MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 22: Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Ryan Ward (67) makes contact during a MLB game between the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers on June 22, 2026, at Target Field in Minneapolis MN. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
All four Dodgers affiliates are at home this week. The two in the state of Oklahoma picked up wins on Friday.
Player of the day
Ryan Ward homered in his first game back with Oklahoma City on June 30 after getting optioned, but had no extra-base hits in his first seven games of July. Ward made up for that on Friday with a home run and two doubles.
Ward also singled, tying his season best with four hits.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
The Comets had eight extra-base hits in a home romp over the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres). Ward had three of the eight extra-base hits.
Alek Thomas also homered, his third in three games. Jack Suwinski doubled twice and drove in four runs Austin Gauthier and Ryan Fitzgerald also doubled.
Christian Romero struck out five while allowing a run in 5 1/3 innings, with the only run coming on a solo home run.
Ryder Ryan came within one out of a three-inning save, but was pulled with two outs after allowing three runs in the ninth inning. Jerming Rosario entered with a five-run lead but the bases loaded and the tying run on deck. He struck out Bryce Johnson to earn a save of the more standard variety.
Double-A Tulsa
Josue De Paula had three hits, including an RBI double in the Drillers’ four-run rally that gave them the lead for good in a victory over the Springfield Cardinals.
Zyhir Hope hit the game-tying two-run single in that seventh inning and also walked and stole a base.
Kendall George singled twice, walked, stole two bases, and scored a pair of runs. After missing a month with a knee injury and five tune-up games with Class-A Ontario, George in his first four games back with Tulsa has eight hits in 16 at-bats plus three walks and three stolen bases.
Evan Shaw pitched three scoreless, hitless innings in relief with four strikeouts to earn the win.
High-A Great Lakes
Two runs in the eighth inning doomed the Loons in a loss to the Dayton Dragons (Reds). Robby Porco pitched a scoreless seventh but walked a pair with one out in the eighth before getting pulled. Both walks scored on a single off Justin Chambers.
One day after his 20th birthday, Chase Harlan hit his third home run and sixth extra-base hit in 13 games since getting promoted to Great Lakes. Shortstop Emil Morales, who doesn’t turn 20 until September, doubled, singled, and drove in a pair. Morales in four games in this series has 10 hits, including five extra-base hits, and seven RBI.
Brooks Auger allowed a pair of home runs for a second straight start, after giving up no long balls in his first 10 starts, encompassing 37 innings and 153 batters faced. Though he gave up four runs on Friday, Auger also struck out eight, giving him 66 strikeouts and 20 walks in 46 1/3 innings this season, with a 34.2-percent strikeout rate.
Class-A Ontario
Tower Buzzers pitching allowed crooked numbers in four different innings in a blowout loss to the the Inland Empire (Mariners).
The bulk of the scoring came against Marco Estrada, who allowed five runs in his 3 2/3 innings of relief, including a pair of home runs. Drafted by the Dodgers in the seventh round out of MIT last July, Estrada struck out five and walked four on Friday. The right-hander has filled up the box score this season, with 50 walks and 66 strikeouts in his 57 2/3 innings, and a 7.96 ERA.
Marlon Nieves was activated off the injured list after missing two months and allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings in his abbreviated start.
Third baseman Easton Shelton hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning, his league-leading 24th home run, nine more than anybody else in the California League. Mairo Martinus also homered for Ontario.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 10: Matt Krook #58 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on July 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nationals addiction to platoon matchups has hurt them a few times this year, but there was no more obvious example than last night. In a 3-2 game in the top of the 9th, Blake Butera went to lefty Matt Krook over sticking with Clayton Beeter. Krook, who now has a career ERA of 16.62 gave up the lead by allowing a home run to the left handed Jazz Chisholm.
Going to a guy with an ERA of 14 over your best reliever just does not make sense. I do not care what hand Matt Krook throws with https://t.co/mbHa5dYitn
I am not really sure what book Blake Butera is going off of right now, but there needs to be some serious reflection after last night. Butera needs to start trusting his best relievers instead of turning to guys based on what hand they throw with. Moving forward, Butera cannot be pulling his best reliever for a guy with an ERA in the double digits in the 9th inning.
After the game, Butera explained his decision by saying he brought in Krook because of the three lefties/switch hitters that were up. He told me that he went with Krook over the more reliable PJ Poulin because he liked how Krook matched up with the switch hitting Jasson Dominguez. Krook ended up allowing a single to Dominguez and a homer to Jazz Chisholm who is worse against left-handed pitching.
I love so much of what Butera and the new regime have done, but they have not covered themselves in glory building or managing this bullpen. Jose A. Ferrer would be a decent lefty to throw out there in the 9th, but he was traded for Harry Ford, who is struggling in AAA. Butera himself has struggled to push the right buttons in an admittedly weak bullpen.
There have been plenty of times where you can’t really blame Butera for this bad bullpen melting down. However, last night was not one of those cases. It felt like we had the Yankees right where we wanted them after Clayton Beeter got a strikeout to end the 8th. Beeter, who has not allowed a run in his last 7 outings, would come out for the 9th, and the fans would be happy.
Butera had other plans though. He wanted to play the matchups instead of sticking with his best arm. It is not like Beeter has a problem against left handed hitters though. Lefties are hitting just .200 against Beeter this season and .198 in his career. Beeter’s downer slider is a platoon neutral weapon that works against lefties and righties.
For what it's worth, left-handed hitters are slashing .200/.373/.222 vs. Clayton Beeter this season and .198/.368/.341 for his career.
However, Butera thought Krook was the right move, and he got burned. Moving forward, I think the Nats need to play to their own strengths instead of fixating on other teams weaknesses. Sure, some of these Yankees hitters struggle against lefties, but with all due respect, most of the lefties they are facing are better than Matt Krook.
Right now, the Nats have 4 low slot, soft-tossing lefties in the bullpen. Three of them pitched yesterday, and while Palmquist and Cosgrove did their jobs, Krook did not. Moving forward, I really want Blake Butera to manage based on his own personnel instead of being such a reactive manager.
Final thought of the night: Your process is only as good as your personnel. And if you don't have the personnel to make your preferred process work, you have to be willing to alter it. I have a hunch the Nationals will.
One thing I thought was revealing was when Blake Butera said after the game that having Krook, or at least one of his lefties closing out the game was pre-planned. It is just another example of this regime’s extreme devotion to platoon matchups. Having 4 lefties in the bullpen was part of the plan for this weekend.
However, I think the Nats should pay more attention to quality over what hand a guy throws with. Honestly, after Brad Lord’s injury, Eddy Yean should have been given the call up to the big leagues. He has an upper 90’s heater and a real mound presence. The Nats went with Tom Cosgrove though. Cosgrove’s profile just feels redundant with Krook, Poulin and Carson Palmquist.
Part of what makes these low slot lefties effective is that they are a unique look. If hitters just keep seeing one low slot lefty after another, they are going to catch on at some point. It felt like that happened when the Yankees faced their third low slot lefty of the night.
This should be a major wake up call for Blake Butera and this front office. For most of these bullpen meltdowns, you can blame it on Butera not having the guys or his guys letting him down. However, last night, Butera had his guy on the mound, but pulled him after one batter for a pitcher with a career ERA over 16 because of what hand he throws the baseball with.
HOOVER, AL - MAY 20: Head coach Tim Corbin of the Vanderbilt Commodores walks off the field during the SEC Baseball Tournament second round game between Vanderbilt Commodores and Florida Gators on May 20, 2026, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.(Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s Draft Day. For most sports, it’s a celebratory day where you’re glad to hear the names of your boys, cheering them on as they jump to the next level. For college baseball fans, it’s a PTSD-laden war of attrition where your mood is dependent on hearing the fewest amount of names of your potential incoming freshman class. Zero names is ideal, of course, but when you ‘croot at Vanderbilt’s level, that’s never (or almost never, it did happen once) a realistic ask.
In short, go ahead and forget the names of OF Eric Booth Jr. (expected to go in the top 10 picks of the 1st round) and SS Aiden Ruiz (a slick-fielding defensive maven likely to get tabbed in the first 50 or so picks). Expect also to lose top pitchers LHP Sean Duncan and RHP Joseph Contreras (though there’s an outside chance one makes it to campus) and at least one of our two top SS commits, SS James Tronstein and SS Luke Williams. Keep it to losing 4 or 5 of them, and none of our remaining members of the #1 ‘crootin’ class in the nation, and we have set ourselves up to return to the postseason, challenge for a #1 seed this year, and challenge for a title in 2-3 years. Get decimated and… well, remember when Krusty drank gasoline and woke up on Bart’s lawn?
Then there’s our boys (you know, the ones who haven’t transferred out like pretty much our entire 2026 bullpen). Honestly, not a lot of Diamond Dores are expected to get drafted, and none (well, maybe Braden Holcomb) should expect to hear their names today (rounds 1-4).
Regardless, join up in the comments to collectively white knuckle the worst weekend of the year for college baseball fans with us at Anchor of Gold. Pour Jobu his rum, Hail Pinman, and scream “OO!” at Vocockyteps. It’s Draft Day.
Brandon Dubinsky signed what would be his last NHL contract on this day in 2014. He signed a six-year deal that would keep him in Columbus until 2021.
Dubinsky was traded to Columbus in the summer of 2012, in the now-infamous Rick Nash trade. Coming to Columbus with Dubinsky were Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon, and a draft pick, who would later become Kerby Rychel.
Dubinsky played a hard-nosed style of hockey and would not hesitate to jump into or cause a scrum. He was notorious for trying to get under Sidney Crosby's skin, and even if he couldn't, he kept trying.
Dubinsky has a ton of highlights, but for fans of Columbus, there must be only one. In the first round of the 2014 playoffs, the Blue Jackets were playing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Down in the game 3-2 and in the series 2-1, Marc-Andre Fleury would attempt to play the puck behind his net. Ryan Johansen would steal it from behind the net and sling it directly into the middle of the ice where Dubinsky was standing. He quickly gathered it on his stick and shot it between two defenders and a diving Fleury. The goal rocked Nationwide Arena and the City of Columbus. Columbus would go on to win that game in overtime.
Sadly, after the 2018-19 season, Dubinsky’s career was cut short due to what was described as a “chronic condition” in his wrist. He embodied what it meant to be a Blue Jacket 10 years ago. A hard worker who would do anything to beat you. He would finish his CBJ career with a stat line of 72-153-225, and his faceoff % was over 50% every year he played in the NHL.
He played his last regular season game on April 6, 2019. A month later, after helping the CBJ defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning, he played his last playoff game against the Boston Bruins.
These days you can routinely catch him at CBJ games sitting amongst the crowd. Dubinsky is also a partner with JBM Development, a construction company focusing on developing and managing multi-family housing in Columbus.
Today we salute you, Brandon Dubinsky.
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 10: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Petco Park on July 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres brought the winning run to the plate with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. Xander Bogaerts stepped into the batter’s box with Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. on first and second base after the Padres recorded three consecutive two-out hits off Padres closer Louis Varland. Bogaerts worked the count full, but on the final pitch of the at-bat he hit a routine ground ball to third base, which resulted in the final out of the game to give San Diego a 5-3 loss at the hands of Toronto in their series opener at Petco Park on Friday night.
The Padres came into the bottom of the ninth trailing, 5-2. Jake Cronenworth pinch hit and struck out to open the inning and Luis Rengifo hit a deep fly ball into left field for the second out of the inning. Luis Campusano lined a ball back through the middle of the infield and Tatis followed with a line drive single through the right side of the infield. Merrill stepped in and connected on another base hit, which scored Campusano to cut the deficit to 5-3.
Bogaerts represented the winning run and Petco Park was waiting to erupt with a big hit from the San Diego shortstop. Bogaerts started the scoring in the game in the bottom of the first inning when he connected on a two-run home run off starter Shane Bieber to put the Padres up 2-0. Considering the speed of Tatis and Merrill and the fact that they were on the move on a 3-2 pitch, a base hit by Bogaerts might have tied the game, but it would have likely brought San Diego within a run with Manny Machado set to come to the plate. However, that was not how the 3-2 pitch played out. Instead, Bogaerts bounced a ground ball to Toronto third baseman Kazuma Okamoto who threw across the diamond in time to get Bogaerts to end the inning and the game.
Okamoto proved to have the game-winning hit for the Blue Jays in the top of the fifth inning. Padres starter JP Sears allowed two of the first three batters of the inning to reach base on singles and Jhony Brito came in to face Vladamir Guerrero Jr. Brito allowed an RBI-single and Toronto tied the game at 2-2. Brito then faced Okamoto who won a seven-pitch at-bat with a 377-foot three-run home run into the left field bleachers to give the Blue Jays a 5-2 lead.
San Diego will try to stop a two-game losing streak in the second game of the series against Toronto today at 5:40 p.m.
Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers the same night he was scratched from his start on the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
BAD GASTEIN, AUSTRIA - MAY 28: The Schlossalmbahn cable cars transport guests to the attend the opening event of CALL Film Festival at Restaurant Hirsch & Maus on May 28, 2026 in Bad Gastein, Austria. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hickory starter Daniel Keaney gave up five runs in five innings, striking out three and walking one.
Pablo Guerrero was 2 for 5 with a double. Yolfran Castillo was 3 for 4 with a double, a triple and a walk. Paulino Santana had a hit and a walk. Daniel Flames doubled and walked twice. Angel Arredondo doubled. Marco Argudin had a hit and a walk.
Round Rock starter Jose Corniell allowed five runs in 1.2 IP, walking three and striking out one. Emiliano Teodo walked one, struck out one and allowed one run in 1.1 IP. Wilian Bormie allowed two runs in an inning of work, walking two. Luis Curvelo threw two shutout innings.
Another busy slate in the Majors means more opportunity for long balls in my MLB player props home run analysis.
I'll include James Wood, Chase DeLauter, and Ben Rice in today's MLB picks for Saturday, July 11.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
James Wood
+350
Chase DeLauter
+549
Ben Rice
+275
💲Today's HR parlay
+8986
Home run pick: James Wood (+350)
Washington Nationals star James Wood is crushing baseballs right now. He owns a .722 ISO over his last six games, going deep four times during that span. Wood's hard-hit rate over the last week also sits at 62.9%, with a barrel rate just under 20%.
The slugger will face New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler tonight. Although the youngster has been dominant overall, he's had trouble with the long ball recently. Schlittler has allowed 3.00 HR/9 across his last two outings.
This Yankees pen has also surrendered 1.63 HR/9 across their last 27 2/3 innings. There's a lot of opportunity for Wood to leave the yard again.
I'll play this pick down to +300.
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: YES, Nationals.TV
Home run pick: Chase DeLauter (+549)
Cleveland Guardians youngster Chase DeLauter has homered in back-to-back games, and he has three bombs in his last six contests. DeLauter carries a .417 ISO during that span and an astounding 68.4% hard-hit rate. The 24-year-old is consistently squaring up the baseball.
DeLauter will face Miami Marlins starter Eury Pérez this afternoon. The righty has allowed a home run in six of his last eight outings. He's been pitching well, but it's common for him to make a mistake in a start, and an opponent punishes it.
That could be DeLauter this afternoon, considering just how well he's seeing the baseball.
I'll play this pick down to +450.
Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Guardians.TV, Marlins.TV
Home run pick: Ben Rice (+275)
Ben Rice has emerged as a superstar this season, and he's showing off his power ahead of the HR Derby. The slugger has clubbed five long balls in his last seven games. Over that span, he owns a .556 ISO and 19% barrel rate.
Today's matchup heavily favors Rice. The Yankees will face the struggling Miles Mikolas. He's surrendered 2.77 HR/9 across his previous two appearances, and opponents also have a 40.8% hard-hit rate against him over the last two weeks.
This Nationals bullpen is also giving up 1.86 HR/9 over the last seven days. Whether it's against Mikolas or the relief corps when they enter, Rice has a great chance to put one in the bleachers.
Play this down to +250.
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: YES, Nationals.TV
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 15-75, -4.99 units
Today’s HR parlay
James Wood
Bet Now +8986
Chase DeLauter
Ben Rice
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1st over: England 4-0 (Salt 2, Buttler 1) Another quiet opening over for England with the bat. Arshdeep Singh is swinging the ball with his left-arm efforts, and neither Salt nor Buttler tries anything expansive.
SINGAPORE, Jan. 21, 2020 -- A dumbo rat is seen with the Chinese character "Fu", which means good fortune, during an event to welcome the Year of the Rat in Singapore Zoo of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore on Jan. 21, 2020. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/ via Getty Images) | Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images
Less than a month after playing a competitive game, the Knicks were back on a court doing some goofy play. Here are some links and notes before New York gets back to it against a familiar foe later today.
The Knicks opened Summer League with a 91-65 loss to the Nets. Shouts out to my Brooklynites for taking advantage of the only time of the year they’re good enough to beat New York.
Mohamed Diawara did not sugarcoat his awful performance after going 1-for-9 from the field and putting up a monster minus-39 in 23 minutes of playing time.
“I got to do way better. I think the level that we take back is, like, a little way better. I can play like I played today, and just be better than last game.”
Pacome Dadiet somehow looked like a player, scored a team-high 20, and multiplied his value as he enters his third season in the League, earning $2.9 million. Of note, per the Daily News’ Kristian Windfield, Dadiet’s cap hit rises to $5.4 million next year, so the Knicks will need to make a business decision here.
Rookie Tyler Nickel made a smooth impression, coming off the pine and drilling six threes of 10 attempted for all 18 of his points. Fellow drafted neophyte Jack Kayil did not make his Summer League debut (no big deal) after the mini-paperwork saga that finally got him onto the roster. Debut expected against the Spurs on Saturday, per Kris Pursianen.
T.J. Saint is already impressed (h/t James L. Edwards) with a particular area of Nickel’s game, and it’s got nothing to do with his three-point shooting. before the shooting show, but acknowledged Dadiet and Diawara’s struggles.
The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy wrote that the Knicks are now in the NBA’s “culture” sweet spot, revealing its two ingredients and comparing this New York team to Tim Duncan’s Spurs and Steph Curry’s Warriors. Trying to keep it spoiler-free:
“The reality, as evidenced through the NBA’s history, is ‘culture’ cannot be spoken into existence. It requires two important components, both non-negotiable and both currently achieved by the Knicks.
“(The Spurs and the Warriors) represented the standard because of Duncan and Curry. When Duncan left, Gregg Popovich was just a below-average coach. When Curry is injured, Steve Kerr’s record plummets.”
Julius Randle is back in New York, just on the wrong side of the bridge. On Friday, attending the Nets-Knicks Summer League game, Randle spoke about plenty of things, including his role as a mentor in Brooklyn and the similarities between this new chapter and the one he spent with the Knicks. Never not like Jules.
“It feels great to be here. It’s a great opportunity. It’s a city I’m already really familiar with; it’s a situation that I’m familiar with. Then, there’s a lot of talent.
“As far as the trade stuff, man, I’m 13 years in, bro. I played in New York already; so you hear that stuff all the time. I’m used to that. It just is what it is. You ride the wave of it. At the end of the day, I’m playing basketball and I’m doing what I love for a living. So, it’s all I ask for.”
Victor Wembanyama pulled a Brunson and signed a five-year, $252 million rookie extension with the Spurs, locking himself into the 25 percent max instead of preserving the chance to jump to the 30 percent max with All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, or MVP honors next season. In other words, he left about $10 million annually on the table to give the Spurs some flexibility going forward.
Down in Miami: chaos. Bam Adebayo punched Tyler Herro in the face at a Las Vegas practice court in front of Herro’s AAU squad. Chaz with the full breakdown here.
There is only one “rightful” farewell tour for LeBron James, thinks Charles Barkley.
Meanwhile, a former Ohio cupcake-shop owner who once became famous for calling LeBron’s 2014 Cleveland return is now claiming LeBron is coming back to the Cavs with Bronny James and Draymond Green. Personally, I never found a cupcake I didn’t like, so I’m with Jonathan on this one.
Jul 10, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Anthony Seigler (48) reacts after reaching second base on an error by New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (not pictured) during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
The Red Sox had a bunch of issues getting to New York for yesterday’s game, but you wouldn’t know it based on the results. Boston scored two unearned runs off Nolan McLean in the first inning to take the lead and the Mets stayed behind all evening, ultimately losing 6-2.
The Mets made a series of roster moves prior to last night’s game, including officially placing Mark Vientos on the injured list and bringing Tobias Myers back to the active roster.
Vientos will be out for 6-8 weeks due to his hand injury; in happier news, Clay Holmes continues to progress in his return.
NBA Summer League picks for Saturday, July 11 feature a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals, and I’m taking the San Antonio Spurs to get the win over the New York Knicks.
I’m also backing a couple of underdogs today, as I see value in both the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers to win on Saturday.
NBA Summer League predictions for July 11
Pick
Spurs moneyline
-133
Pacers moneyline
+122
Lakers moneyline
+170
Today's Summer League Picks
Spurs moneyline (-133 at Kalshi)
In a rematch of this year's NBA Finals, I’m picking the San Antonio Spurs to exact a small measure of revenge against the New York Knicks. The Spurs have a fascinating Summer League roster, including Carter Bryant, who played throughout the NBA Playoffs for San Antonio, as well as Tarris Reed Jr., the second-round draft pick who will be fighting to get minutes as a backup center behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet.
Meanwhile, the Knicks aren’t doing much of interest to fans or bettors in Summer League, with most of their roster — and especially their main rotation — already in place for next season. A New York roster led by Mo Diawara won’t have the depth to compete with the Spurs, who should win this game handily.
Pacers moneyline (+122 at Kalshi)
The Indiana Pacers showed their Summer League strength on Friday, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-93 in their offseason opener. Rienk Mast scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win, with Jalen Slawson adding 15 points, six boards, and five blocks.
The Philadelphia 76ers are also coming off a win, but with Labaron Philon Jr. and Johni Broome leading the way, they have far less experience than Indiana on their summer roster.
Mast is battle-tested, as he plays for the Netherlands in international play and is clearly taking his Summer League opportunity seriously. Even as an undrafted rookie, I like that level of experience to help lead the Pacers to a win on Saturday.
Lakers moneyline (+170 at Kalshi)
The Los Angeles Lakers come into Saturday’s Summer League matchup against the Dallas Mavericks as a significant underdog, but I think they offer excellent value to bettors at this price.
With LeBron James moving on from the Lakers, Los Angeles has an added desire to consider its options when it comes to young players who may potentially end up on the NBA roster. That includes a number of promising draft picks like Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr, along with undrafted free agent Robbie Avila.
Thiero scored 20 points on Friday night in a 96-84 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Carr adding 18 points in the victory. I’m expecting more of the same on Saturday, with the Lakers likely to overwhelm a Mavericks team that lost 101-90 to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
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Saturday’s NBA Summer League parlay
Spurs moneyline
Pacers moneyline
Lakers moneyline
+950 at Kalshi
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A.J. Ewing is enjoying a fine stretch, 11-for-26 (.423) with three home runs and a double in his last six games. He's up to a .282 average and .805 OPS through his first 55 career games
Freddy Peralta could really do with a bounce-back start, as he's allowed 21 runs (16 earned) on 28 hits and six walks in his last 17 innings over four outings. But the one encouraging note for Saturday is that he was decent in his lone Citi Field outing in that span: pitching 5.2 innings and allowing three runs (no earned) against Chicago, but some walks loomed large
Today's Lineups
RED SOX
METS
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What channel is SNY?
Check your TV or streaming provider's website or channel finder to find your local listings.
How can I stream the game?
The way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or MLB.tv.
Open “MLB” and tap on “Subscriber Login” for Apple Devices or “Sign in with MLB.com” for Android Devices.
Type in your MLB.com credentials and tap “Log In.”
To access live or on-demand content, tap on the "Watch" tab from the bottom navigation bar. Select the "Games" sub-tab to see a listing of available games. You can scroll to previous dates using the left and right arrows. Tap on a game to select from the game feeds available.
For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here.
Tigers prospect Jordan Yost practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As in 2024, the Detroit Tigers were once again faced with a low pick as they selected 24th overall in the 2025 MLB amateur draft. Unlike 2024, they had the competitive balance A round selection, which helped both in terms of picks but also in terms of bonus pool to a degree. They did as expected, spreading their $10,990,000 bonus pool around with a mix of early underslot deals and inexpensive college picks to help them go overslot later on to lock up a deeper pool of talent.
As always though, the draft is largely about your top picks and who gets the biggest signing bonuses, with those two things not always fully aligned. The rest are more of a bulk buy where you’re hoping to draft a lot of players you already have a lead on developing, and eventually produce a good player or two along with pitching and positional depth in the farm system. We’ll see how the top picks turn out in time, but the Tigers did a really nice adjusting their strategy a bit and finding a nice mix of smaller program college picks, JUCO players, along with a couple of big ticket prep arms and some talented but raw high schoolers as value picks late in the draft.
Round 1: No. 24 – SS Jordan Yost, (Sickles HS, FL) $3.25M
I remain a little baffled by the response to the Tigers first round selection, prep shortstop Jordan Yost. In Yost the Tigers got an advanced defensive shortstop in a left-handed teenaged hitter with a good eye and great feel for making contact. Sure, he’s still on the skinny side and doesn’t pack much power yet, but unlike some other older, slender infielders in the Tigers’ system, Yost has enough room on his frame that he can add signficant muscle in the coming years. He already packed on 13 pounds over his first offseason, and is showing 40 grade raw power as a teenager. It’s a good bet that in three years time he’ll approach average raw power. In game that’s probably more like 45 for him, but a plus shortstop who hits 10-15 homers, steals bases, and rarely strikes out is not a big ask here. In fact I’d say it’s pretty likely.
Yost holds a 12.2 strikeout rate in his first look at Single-A Lakeland. His walk rate is 14.5 percent. You don’t see that from a teenaged prospect very often, and it will hold up well against more advanced pitching as he develops more batspeed. His hit tool isn’t going to match McGonigle’s elite level as a prospect but you can expect a plus hitter who is on base a lot, chips in some power and stolen bases, and locks down the shortstop position, potentially bumping Bryce Rainer to third and McGonigle to second base. He needs a few years, but Yost has a good deal of upside, and the floor set by his current tools is already pretty solid.
Competitive Balance Round A: No. 34 – C Michael Oliveto, Hauppauge (NY) $2.45M
This Long Island prep catcher burst on the scene prior to the draft with a huge showing in the World Wood Bat Association Championship. That helped him boost his draft stock significantly despite being a northeast kid who didn’t face the best competition often in high school. The bat quickly became more well regarded, but there were, and are, still concerns about his arm strength as it pertains to the catcher position. On the other hand, Oliveto should develop well in all other respects, and one thing the Tigers do really well is evaluate and develop catchers, so we’ll just have to trust them on the arm strength.
Oliveto has a pretty sweet, left-handed swing and controls the strike zone very well for his age. He should develop above average power, and has the tools to get to it regularly. What he lacks, is top shelf competitive experience. Between that factor and the demands of getting a full on course in professional catching this season in the Complex League, and soon a move to Single-A Lakeland, a slow start with the bat is likely. Once he has his feet under him defensively and is comfortable handling a pro pitching staff, more focus can turn to developing his hit tool.
Oliveto was headed to Yale before the Tigers signed him, and his smarts and work ethic draw extremely high marks, so he’s teachable and motivated, and should get the most out of his natural abilities. I think he’ll hit, but we’ll have to see how he develops behind the plate. That will take plenty of time. Round 2: No. 62 – RHP Malachi Witherspoon (University of Oklahoma) $1.451M
Witherspoon is kind of an all or nothing pick. The stuff is undeniably excellent already. He sits in the mid-to-high 90’s, and has touched 100 but his sinker is more of a bat breaker than a bat misser. He has the breaking stuff and changeup to be a frontline starter, but his command is decidedly a work in progress and his long-armed, low three-quarters delivery suggests quite a bit of relief risk. If he puts it all together, the Tigers are going to look great here. The sinker is a dominant pitch when he’s locating it, and his cutter, slider, and changeup all flash plus, but he has a decided tendency to suddenly lose the plot in the middle of an outing for a few hitters before pulling himself together. There’s certainly a chance he never executes and self-corrects enough to even make it as the high leverage reliever he already has the stuff to become. Round 3: No. 98 – LHP Ben Jacobs (Arizona State University) $722,500
Jacobs has been the quickest riser out of this class, showing a good, riding fourseamer at 93-95 mph with an above average slider and curveball, and a plus changeup that has made him tough on right-handed hitters. He’s had a few bouts of control issues as he and the Tigers develop his delivery and stuff, but he’s handled a quick move to High-A West Michigan pretty well. The 22-year-old has plenty in the stuff department. The big step is commanding the whole package more consistently.
The Tigers kept adding quality college pitchers with this left-hander with big extension to the plate. Leys has a solid slider and a good changeup developing, but he’s still sitting 92 mph with pretty average movement on his fourseamer. He’ll use his sinker as well and it’s been effective. Leys is in Single-A Lakeland, but is still walking a few too many batters to move out from under the Tigers’ close eye in Lakeland. There’s enough projection here to think he’ll eventually throw harder. If he gets to more velo and keeps refining his fastball and slider command he could make it as a starter, but he feels more like a future lefty swingman type. Round 5: No. 159 – RHP Ryan Hall (North Gwinnett HS, GA) $997,500
This is still the Tigers under Scott Harris, and so the draft wouldn’t have been complete without an expensive speculative big-bonus selection of a prep pitcher. Right-hander Ryan Hall was a quarterback and pitching standout both in high school. At six-foot-one he doesn’t have the big, rangy build of the classic power pitcher, but Hall can spin the baseball and has standout athleticism. He’s been up to 95 mph and the Tigers clearly believe there’s a ton of projection here. And, unlike their other prep picks, Hall didn’t miss much time before his pro debut. He’s currently working in the Complex League and is due to move over to the Single-A level in another week or two as the Complex League wraps up. Round 6: No. 189: – LHP Grayson Grinsell (Oregon) $297,500
This lefty has an interesting fastball-changeup combination and is working to develop his slider and changeup, as well as his command, in his first pro season. Grinsell gets over 19 inches of induced vertical break on his fourseamer, but it’s still 90-92 mph for the most part. His changeup is good, and his arm speed and extension help it play up. He needs to keep building velo and sharpening his slider. His control has been a little shaky at the Single-A level, but he racking up plenty of strikeouts so far. Round 7: No. 219 – OF/RHP Cale Wetwiska (Northern Oklahoma) $645,700
Wetwiska got a pretty nice bonus as well as a JUCO selection. The big-armed right-hander has good ride, extension, and cutting action on his 95.5 mph fourseamer and has touched 98 mph with the Single-A Flying Tigers this spring. He’ll mix in plenty of sinkers as well, but the real trick is turning his natural supinator traits into a good cutter-slider combination. He can spin the baseball, but while he’ll flash good editions of both breaking balls they’re still pretty inconsistent. Wetwiska is also a good candidate to learn a splitter, and he’ll need it if he’s going to remain a starting pitcher. The right-hander went down with an injury in early April, but he’s rehabbed and back starting in Single-A now. Round 8: No. 249 – OF Nick Dumesnil (California Baptist) $214,300
The Tigers went back to their well of athletic, inexpensive college players to select Dumesnil, and the 22-year-old looks like a fine selection. He’s walking a lot in Lakeland and keeping the strikeouts under control. He’s also shown some power and speed on the bases to go with the ability to play all three outfield positions. Round 9: No. 279 – LHP Trevor Heishman (St. John Bosco HS, CA) $347,500
This left-handed high schooler has a lot of interesting projection, but he’s yet to pitch this season. Now 19 years old, there isn’t much to add that we didn’t know on draft day. He’s six-foot-four and weighs in at 230 pounds, so he’s already quite a specimen. Heishman was low 90’s in high school but really spins the fastball and breaking stuff well, getting plenty of carry on the fastball. There is enormous upside here but it’s going to take plenty of time to get there. Round 10: No. 309 – C Edian Espinal (Central Florida) $185,300
Espinal has been a fascinating player to watch in Lakeland this spring. He was a JUCO pick who mainly played second base until converting to catcher last year. He’s only five-foot-seven and fairly thickly built, yet he still runs reasonable well. The defense will take plenty of time, but he has the arm strength and the athleticism to succeed. What has really turned heads, however, is his bat. The switch-hitter has really good bat to ball skills and is posting outstanding walk and strikeout rates that are nearly identical. He’s flashed solid raw power as well with six home runs so far and a max exit velocity of 108.1 mph. His average exit velocity is 90.7 mph, pretty exceptional for a JUCO pick dropped into the pro full season environment. Espinal has lived on base with the Flying Tigers, posting a .418 on-base percentage. Right now he’s a bat first catcher but the defense is coming along. Espinal can hit, and if he can develop into a quality major league catcher this is going to be a huge winner of a pick. Round 11: No. 339 – RHP River Hamilton (Sam Barlow HS, OR) $497,500
Hamilton has the raw stuff and frame to be pretty excited about him, but this one will require plenty of patience as well. He was very well regarded on the prep circuit and might have been a late first round pick had he not torn his UCL and required Tommy John last summer. The Tigers took him anyway, betting that they could sign him and that he’ll rehab the injury, come back in great shape, and prove a big winner of a pick that didn’t really require a huge, risky bonus. Round 12: No. 369 – RHP Cash Kuiper (Murray State) $150,000
This 21-year-old was another JUCO pick with big-time extension to the plate and some projection left in his six-foot-four frame. He has a pretty good changeup, but his slider and curveball need work. So far he’s been a little wild in Lakeland, but he came to the club without a ton of experience. Round 13: No. 399 – SS Jack Goodman (Northeastern) $150,000
Goodman has some power and plate discipline already, but he does swing a lot, and whiff a lot. He’s probably a second baseman, and has spent most of his time there in Lakeland. He has touched 109 mph off the bat, so there’s power potential in a right-handed hitting middle infielder, but it will take a major breakout to get him much prospect consideration. Still, he’s another athletic young player with a lot of tools, and it’s a question of how far he can refine his eye and hit tool. Round 14: No. 429: – 1B Beau Ankeney (Loyola Marymount) $150,000
Ankeney is built like a superhero and shows off plus raw power already. He’s been crushing it in Lakeland with 14 home runs in a half season of work in his pro debut, and can get to that pop to all fields. He’s also a free swinger who chases and punches out a lot. It’s probably not going to work out, but Ankeney feels like a guy the Tigers would’ve drafted in the 5-10 round range a decade ago and spent real money on. He’s a fun lottery ticket. Round 15: No. 459 – RHP Charlie Christensen (Central Arkansas) $150,000
Christensen has already torn through Single-A and recently moved to West Michigan. He has a fairly nasty slider-changeup combination from a snappy, low three-quarters arm slot. The whiffs piled up for him when he was commanding the secondary pitches, but his 92 mph sinker is still quite hittable when he’s behind in the count and needs a strike. Still a 36.7 percent strikeout rate in your Single-A pro debut out of a smaller college program is pretty darn good. The six-foot-four right-hander has some velocity projection remaining and boasts nearly seven feet of extension to the plate. Outstanding pick at the price. Round 16: No. 489 – RHP Joe Ruzicka (Belmont) $150,000
Ruzicka was a standout college pitcher in the small Missouri Valley conference. The six-foot-three right-hander has the Tigers requisite good extension, and he also brings good fastball shape and a nice curveball to the table, but doesn’t throw very hard yet, averaging 92.2 mph. He does spin the ball well, getting good ride on the heater with the ability to develop his breaking stuff. Presumably the Tigers think the velo can improve in time. Round 17: No. 519 – RHP Joey Wimpelberg (Central Florida) $197,500
Wimpelberg is another JUCO selection. He just threw his first inning of pro ball the other day, so there isn’t much new to say about him yet. He was a two-way player in high school and broke out with one of the top Florida junior college programs. His high three-quarters slot produces a good fastball in the low to mid-90’s and he can really spin his breaking stuff. He’s quite raw, but there’s a lot to like in the base arm talent alone. Round 18: No. 549 – LHP Ethan Rogers (Lone Jack HS, MO)
Did not sign, attending Wichita State now. Round 19: No. 579 – SS Meridian Leffew (Gastion Christian, NC)$164,500
Leffew signed out of high school after reclassifying from the 2026 to the 2025 draft, wanting to go right to pro ball. The 19-year-old shortstop hasn’t played yet, and is presumably going through a ton of developmental work behind the scenes. He’s fairly large for a shortstop at six-foot-two and a listed 187 pounds already. He’s a pretty good raw athlete with natural loft in his right-handed swing. Any prep shortstop with good athleticism available at this price is a good pick. Round 20: No. 609 – OF Kameron Douglas (Alabama State) $150,000
The 22-year-old Douglas is an interesting two-way player who has been up to 96 mph and has high spin characteristics on his fastball and breaking pitches. He’s got speed and power at the plate and can play all over the outfield, though he profiles best as a right fielder. This is another fairly raw player with a lot of athleticism. We haven’t seen him yet, and I suspect the Tigers mainly view him as a pitcher and are taking their time improving his mechanics right now behind the scenes.
The Tigers showed some positive adjustments in this draft
Personally, I really like the Yost and Oliveto picks quite a bit where they landed them. Neither has the upside of Bryce Rainer, but they’re both strong selections with plenty of upside and high floors. The pivot made in this draft was the ongoing move toward college and JUCO pitchers, while still finding a few arms like Hall and Hamilton in the prep ranks.
Two key names here are certainly Witherspoon and Jacobs. They both have the stuff to make it as quality mid-rotation starters and possibly more, and the Tigers really need some wins on the pitching side. So far Jacobs looks good, while Witherspoon already has great stuff but has to overcome the tendency to lose his rhythm and release spot that he showed in college. He would’ve been a first rounder based on his stuff if this hadn’t been an ongoing concern throughout his college career.
The Tigers also continued to get a lot of raw talent for minimum, or close to it, bonuses, including locking up some inexpensive prep and JUCO talent to work with.
It’s fair to be underwhelmed with the haul here initially, but that’s generally how it goes picking near the bottom of the draft order. I actually really like the Yost-Oliveto combination, and the Tigers got a whole lot of value throughout the rest of the draft. They scout farther and wider than some clubs, and it continues to show up as they add talented players from smaller college programs and the JUCO ranks, while opportunistically adding prep athletes who are highly motivated to start their pro careers despite meager signing bonuses.
We’re only a few months into seeing this class in action, so it’s going to be another year or two until there’s a really good read on how the whole class is coming together. Still, hopefully it gives you some sense of how their strategy has evolved as they slipped down in the draft order, with smaller bonus pools to work with.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 15: Outfielder Drew Burress #8 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bats during the Spring Classic college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on April 15, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
A lot of names have been thrown around for the first Braves pick, which will be the ninth overall. We have covered some of them like Tyler Bell, Gio Rojas, Drew Burress, and Ryder Helfrick. You would like to get real upside from a top pick. The problem is that most evaluators have the first six picks well above the field. Although the Braves do have some extra money to use, they may not be able to break into that group.
The Braves have been able to get starters like Michael Harris, Drake Baldwin, Austin Riley, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Spencer Strider outside of the first 30 picks. Each one of those, even the ghost of Austin Riley, have been very productive and well worth the pick. Michael Harris was found in the third round after some draft pool maneuvering. He’s been worth 14.5 WAR and climbing.
So how important is the perfect first Braves pick? And I mean to find the next Braves All-Star? The evaluators like that top six, but MLB organizations often rate prospects much differently than the outsiders. So maybe they walk away with a highly-touted-in-public-circles pick. Although, if that doesn’t go their way, the later picks and the larger draft pool offer an excellent opportunity this year.
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