. Much of their latest success can be attributed to superstar Shohei Ohtani, who, like his team, is also pretty darn good.

All great hated teams like the Dodgers have that one player who can do it all, and Ohtani is that guy for them — and he was a luxury addition for them, like Garrett is for the Rams. He signed with Los Angeles in the 2024 offseason after the team was coming off an early postseason exit. Since then, he has won two straight NL MVP awards while leading the two-time reigning champs, with a third in sight.

Seeing the rich keep getting richer drives opposing fanbases bananas, and there is little that anyone can do about it, no matter how much they complain.

It almost feels unfair when the elite squads add the best players in their sport, but they’re only playing by the rules. Don’t hate the player or the game; instead, hate the league powers that be who have allowed it to happen.

No one should hate on the Rams or Dodgers for having the killer instinct that most everyone lacks.

Perhaps the aggressive roster-building strategy from both teams can be attributed to where they play. Los Angeles is a crowded entertainment market as it is, and more so on the sports scene.

This is a city forced to choose between multiple teams in each of the four major North American sports leagues. If you cannot figure out a way to stay nationally relevant in L.A., you risk becoming an afterthought in an oversaturated market or becoming the Angels.

The Rams were already must-see TV following their NFC Championship run last season. They have an NFL-record seven primetime games in tow, and that was before acquiring Garrett. Whether or not this is their year, their all-in approach will draw more eyes to them than ever before.

That is why Hollywood’s current sports scene is unmatched.

So go ahead and hate away, ya stinky rotten haters. Get the popcorn ready if you must because this is the price of embracing an all-in mentality. The Dodgers have thrived for years under that spotlight, and the Rams appear destined to follow in their footsteps this season. It’s lonely at the top, but in L.A., attention is money, and no one’s spending it better than the Rams and Dodgers.

Meet the Mets

The Mets shut out the Padres 5-0 behind a strong performance from Christian Scott, who earned his second major league victory. Jared Young and Luis Torrens both homered for the Mets and Bo Bichette contributed a key RBI triple in the third. The Mets’ bullpen was solid yet again with Huascar Brazobán helping Scott navigate out of trouble in the sixth and Luke Weaver and A.J. Minter logging a scoreless inning apiece.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, New York Post

Jorge Polanco remained on rehab assignment yesterday rather than joining the Mets in San Diego, which was previously raised as a possibility.

Meanwhile, Francisco Alvarez is on track to be activated when the Mets return home next week.

Francisco Lindor is expected back in the third week of June, but it already may be too late by then, writes Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Juan Soto is raking, but other players in the lineup need to step up as well, including guys returning from injury, writes Brian Murphy of MLB.com.

Sean Manaea has slowly regained his velocity and climbed his way back to being a positive contributor on the Mets.

Manaea will pitch tomorrow, but it is unclear if an opener will be used ahead of him or not.

Carlos Mendoza told Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post that Juan Soto conducts most of his leadership behind the scenes.

Jared Young has learned to be the good kind of stubborn and it is paying off for the Mets, writes Laura Albanese of Newsday.

Around the National League East

A four-hit night from Kyle Schwarber powered the Phillies to an 8-6 victory over the White Sox, as the Phillies find themselves in playoff position for the first time since April 7.

Despite the Phillies’ incredible turnaround since Don Mattingly took over as manager, Mattingly still has mixed feelings due to the reason he is in his current position to begin with.

Over at The Good Phight, they opined that the Phillies may need to change up their lineup again to kickstart the struggling offense.

Mauricio Dubón drove in three of the Braves’ six runs in their 6-3 win over the Pirates at Truist Park.

Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach is throwing on flat ground but still has “a long way to go” in his recovery timeline.

The Nationals’ high-octane offense was at it again as they walloped the Diamondbacks 14-1.

Nationals lefty DJ Herz, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, made his first rehab appearance yesterday in the Florida Complex League.

The Marlins were blanked by Drew Rasmussen and the Rays 5-0 in Miami.

Marlins top pitching prospect Thomas White has been diagnosed with a capsular sprain in his throwing shoulder and may miss the rest of the 2026 season.

Around Major League Baseball

Concern about missing games in 2027 due to a work stoppage likely won’t impact returns at the trade deadline, writes Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic.

MLB owners are framing the salary cap as a way to end local TV blackouts, as their proposal to the union involves eliminating the territory system that defines the current media landscape in baseball.

Deesha Thosar of FOX Sports wrote about what’s next for the Yankees without Aaron Judge.

Judge’s injury won’t impact just the Yankees, but the entire American League.

Ginny Searle of Baseball Prospectus took a look at the current playoff odds picture and how it has changed from Opening Day. Not surprisingly, the Mets’ playoff odds have dropped the most of any team.

Michael Baumann of Fangraphs wrote about the Gerrit Cole contract now that there are just two and a half years remaining on his pact with the Yankees.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Vasilis Drimalitis previewed the weekend series in San Diego.

This Date in Mets History

After firing some of their coaches, the Mets began a scorching hot 40-15 stretch by pulverizing Roger Clemens and the Yankees on this date in 1999.

Triple-A: Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) 7, Norfolk Tides 2

The Tides gave up three runs in the first inning and it was basically over from there. At least starter Trace Bright nearly threw a quality start despite that first-inning run outburst, holding the Stripers scoreless for the rest of his 5.2-inning performance. But two runs apiece off Cameron Weston and Josh Walker put the game out of reach.

Norfolk’s offense was a no-show. They managed only four hits, though two of them were solo homers by Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Luis Vázquez. Tides hitters struck out nine times and walked only once, and they had only a single at-bat all game with a runner in scoring position. Heston Kjerstad and Creed Willems each went 1-for-4.

Box score

Double-A: Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 19, Chesapeake Baysox 3

Um…ouch. You didn’t misread that score. The Baysox really did lose 19-3. They were down 10-1 by the third inning, then gave up eight runs in the ninth inning. Before delving into the box score, I assumed that all those ninth-inning runs came against a position player on the mound, but sadly, no. It was an actual pitcher, Daniel Lloyd, who gave them all up, including a grand slam and a two-run homer. His ERA rose from 4.63 to 7.23 in a single outing. He’ll have better nights.

Starting pitcher Luis De León, one of the Orioles’ top pitching prospects, had the worst performance of his professional career. In 2.1 innings, he was torched for 10 (ten!) runs, on nine hits and four walks. Like Lloyd, the outing blew up his season ERA, from 4.89 to 6.80. Meanwhile, Chesapeake’s offense was held in check besides Ethan Anderson’s solo homer and Carter Young’s two-run single, which did little to change the final result.

Box score

High-A: Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 14, Frederick Keys 13

What a humdinger this one was. The Keys, one night after getting held hitless through six innings, certainly found their bats again with a 13-run explosion. They scored seven runs in the fifth inning alone and at one point led this game 10-3. But the Renegades responded with a seven-run frame of their own in the eighth to steal the game away.

Let’s start with the positive stuff. Nearly every Keys hitter did something good, sparked by rehabbing leadoff man Enrique Bradfield Jr., who reached base three times, scored three runs, drove in two, and stole a base. Unheralded hitters like Douglas Hodo (4-for-5 with a homer) and Colin Yeaman (3-for-5, two RBIs) had big days. Top prospects Wehiwa Aloy and Ike Irish went just 1-for-9 combined, but Aloy drove in three runs and Irish one. The Keys went 7-for-22 with runners in scoring position.

Now for the bad news, which was, obviously, the pitching. Four of Frederick’s five pitchers gave up at least three runs, including starter Caden Hunter. The quintet issued nine walks in the game. Reliever Raimon Gomez particularly struggled, giving up five runs in less than an inning, while Jacob Cravey took the loss by allowing the last three.

Box score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 6, Augusta GreenJackets (Braves) 0

Thank goodness for the Shorebirds, who kept the O’s affiliates from being swept on this day. It was a whale of a performance from Delmarva’s pitching staff, led by left-hander Stephen Still, a recent free agent signing out of independent ball. Still worked 5.2 scoreless innings and struck out nine. Relievers Brendan Parks, Eccel Correa, and Zac Lampton combined to complete the shutout.

This was a 0-0 game into the late innings before the Shorebirds erupted for three runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth. First baseman Miguel Rodríguez broke the scoreless tie with a two-run single, and later Braylon Whitaker contributed a two-run knock of his own. Jaiden Lo Re, a fifth-round pick last year, hit his first Low-A home run, off of a guy named Landon Beidelschies. I can’t decide which of those names is more fun.

Box score

Saturday’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk: at Gwinnett, 6:05 PM. Starter: Christian Heberholz (0-1, 4.34)
• Chesapeake: vs. Akron, 6:35 PM. Starter: TBD
• Frederick: vs. Hudson Valley, 6:00 PM. Starter: Yeiber Cartaya (0-0, 1.37)
• Delmarva: at Augusta, 6:35 PM. Starter: Christian Rodriguez (2-3, 3.57)

Last week, when I was reading Sam’s piece about the messy state of much of the American League, I was struck by how many teams now mired in a rut were considered by many prognosticators to be contenders coming into the season. The AL East was supposed to be a four-horse race between New York, Boston, Baltimore and Toronto, with Tampa Bay bringing up the rear; instead, it’s been the Rays and Yankees vying for the lead, with the Orioles, Blue Jays and Red Sox still on a long march to .500 ball.

If we look over to the AL Central, the Tigers offer a harrowing picture of how fast baseball can come at you. Although they did fritter away a huge division lead to the Guardians last year, they exacted revenge on them in the Wild Card Series, and took the Mariners to Game 5 in a tightly contested ALDS. In the offseason, they declared their intent to claim the division title by signing Framber Valdez on February 4th. Four months later, they now find themselves nearly sharing the cellar with the Royals — themselves a preseason dark horse candidate — with a 26-38 record, 9.5 games out of first place.

The National League offers even more examples of unmet expectations. The Mets had a weird offseason resulting in many awkward fits on the roster, but the collection of talent was undeniable. No one would have batted an eye if they had brute-forced their way to a 90-win campaign this year. Instead, they’re last in the division, 14.5 games back of the first-place Braves, and 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot, trailing everyone in the Senior Circuit except for the Giants and Rockies. The Cubs haven’t collapsed to that extent, but compared to their preseason hype—FanGraphs gave them the highest playoff odds in their division—their 33-31 record is certainly underwhelming; they’ve been extremely streaky at best. And while the Phillies have done well to scrape their way back up the standings after a horrific start and the ousting of their manager, they’re still barely hanging on to a Wild Card spot under interim skipper Don Mattingly with a -20 run differential.

What does this all mean? The most obvious, and nonetheless true, answer, is that baseball is unpredictable. However, although it certainly has its fair share of random variance, that isn’t to say that teams have absolutely no control over how their seasons will play out. If that were the case, why even spend so much time and money trying? Even in a topsy-turvy season like this one, certain teams are making good on their preseason promise – think of the Dodgers, Braves, Brewers, and (perhaps to a lesser extent) the Guardians and Mariners.

Turning our focus to the Yankees specifically, why have they fared relatively well in a season where so many other would-be contenders have not? My view is that design and luck are equally involved; and cleanly separating the two is harder than you’d think.

First things first: I think the Yankees are, on the whole, a well-run organization. Shocking, I know. But with the sheer amount of criticism directed towards the front office, manager, and coaching staff every day, it’s easy to lose sight of this. By and large, the Yankees do things right. They’ve developed core talent (Schlittler, Rice) and solid role players (Warren, Schmidt, Volpe, Wells). They’ve shelled out for top-of-the-market talent when the opportunity arises (Judge, Cole, Fried, Rodón, Bellinger). They’ve made savvy trades for impact players (Chisholm, Bednar, Cruz) while retaining their most coveted prospects (Lombard Jr., Rodríguez, Kilby, Lagrange). They haven’t remained contenders for the better part of a decade now out of sheer luck; their success is deserved in many ways.

But while the Yankees have done a lot of things right, they’ve also had a lot of things go right for them (at least until Judge’s stress fracture). This becomes apparent when you consider the various pitfalls that befell other teams this year. Say, for example, you’re trying to build a contender on the backs of highly regarded young talent – that’s great! But consider the Orioles. Adley Rustchman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Samuel Basallo are definitely a fearsome foursome. But for a team with postseason aspirations, the trick is to have them all be good at the same time, and that hasn’t happened yet.

That isn’t a comment on the talent of the four youngsters; I fully expect all four to have productive careers. It’s a comment on the unpredictability and non-linear-ness of player development. Even the most highly regarded prospects can struggle at the MLB level, and even young stars can take a step back after a breakout year. The fact that both Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler have built on their strong showings last year and are posting elite numbers this year does suggest that the Yankees’ player dev is working well. But the fact that both young stars’ upward trajectories are so closely aligned, I think, is close to a miracle — at least, it’s not something that you can engineer, or count on.

Likewise, there is an element of luck with any aspect of roster-building. Marquee free agents or trade acquisitions can bomb (Bo Bichette) or get injured (Dylan Cease, Garrett Crochet); you can try to gauge which players are at risk, but you can’t predict them with 100% accuracy, and that’s where chance gets involved. And when you trade prospects for big-league pieces, there’s always the risk of the player you got underperforming while the prospects you traded away flourish (Caleb Durbin for Kyle Harrison; Dustin May for James Tibbs III). It’s easy to criticize these moves with the benefit of hindsight, but the reality is that there’s always risk involved, and the Yankees are not impervious to that.

So, when you consider the fact that the Yankees have managed to stay competitive for as long and as consistently as they have, it’s important to acknowledge the things they did right — and the things that went right for them. Hopefully, the Yankees’ brass themselves do so too. If they focus only on the former while paying no mind to the latter, that would lead to complacency and a false sense of security — something that they might already be guilty of.

Mauricio Dubón and the Atlanta Braves had a successful night after Friday’s 6-3 defeat of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves improved to 43-21 and are 20-11 at Truist Park. Dubón continued his hot streak, and in four at-bats, he recorded two hits, three RBI, and two runs. 

He’s homered in three straight games and is hitting well over .300 with runners in scoring position. Dubón and the Braves aim to ride the momentum as the series continues this afternoon at 4:10 ET.

More Braves News:

Walt Weiss provided an update on the injured Spencer Schwellenbach, who “has a long way to go” in his recovery timeline. 

Cade Kuehler struck out eight on Thursday down on the farm. More in the minor league recap.

In MLB Pipeline’s latest mock draft, the Braves are projected to take a LHP and an outfielder.  

Former skipper Eddie Haas passed away at age 91.

MLB News:

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday. If all goes well, he will be reinstated after one start. 

The New York Yankees have officially placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list with a stress fracture in his rib. The move is retroactive to June 2.

From the Feed:

Cast your vote here for Braves Player of the Game. 

Chris Sale spoke with 680 The Fan to discuss Didier Fuentes.

Roki Sasaki did not figure in the decision on Friday night, through no fault of his own as he struck out his MLB-high 10 Angels in seven scoreless frames. The right-hander has allowed five total runs (four earned) over 24 1/3 innings in his last four starts, with 29 strikeouts against only five walks.

You might have seen after Sasaki’s seventh inning on Friday, he was seen in the dugout smiling and laughing in a long conversation with Dodgers strength and conditioning coach Travis Smith. Maddie Lee at the Los Angeles Times wrote about Sasaki’s maturity in his second major league season, as well as his relationship with Smith and the coaching staff:

“This year, especially, I feel like we’re focusing on talking about game plan and sequencing, because I feel healthy right now,” Sasaki said. “Last year I got hurt, so I’m thinking about my mechanics, all that stuff. So this is a big difference right now.”

Jay Jaffe earlier in the week at FanGraphs looked at Sasaki’s strong May performance, and dug into the details. “Sasaki’s better command and reconfigured repertoire have made for a most welcome development.” Jaffe wrote.

Lauren Theissen at Defector marveled at the “illogical” two-way talents of Shohei Ohtani now that he’s both hitting and pitching full-time again.

Levi Weaver in The Athletic windup newsletter this week wrote, “When watching Ohtani, human nature can almost trick me into forgetting just how distinct a player I’m seeing.”

After Wednesday’s win in Arizona, during which Ohtani allowed two hits and a walk in six scoreless innings and also reached base five times while batting, catcher Will Smith said, “He’s the best player that’s ever walked this earth,” per Katie Woo at The Athletic.

Yesterday, it was reported that Eddie Haas, former Atlanta Braves manager – and long-time member of the organization – passed away on June 4 at 91.

Eddie has had a brief MLB career, debuting with the Chicago Cubs in 1957 and then playing in 41 games with the Milwaukee Braves across the 1958 and 1960 seasons. The outfielder hit his only career home run with the Braves in 1960. He twice played with the organization in the minors, including the last three seasons of his playing career, ending in 1964 at age 29 playing for the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate in Denver.

Haas transitioned to coaching after his playing career ended and debuted as manager with the Braves organization in 1966 in Yakima Valley. He’d managed each season in the Braves organization until 1973 when he transition to minor league hitting instructor. He joined Atlanta’s major league staff in 1974 and spent four seasons with the big league club before returning the minor league managerial ranks in 1978.

Haas would take over as manager at Triple-A Richmond in 1981 where he would manage until midway through the 1984 season when he returned to the big leagues, joining manager Joe Torre’s staff. After Torre was dismissed following the ‘84 season, the organization named the then 50-year-old Haas as Torre’s replacement.

Haas would spend only 121 games at the helm of Atlanta, going 50-71, before being relieved of his duties by Bobby Wine.

Haas would remain in the game as a scout, joining the Montreal Expos organization in 1986 where he’s stay through 1994 before joining the Boston Red Sox in 1995 where he’d work until retiring after the 2003 season.

Bill Shanks was the first to report the news of Haas’ passing, which was first covered on The Feed.

Haas spent most of three decades in the Braves organization and dedicated more then five decades to the game as a player, coach, manager and scout.

Good morning Birdland,

There was a whole lot of goodness in the Orioles 13-3 beatdown of the Blue Jays on Friday night, and perhaps just one small (for now) thing to worry about.

First, the good news. The Orioles looked amazing, even if it took a little while for the offense to get it going.

Adley Rutschman’s solo homer in the first inning is all they could muster against Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage through the game’s first five innings. But they caught fire in the sixth, plating five runs and putting the game out of reach for a Blue Jays lineup that got shut down in the second half of the evening.

Rutschman was the star, going a perfect 4-for-4 with the homer, two doubles, and five runs driven in. His season totals are looking mighty fine after that performance. But he didn’t do it all alone. Coby Mayo hit a two-run dong. Jeremiah Jackson entered as a pinch hitter and had two hits and two RBI. Colton Cowser had two more hits and made a nice throw from right field. Gunnar Henderson reached base twice, scored two runs, and put pressure on the defense with his speed. It was just a really impressive group effort up and down the lineup.

The pitching was also good! Brandon Young got the win, tossing 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits, no walks, and four strikeouts. Then, the trio of Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano, and Anthony Nunez combined for 2.2 shutout innings to close out the win.

The only thing we really need to be worried about is Samuel Basallo. He was the DH in this one, but exited early due to “right abdominal discomfort.” O’s manager Craig Albernaz described the decision to remove Basallo as “precautionary,” and that they will know more on Saturday. Sam Huff is already with the team as a member of the taxi squad, though he would need to be added to the 40-man roster if he is needed.

Losing Basallo for any amount of time would hurt. The rookie has been such an impactful part of their offense. He has also allowed Rutschman to get out from behind the plate more frequently, either as the DH or on the bench. Upending that balance could have some negative downstream effects. Fingers crossed this ends up being a day-to-day thing.

Links

Orioles injury updates and some mailbag questions | Roch Kubatko
We got some positive injury updates this week. Chris Bassitt should be OK to make his next start. Ryan Helsley is set for a rehab stint next week. Dylan Beavers is hitting in the cage. And Dean Kremer is running and throwing live batting practice. Getting the team healthier would be a big boost!

Arms on the Farm: Breaking down fast-moving Orioles pitching prospect Joseph Dzierwa | The Baltimore Banner
The Orioles have fairly recently turned their developmental attention away from hitters ever so slightly, and brought pitchers into the fold more. The result has been some better pitching prospects down on the farm. Dzierwa might be the best of the few that Mike Elias has deemed worthy of a draft pick.

The Draft is just over 5 weeks away! Here’s the latest mock | MLB.com
The Orioles have the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, which makes things a bit more interesting. Clearly, you can get good players deeper than that. Look no further than Henderson. But the draft is most exciting in the top half of the first round. Here are a bunch of names to get familiar with.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• The late Merv Rettenmund (b. 1943, d., 2024) was born on this day. The outfielder spent six seasons in Baltimore during the club’s Golden Age from 1968-73. He put together three different seasons with bWARs of 4.2 or better, with his standout campaign coming in 1971. That got him some down ballot MVP votes, finishing in 19th place for the award.

This day in O’s history

1993 – Cal Ripken Jr’s consecutive games played streak nearly comes to an end when his spikes get stuck in the grass and twist his knee. Although his knee will be badly swollen the next day, he plays anyway.

2010 – The Orioles beat the Red Sox 4-3 in 11 innings, ending a ten-game losing stream and giving interim manager Juan Samuel his first victory at the helm.

2012 – The Orioles beat the Red Sox 2-1 to retake sole possession of first place in the AL East.

Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals front office have spent the last year feverishly adding as much pitching talent to the farm system as possible. As ORSTLcardsfan noted in his article yesterday, this has been a “re-stock the pitching pipeline” year. 

I think most of us were happy with the pitchers and types of pitchers brought into the organization, but have the results followed the supposed increase in talented arms?

There are a couple of ways I want to do this. First, by looking at the team level statistics for each of the full-season clubs and how they are trending year over year relative to their respective leagues. The second is by looking at which individual prospects have taken major steps forward or back this season. I will keep the individual pitcher updates to a minimum since Gabe has covered that recently here for the upper minors and here for the lower minors.

Put simply: is the pitching pipeline actually getting better?

Team Statistics Overview

For the team level statistics, I am focusing on age, K%, BB%, and HR%. The average age is weighted by the number of plate appearances against. Yhoiker Fajardo’s 183 batters faced in High-A as a 19-year-old have a greater impact on the team’s average age than former teammate Aaron Holiday’s 56 batters faced as a 26-year-old. 

There has been an explosion of home runs at the three lowest levels of the minor leagues, so I also looked at leaguewide statistics. I think this is helpful because it gives some context on the performances of the Cardinals pitchers (and hitters, for that matter), but also gives us a more consistent baseline to evaluate against.

Changes in Prospect Grades

I am highlighting players that, in my opinion, have significantly changed their prospect grade based on their performance this year. My intent was to be very conservative  about moving players since we are still relatively early on in the year. For example, Leonel Sequera has a 9.07 ERA and has given up 12 home runs through his first 43.2 innings pitched. Obviously this is a horrible stat line, but he also showed improved velocity in spring training, moved up a level, and is running a 16.4% K-BB% as a 20-year-old in High-A. I consider him to be holding steady with his preseason expectations/grade. 

For injured players, I am delineating between players who were injured entering the year and those who have had injuries since the start of spring training. So, Cooper Hjerpe’s prospect grade has not changed since the start of the year, but Ixan Henderson and Frank Elissalt are trending down.

I am not saying this is the right or only methodology, but I am trying to measure progress relative to our offseason expectations and that is the best I could come up with.

Finally, I am including the FanGraphs preseason ranking for each prospect for reference. I don’t agree with their list completely, but it is a solid reference point. Now, on to Memphis!  

Memphis Redbirds

The first section in the table shows the year-over-year changes to the age, K%, BB%, and HR% for the International League as a whole. The second section of the table shows the Cardinals-specific performance in 2025 and 2026. Finally, the Cardinals vs. League section shows the Cardinals staff performance relative to the league year-over-year. The scores are scaled so that 100 is average and higher is better.  So, the Cardinals Age score of 104 indicates that their average pitcher is 4% younger than the International League as a whole. 

Overall, the Redbirds have improved in every metric. The average age of the pitching staff has decreased from 27 to 26.3, which is fourth youngest in the 20-team league. Strikeouts, walks, and home runs have all gone from just below league average to above. 

Prospects holding steady

Quinn Matthews (10), Brycen Mautz (17), Hancel Rincon (18), Pete Hansen (19), Luis Gastelum (31), Skylar Hales (38)

Prospect injured list 

Tekoah Roby (12), Sem Robberse (22)

Prospects trending up

Max Rajcic (NR) has transitioned from starting to relieving quite nicely. As a relief-only arm, he is probably not a top-30 prospect in their system, but he now looks like an actual major leaguer. Cade Winquest (NR) counts as trending up simply by virtue of being returned from the Yankees after being made their first Rule 5 selection since 2011. Winquest was ranked as the Yankees 12th-best prospect by FanGraphs, and based on his 40 FV grade, would have ranked between 23-33 on the Cardinals offseason list. Anyway, getting an arm like Winquest back in the system was a great break. He is pitching in relief now, but still throwing five or six pitches, so if everything breaks right, he could follow the Kyle Leahy path to the rotation. 

Prospects trending down

Tink Hence (11) has moved to a relief role and suffered a big drop in velocity and results out of the Memphis bullpen. After a stint on the development list, Hence at least showed better stuff in his return to Memphis.

Still, Hence may fall out of updated top-30 Cardinals lists and is still taking up a spot on the 40-man roster. Never count a pitcher with Hence’s talent out, but he is running out of time. 

Ixan Henderson (16) is still working his way back from an arm injury that surfaced in spring training. He is apparently still on track to pitch in July or August, but the injury timing was quite unfortunate following his breakout 2025. 
The Matt Pushard (43) era ended after seven magical innings in St. Louis. The Rule 5 draftee was returned to Miami.

Springfield Cardinals

Home runs in the Texas League are up almost 40%! This is encouraging context for a star-studded rotation. The Springfield staff as a whole is not quite matching up to the historically effective 2025 team, but it is still above average and is significantly younger.

Prospects holding steady

Liam Doyle (2), Jurrangelo Cijntje (5), Chen-Wei Lin (15), Austin Love (32), Braden Davis (36)

Prospect injured list 

Brandon Clarke (6), Cooper Hjerpe (21)

Prospects trending up

Mason Molina (41) was the least heralded member of the Springfield rotation to start the year, but has been the best starter in terms of ERA and FIP. He came into the year as a lottery ticket (acquired in the Phil Maton trade) that likely profiled as a bullpen arm. Molina showed off a devastating fastball in spring training and now looks like he might profile as a backend starter. He is easily a top-30 prospect in the organization for me. 

Prospects trending Down

FanGraphs always includes relief pitchers with great arms like Randel Clemente (45) on their prospect lists. Clemente was not a real prospect coming into the season, in my opinion. He is still walking almost a batter per inning. He is striking out 40% of hitters, so he will probably keep getting chances, but the control is just not clicking. 

Peoria Chiefs

To one-up the Texas League, Midwest League home runs are up more than 50% with around a 2% increase in both K% and BB%. Peoria’s staff has the highest home run per batter faced in the league, but has improved strikeout and walk rates. It will be worth following to see if the bloated home run totals are still partially a small sample-size issue, or if the trend continues. 

Prospects holding steady

Leonel Sequera (28), Blake Aita (35)

Prospects trending up

Tanner Franklin (24) is probably the biggest up arrow guy in the Cardinals system. Keith Law ranked him as the 25th-best prospect in baseball at the Athletic. While this feels a little aggressive, he is poised to start joining other top 100 lists if he keeps up his current pace a bit longer.  Yhoiker Fajardo (33) is one of six 19-year-olds to pitch in High-A this year.He has the 11th-best K-BB% (minimum 40 IP) of any pitcher in the minor leagues at 25%. Fajardo has struggled with the home run ball, like everyone in Peoria, but he could be making a run at top 100 prospect lists by year’s end as well. Jacob Odle (NR) is the biggest arrow up pitching prospect in the system that was unranked entering the season. He has just one High-A start but terrorized the Florida State League with a wicked fastball averaging 97.1 MPH and 17.5 inches of induced vertical break (IVB). For reference, Chase Burns is the only qualified starting pitcher in MLB to throw harder (98 MPH) with more IVB (18.7). Odle has less than 100 professional innings pitched and is already 22, but he is officially on the prospect watchlist. 

Prospects trending down

Nate Dohm (34) was acquired in the Ryan Helsley trade and was one of the more popular picks to break out this year. As a former reliever with great stuff, he was in a similar category as Tanner Franklin entering the year. Unfortunately, he has battled command and only been able to get through 24 innings in nine appearances. I am not ready to write him off, but he is trending in the wrong direction. Jose Davila (37) has barely pitched this year and Frank Elissalt (42) has not appeared at all. Despite the low ranking, Elissalt has a lot of fans in the prospect-watching community thanks to a nasty fastball, but he is still working his way back from a hip injury suffered in spring training. 

Palm Beach Cardinals

Florida State League home runs are up 37%, right in line with the Palm Beach team’s year-over-year increase. Strikeout rates in the league have jumped almost 3%, which makes the Cardinals increase look a bit less impressive. The Palm Beach roster is light on prospects relative to the other teams in the system, but Brian Holiday is a non-ranked name to watch that has just joined the club after returning from his Tommy John rehab. 

Prospects holding steady 

Cade Crossland (23), Jack Martinez (39), Ethan Young (40)

Prospects trending down 

Yordy Herrera (44) is in the same category for me as Clemente, but I am including him for completeness of the FanGraphs list. He is still in Low-A and not getting results. 

Conclusion

So, where does that leave us? At the team level, every level except Palm Beach has gotten younger. All four teams are striking out between 3%-11% more than the league average. Three of the four teams have improved their walk rate relative to the league, with Springfield being the exception. Peoria’s staff has been a weird outlier on the home run front, but the other staffs are above average in that department as well. To me, the younger staffs and improved strikeout rates are encouraging signs that the talent level within the system is rising.

When looking at individual players trending up vs. trending down, I think the signs are encouraging as well. Franklin and Fajardo are both taking major steps forward.  Odle is one of the most exciting out-of-nowhere arms I can remember in quite some time. Mason Molina could be a back-end starter and getting Cade Winquest back in the system was a nice bonus. These developments more than offset the continued struggles of Hence, the injuries to Ixan Henderson and Frank Elissalt, and the poor start by Nate Dohm. 

Cooper Hjerpe made his first rehab appearance on Friday night in the complex league. How Hjerpe, Henderson, and Clarke pitch in the second half will have a huge impact on the pitching picture going into 2027, but based on what we’ve seen so far, Bloom’s plan is trending in the right direction.