Seth Lugo was cruising along before taking a comebacker off the forehead in the 4th inning last night
In the fourth inning, Royals starter Seth Lugo was struck in the head by a 106.6 mph line drive off the bat of Rangers star Brandon Nimmo. It was a scary moment as both Nimmo and the Royals training staff raced out to Lugo.
Lugo was alert and able to walk off the field on his own power. The Royals would insert right-handed reliever Mason Black into the game.
Later in the game, the Royals did tweet this out on social media.
Seth Lugo is doing well after exiting tonight's game and will undergo the appropriate protocol and testing.
It wasn’t long after Kyle Isbel exited Tuesday’s game against the Rangers in the seventh inning that the Royals also pulled outfielder Kameron Misner from the Triple-A Omaha game in anticipation of needing their center-field depth.
By Wednesday afternoon, that need was confirmed. Isbel was placed on the 10-day injured list with left plantar fasciitis, and Misner was recalled from Triple-A prior to Kansas City’s 6-4 loss in 10 innings at Kauffman Stadium.
Misner, 28, is slashing .276/.373/.547 in 59 Triple-A games this season and was just named International League Player of the Week after going 10-for-24 during the week of June 1-7. The left-handed batter recorded three doubles, five home runs, two stolen bases and four multi-hit games in the six-game series against Columbus (Guardians).
Jac Caglianone is unstoppable at the plate currently, Kevin O’Brien of Royals Keep talked about it.
Blake Mitchell has been a fascinating case study in Quad Cities this season, Mike Gillespie of Royals Keep wrote about it
Preston Farr wrote about the Royals failure to develop hitters
Kameron Misner pinch ran in the 10th last night; however, Caleb Moody of Kings of Kauffman tells us why we should be excited about him as a whole
The White Sox, (yes really), are in first place in the AL Central after beating the Braves again last night
The Giants hit a walk off grand slam yesterday, and it was cool in a couple of different ways
Shohei Ohtani had a rough night in Pittsburgh last night
The New York Knicks overcame the largest deficit in NBA Finals history to go up 3-1 over the San Antonio Spurs
Patrick Mahomes becomes first half a billion-dollar NFL player
The Brendan Sorsby saga continues, here is a complete timeline of the events
Today’s Reflections have no one to reflect positively on. I mean, PCA won NLPlayer Of The Week, but even he doesn’t want to talk about it (below). So the players listed in the title are SOME of the problem guys mentioned in the articles below.
The story below about Nico Hoerner’s problems is very interesting, with graphs and stuff. Some people drool in happiness when they see graphs; I just think, “Just tell me what it says.” But this time, I’m going to give this a re-read because it was so well presented and informative. Or at least, a very intriguing viewpoint of his situation.
That’s really all I got, other than the news of Matthew Boyd’s setback that dug the Cubs’ hole a little deeper.
Now, I didn’t jinx the Cubs! But I think it was early May when things were really rolling, I thought, “This is a lonnnggg season. Hurry up and get to the playoffs!” A month later, it’s, “The Cubs’ season is almost over.”
Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs take accountability for slump, but bats stay cold against Rockies. “Pete Crow-Armstrong was not in much of a mood to talk about any personal accolades sent his way on Tuesday afternoon — not when the Cubs as a team are trying to pull out of a persistent cold spell.”
Trade Talk:
Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Cubs trade deadline plans have major Alex Bregman, Ian Happ problem. “….. the Cubs’ offense has three of the worst eight batters in RBIs below expectation, with Happ at minus-8.8, along with the two worst in MLB, with Seiya Suzuki at minus-12.7, and Bregman at minus-13.2. Those marks are a good example of the issue plaguing the Cubs right now, and it’s not only their starting rotation.”
Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Jameson Taillon injury update could lead to shocking end to Cubs’ tenure. “Even if the Cubs aren’t a defined seller, if the rest of the pitching staff is in better shape by then, there’s an argument to make that trading Taillon would still be one of the better moves Jed Hoyer can make this summer.”
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Nico Hoerner Has to Get Earlier Again. “It’s been a long, horrid stretch for the Cubs’ newly-minted long-term second baseman. To snap out of this funk, he has to stop settling for solid contact.”
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): How Ben Brown Got Hitters Off the Barrel. “Last season, Ben Brown gave up too much hard contact and way too many home runs. He remade himself this winter, and now, he’s not just a bat-misser. He also limits damage.”
Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Struggles of Cubs’ offseason additions a major reason for their spiral. “Fans have been begging the team for years to be aggressive and complete a full offseason. But 65 games into the campaign, what looked like the Cubs’ desired path for the winter has not turned into success on the field.”
Randy Holt (North Side Baseball): Cubs’ Recent Struggles Have Done Real Damage to Playoff Hopes. “It probably doesn’t come as a shock given the magnitude of their recent woes, but even in early June, the Cubs’ stumbling has their playoff positioning looking quite grim.”
Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist. From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, he has recorded albums for several major record labels and singles that have reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Rock Tracks, and Hot Country Songs charts.
Four of his albums have been number one on the blues chart, and another reached number two. McClinton has earned four Grammy Awards – 1992 Rock Performance by a Duo with Bonnie Raitt for “Good Man, Good Woman”, 2002 Contemporary Blues Album for Nothing Personal, 2006 Best Contemporary Blues Album for Cost of Living, and 2020 Best Traditional Blues Album for Tall, Dark, & Handsome.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: Wehiwa Aloy, the Baltimore Orioles 2025 3rd pick in the draft, looks on during batting practice prior a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 9, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Baysox got beat down by the Curve on Wednesday in Altoona. It was a quiet night for the affiliate’s offense, scoring all three of their runs in the seventh inning.
Tavian Josenberger was responsible for two-thirds of Chesapeake’s runs. He hit a two-run bomb in the seventh inning, his sixth homer of the season. Johnny Tincher had the other RBI, driving in Douglas Hodo III earlier in the seventh. Griff O’Ferrall had a nice game, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. Ethan Anderson had a single and a walk.
Four pitchers made their way to the mound for the Baysox. Sebastian Gongora was the starter, and he got ambushed out of the gate, allowing three runs in the first inning. The righty settled in a bit from there, but lasted just four innings and gave up four runs on five hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. Jeisson Cabrera worked a scoreless fifth inning. Ben Vespi coughed up one run across his two frames. And then Daniel Lloyd had a tough outing, serving up five runs in just one inning of work.
High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 7, Frederick Keys 2
It’s tough to win a game when your lineup goes 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaves 10 runners on base. The Keys learned that in their 7-2 loss to the Cyclones on Wednesday night in Brooklyn.
Wehiwa Aloy and Ike Irish had one RBI each. Aloy homered and struck out four times. Irish doubled and walked once. Vance Honeycutt went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Elis Cuevas tripled for the second time this year, and had three strikeouts. As a team the Keys were punched out 14 times.
Kiefer Lord worked 3.1 innings a a starter, which included a brutal second inning that saw him allow five runs. only three of them were earned because of two errors in the inning by the Frederick defense. Honeycutt and Yasmil Bucce were both charged with throwing errors. Carson Dorsey was charged with the other two runs during his three innings of work. Ryan Cabarcas and Raimon Gomez combined to record five other outs in the game without allowing any runs.
Low-A: Columbia Fireflies (Royals) 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 5
The winless day on the farm was completed when the Shorebirds fell into a 6-1 hole that a late-inning rally was unable to make up for.
Anytime the Shorebirds were on defense, it was a nightmare. The team made four errors, which limited the number of earned runs charged to their pitchers from eight down to six. Even still, allowing six runs in nine innings isn’t good either! Starter Brayan Orrantia tossed four innings and allowed three runs (two earned) while striking out six and walking three. J.D. Hennen was first out of the ‘pen. He recorded three outs and allowed three runs. Kailen Hamson worked the final three innings and gave up two runs (one earned), striking out four in the process.
Delmarva smacked three home runs in this game. Raylin Ramos hit two of them, both solo shots. Andrés Nolaya hit the other (along with a double) as part of his 3-for-4 game. Braylon Whitaker had three hits out of the lead-off spot, scoring once and driving in one run.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 08: William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a 3 run home run in the 10th inning during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Athletics at Las Vegas Ballpark on Monday, June 8, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Monday night’s offensive slugfest with the Athletics in Las Vegas was nothing short of wild. From Kyle Harrison’s random blowup, where the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning got taken for a ride, to the 15 overturned pitch challenges, or maybe the fact that despite giving up 14 runs as a pitching staff, the Brewers (who lead all of baseball in strikeouts as a team) still managed to strike out 20 hitters in a 12-inning affair.
If you’re a baseball nerd like myself, you love stats. Specifically, you love records and learning about where they compare to other memorable offensive shootouts or pitching dominations. Monday night’s game didn’t even crack some of the top offensive games in recent years, or even all-time as a franchise, but it sure did feel like it. With that, let’s take a look at some of the weirdest, fun, and most memorable games.
August 28, 1992 – Brewers 22, Blue Jays 2 (Box Score)
The most runs scored by the Milwaukee Brewers ever. With about a month left in the 1992 season, the Brewers were 4.5 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East division standings. The visiting Brewers went into Toronto and had an offensive explosion that hadn’t been seen in two years (when they scored 20 against the California Angels). In their 20-run victory, the Brewers’ eight and nine hole hitters, Kevin Seitzer and Scott Fletcher, both had five hits apiece, not to mention two other players with four hits in a game that featured 31 hits. That 31-hit outburst also set the mark for most hits in a game franchise history.
August 17, 2019 – Brewers 15, Nationals 14 (Box Score)
If you watched the game on Monday night, you most likely heard Jeff Levering and Tim Dillard reference this game a couple of times, for good reason, too. If you thought the 12-inning, 4:14 affair was long (definitely didn’t help with them playing on the West Coast), then let’s remind you of the old times. No, not that old — just before the pitch clock or the extra-inning runner rule was implemented, or even the designated hitter in the National League.
The Crew traveled to the nation’s capital and played a 14-inning, 5:40 game. This game was special for a couple of different reasons; not only was it the longest game ever played by the Brewers in this era, but it was also the most home runs hit by the team in a game (seven), which tied a record that was set by the 1980 squad. In their slugfest with the Nationals, former MVPs Ryan Braun and Christian Yelich had a multi-home run game with two apiece. Trent Grisham, Mike Moustakas, and Eric Thames also homered.
Sticking with the topic of the longest games in Brewers history, this game probably takes the title of craziest game in franchise history, and arguably, MLB history. We’ve heard the stories from Bill Schroeder over time, but it’s still one of those you’re shocked it happened. And quite frankly, the box score is one of my favorites to look back on.
A 25-inning game that took eight hours (across two days) and had two Brewers’ blown leads. Somehow, the Brewers only burned six pitchers in this game, which is fewer than they used in the game on Monday, and in way fewer innings. It featured four players getting at least 10 at-bats and all but three guys getting a base hit. There are a lot of zeros to be shown on the line score, but what I think is the most frustrating part of it all is that the Brewers had a two-run lead on two separate occasions and blew them both times. Most shockingly, a two-run lead was headed into the bottom of the ninth inning with Rollie Fingers as the closer. This game is one of those moments you wish social media was around for to see the reactions of both fan bases.
It was the final year of baseball being played in County Stadium, and it featured the largest comeback in the ninth inning in franchise history. According to Baseball Reference, the Brewers had a 0.13% chance to win the game entering the final inning. But as Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” And that was truly how this game was summed up.
Entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the Crew were down 9-2 before the first seven batters of the inning reached base, bringing the score to 9-6 before recording their first out. Actually, their first two outs, seeing as how it was back-to-back strikeouts from James Mouton and Ronnie Belliard. But the party didn’t end there; the same three guys who began the inning kept it alive to force extra innings. After a scoreless top of the 10th inning, José Hernández walked it off with a home run to left field.
Wrapping up our discussion of some of the wildest, jaw-dropping games in Brewers history, let’s end on the biggest comeback win in franchise history. This one’s a bit different, because the Crew found themselves down 9-0 at the top of the fourth inning, and used the whole rest of the game to complete their comeback.
Following an abysmal start from Matt Kinney and a relief appearance from Adrián Hernández, the pitching staff held its part of the bargain for the remaining six innings by allowing no runs on just two hits. Then, the offense broke into the scoring column with an RBI base hit from Lyle Overbay. After slowly chipping away at their deficit and bringing the game’s score to 9-6, Bill Hall came through, for just the first of two times that day, with a bases-clearing double that tied the game at 9-9. Later in the bottom of the 10th inning, he dropped a walk-off sacrifice bunt to win the game for the Brewers.
It’s only fitting that Pat Murphy wants his team to have the mindset of a woodpecker, because, to be honest, that’s just how the Brewers have been throughout time, despite maybe not being as consistent as they are today.
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 10: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Codi Heuer (50) hands the baseball to Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) as he leaves the game during the seventh inning of the Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians on June 10, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Cleveland Guardians were swept by the New York Yankees at home yesterday. Nick has the recap of the frustrating loss. With said loss, the Chicago White Sox have taken first place of the AL Central. The Guards are off today and welcome the Detroit Tigers to Cleveland in a three game weekend series.
Quincy wrote about the state of this team this month. He highlighted a fact that many Guardians fans are keeping an eye on. The notable absence of Cooper Ingle and Kahlil Watson from the Clippers line up yesterday.
Instinct tells me we’re being unrealistic in expect either to get called up, but I’m choosing to continue to hope that the moves the front office has made thus far is a regularity, not a blip.
Luke Hill continues to garner the attention of MLB, being named Cleveland’s top performer from last year’s draft.
Around the League (and Beyond)
Max Scherzer recorded his 3500th career strike out.
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League kicked off its second season this week. MLB released a FAQ about the AUSL. The league can be watched on MLB.tv, ESPN, and MLB Network.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 14: Chase Dollander #32 of the Colorado Rockies leaves the game with medical staff in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Digging deeper than that and looking at the organization as a whole, however, shows that the injury trend extends beyond the major-league club.
Of the 285 players in the Rockies organization, currently 54 of them are on the injured list. That means almost one-fifth of the entire organization’s entire player populace that is unavailable right now.
With publicly available information, it is impossible to forecast with an accuracy the total number of games these players will miss. But with some rough napkin math, it’s obvious that the Rockies will be much further up the games missed leaderboard this season than they have been the past couple.
Chase Dollander is generally considered the pitcher with highest ceiling in the entire organization, and he appeared to have turned a corner against major-league hitting to start the season.
Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP) is has the most star potential of any player in the organization and was in the midst of a strong start to what would have been his first full season in professional baseball.
There are more injured players, but you get the point: Losing players to injury impacts both the short- and long-term future of the organization even in a season in which there are no real expectations to win.
Since 2024, six of the ten teams that lost the most MLB days to the IL have made the playoffs at least once in that time. Meanwhile, among the teams that had the fewest days missed are the Rockies and other recent poor-performing teams such, as the Los Angeles Angles, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Nationals.
This is not to say, that teams should be trying to have more injuries, just that the correlation between success and injuries is not simple.
With the Rockies front office turnover this offseason, it’s fair to wonder whether this recent uptick in injuries could be tied to that changing of the guard.
Even if there is not some concerted effort towards more risky behavior, it’s possible that an uptick in injuries is a downstream effect of some innocuous process changes. Another possibility is that the new personnel are more aggressive with monitoring for injuries and officially utilizing the injured list in a way that the previous regime may have just unofficially benched players.
In a game fueled by numbers, it is tantalizing to try and ascribe meaning to them. It is natural to look at trends and formulate an explanation. When zooming in closer to the context of the individual events that those numbers and trends are collating, however, it is sometimes hard to reconcile those big-picture theories with the messiness of the small data.
Mickey Moniak landing awkwardly when making a catch against the outfield wall and hurting his ankle isn’t a the result of any process change. Tyler Freeman getting hit in the head by a fastball certainly wasn’t anything but awful luck.
The signal of an injury spike is messy and complicated both in its potential causes as well as its ramifications for the team. If the recent uptick in Rockies players getting hurt becomes a years-long trend, then we can responsibly try and find a cause. For now, we’re best off just taking the news of each injury in on its own merits and hoping for the best.
The Albuquerque Isotopes struggled to get anything going against the Rainiers (SEA) after the first inning tonight. 2B Vimael Machín singled to score Drew Avans with two outs, and that was it. The Topes were limited to five hits and struck out 11 times. Five players had one hit, but none had more than one. DH Kyle McCann went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
Pitching wise, Valente Bellozo threw three innings and gave up seven runs, all earned, on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. He also gave up two home runs — a two-run show in the first and a three-run shot in the third. He took the loss, and is 0-6 with an 8.83 ERA on the season. Evan Shawver gave up another run on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts in three innings. Jimmy Herget made his first rehab appearance, and gave up two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout in 0.2 innings. Both runs came on a two-run homer by Hogan Windish in the seventh inning. And TJ Shook made his first appearance since being optioned, pitching the final 1.1 innings and allowing one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Double-A: The Yard Goats had a double header last night!
In Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Yard Goats came out on top. New Hampshire (TOR) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when catcher Aaron Parker hit a two-run homer, but the Yard Goats chipped away with one run in the third and then tacked on three in the sixth. The Fisher Cats scored again in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough.
Dyan Jorge hit a sac fly in the third to score the single run. In the sixth, things got going with a Zach Kokoska RBI groundout, then Benny Montgomery doubled to score Bryant Betancourt and Cole Messina (No. 26 PuRP). All three runs were charged to Konner Eaton (No. 28 PuRP), who came out on top after throwing 6.1 innings and allowing just two hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
The Yard Goats weren’t as lucky in the second game, as they gave up taco’s. New Hampshire put up a four spot in the third — one run on an RBI single by Jay Harry, and the other three on a three-run homer by Victor Arias. Eddie Micheletti hit a two-run homer in the sixth to run up the score 6-0, but then Cole Messina doubled to score the Goats’ first run. Jose Torres then singled to score Jimmy Obertop and Messina, which cut the score in half. In the fifth, Jackson Hornung singled to score Arias, which was the final score for the Cats. Messina hit a two-RBI single in the sixth, but it wasn’t quite enough and the Goats fell 7-5.
Pitching wise, Davison Palermo took the brunt of it. He pitched three innings, allowing four runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Cade Denton came in next, allowing three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in two innings. Fidel Ulloa finished with a scoreless inning with a strikeout.
It was a back-and-forth affair in Spokane, but the Indians trounced the Emeralds (SF) 10-9. Spokane struck first when Max Belyeu (No. 15 PuRP) homered. But then Zander Darby singled to tie things in the bottom of the second. Eugene scored again in the fourth and fifth, but then Kevin Fitzer hit a two-run homer in the sixth to put the Indians back on top. Lisbel Díaz homered to put Eugene up 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth, and then Roynier Hernandez singled to tie things up in the seventh. Jack O’Dowd then followed that up with a three-run homer to blow it open 8-5, but then Jakob Christian hit a grand slam to put Eugene up again 9-8. In the eighth, Kelvin Hidalgo doubled to score Juan Castillo and tie it at 9, but then Tommy Hopfe singled to score Hidalgo and end the game.
Austin Strickland took the brunt of it on the pitching side, giving up six runs on seven hits with one strikeout in just two innings of work. But starter Niko Mazza gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits with six strikeouts in his 5.1 innings of work.
Visalia (AZ) jumped out to an early lead in the first three innings and never yielded. Carlos Virahonda homered in the first to put them up 2-0. In the second, JD Dix hit an RBI groundout and then Virahonda was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to put the Rawhide up 4-0. In the third, Pedro Blanco homered.
The Grizzlies scored just once in the fourth, when Roldy Brito (No 11 PuRP) grounded out to score Cameron Nelson.
Grizzlies’ starter Austin Nelson threw just 2.2 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits with four walks and a strikeout. Bryson Van Sickle threw 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out four. And Jhon Medina allowed just one hit over two innings with a walk and two strikeouts.
The most exciting Rockies related news this week has obviously been the call up of No. 4 PuRP Cole Carrigg. On Purple Row, Renee Dechert wrote up excerpts from Carrigg’s pre-debut media availability yesterday and Patrick Lyons follows that up with this piece in which he dives into Carrigg’s debut and the adjustments the team had him working on in the minors before the call up.
The Rockies made a couple of very low profile moves on Monday in order to increase depth at the minor league level. Matt Postins takes a look at the Rockies newest farmhands and digs into what they can reasonably be expected to provide moving forward.
Davy Andrews looked into the connection between locations that catchers are able to frame pitches well and the locations that catchers have had ABS challenge success on. The basic conclusion is that there is potentially an inverse relationship between the zones where a catcher is better at framing vs challenging. It’s a quick, interesting read that I mostly call out because it sheds light on the fact that Hunter Goodman does his best pitch framing at the top and arm sides of the zone.
From left, Detroit Tigers pitchers Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Framber Valdez, Tarik Skubal and Justin Verlander during Valdez’s introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Troy Melton has returned to the fold with three good starts. Tarik Skubal rehabbed in West Michigan successfully on Sunday and may be ready to assume his rightful place atop the Detroit Tigers rotation by this weekend. Casey Mize made a rehab start in Clearwater at the Single-A level on Tuesday with the Lakeland Flying Tigers and seems likely to return either immediately or after one more rehab outing this weekend. And finally, Justin Verlander made a second Triple-A level rehab start in Toledo on Wednesday. At the risk of counting our chickens before they hatch, the club appears set to be back to full strength in the starting rotation over the next two weeks. Deploying all this pitching successfully will be crucial to powering the run they need to go on to get back in the thick of the playoff picture.
Fortunately for the Tigers, not only have they shown signs of life with wins in six of their last eight games, but they’re getting healthy, and apart from the top few teams the American League is still in relative shambles. Only five of the fifteen clubs are over the .500 mark, and even the White Sox, Guardians, and Mariners are only just above that line. Even after one of the worst months in franchise history, the Tigers are only 5.5 games out in the chase for the final AL Wild Card berth. The issue is that they’re only ahead of the Angels in the standings, so they have to outplay quite a few teams by a wide margin to catch up.
The 28-40 Tigers have 45 games left ahead of them until the August 3, 6:00 p.m. ET trade deadline. Sure, there are all sorts of ways this could play out, but fundamentally that 45 game span sets a limit for how long the club has to convincingly get into the playoff picture before they decide to sell, buy, or both at the trade deadline.
So none of this is to suggest that the Tigers are likely to catch fire for a sustained stretch and really get themselves back into contention. More than likely the decisions at the deadline will be pretty difficult with the Tigers not out of it, but still not holding a wild card berth. They’re a longshot now, but a comeback certainly looks less improbable than it did a week ago. They do appear to have both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize on track to return by the middle of the month. If they’re pitching really well that’s great for their trade value, but it also probably means that the Tigers are making up ground and will having a tougher decision on whether to sell than they do at the moment.
Right now, the focus has to be on resetting this roster. The Tigers could really use an upgrade somewhere on the bench and at the back of their lineup. But first and foremost they need to figure out how to organize their pitching staff.
The first part is extremely simple. You plug Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize back into the rotation at first opportunity. With their top three starters re-established in the rotation, the Tigers are a much more formidable team to deal with, and their presence will finally allow their bullpen to get in some kind of consistent shape and usage patterns again.
The hard part, is deciding who gets the last two spots in the starting rotation, and who goes to the bullpen or down to Toledo. With Kenley Jansen rehabbing and probably only one more outing from returning to the Tigers by the beginning of next week, the spots are a bit limited, and the return of Skubal, Mize, and Verlander is going to push a few arms into the bullpen anyway.
Justin Verlander
This is the really tough call. After missing two months with left hip inflammation, the future Hall of Famer and Tigers’ legend has now made two starts with the Toledo Mud Hens, building up to 86 pitches on Wednesday. Assuming the hip doesn’t flare up in his recovery work on Thursday and Friday, Verlander appears to be healthy and ready to go in that sense, but he also doesn’t look ready to handle major league hitters yet either.
Verlander allowed four solo home runs and some other very hard contact from the St. Paul Saints on Wednesday. His fourseam fastball averaged 92.9 mph, topping out at 95.5 mph, and while it still has above average riding life, Verlander has below average extension these days as well. He struggled a bit with his slider, and perhaps was throwing it in some odd counts just trying to dial it in, but against a Triple-A lineup, he only collected one whiff on it, while getting four on the fastball. Not really what you want to see.
This just isn’t going to cut it in the big leagues, especially considering that one of Melton or Montero will have to move out of the rotation to accomodate him. If they decide to give Verlander a few starts and he struggles, they may be responsible for blowing up their already poor chances of getting into contention by August 3. Putting him in the pen to see if that helps him get it going is the alternate move, but the Tigers may well simply have to cut bait if it’s not going well. That will require some fortitude, because cutting Verlander won’t be an easy conversation, nor will a conversation about moving to the bullpen.
Don’t be surprised if the Tigers aren’t quite convinced that Verlander is back to full strength just yet, despite the pitch count on Wednesday. The obvious move is to schedule one more rehab start to put the decision off a bit longer and see if he can get it going. It’s possible that he just needs another outing or two to get dialed in after two months on the injured list, but he’ll have to show sharper stuff to convince anyone that he should be rejoining the starting rotation and moving one the following pitchers to the bullpen. Skubal and Mize are already on track to push two of this group to the pen anyway.
Jack Flaherty
For a while, it looked like Jack Flaherty was going to have to move to the bullpen as well. It’s certainly an open question as he’s been better of late but still mediocre overall. Going back to May 1, the right-hander has allowed three or more runs in all but two of his eight starts. He’s pulled it together enough to avoid the big blow-ups lately, and he’s gotten the walks well under control over the last five starts, but there’s no telling what might come. If Flaherty strung together eight good starts in a row, it wouldn’t be shocking. It also wouldn’t be shocking if he got shelled out of a starting role in the next few weeks.
Flaherty has probably earned himself a little more leash for now, but if things start falling apart again, a move to the bullpen is indicated. For all his troubles this year, Flaherty still holds a 26.3 percent strikeout rate and a 4.12 FIP. He gets plenty of whiffs and has kept the home runs under control. In the bullpen, he could sit 95 mph, strike a lot of guys out, and if he starts to lose the strikezone you just call in the next reliever up in the pen.
Keider Montero
Between Verlander, Flaherty, and Keider Montero, it is Montero who has the best argument to stay in the rotation. The long-overlooked right-hander has once again emerged as a real godsend when the Tigers needed him, and yet he continues to be treated like a sidenote in their plans.
Montero has been an absolute workhorse since he was in rookie ball. He doesn’t miss starts, and that proven durability and his relentless strike throwing this season are his best arguments for staying in the rotation. The more mature approach he’s featured this season has been noticeable, and you’d hate to see him moved to the bullpen just as he’s navigating lineups more effectively and gaining confidence in his ability to attack hitters and pitch efficiently deep in games.
Montero’s 3.95 ERA and 4.16 FIP both say he’s the best of this group. Sure, we’d like more strikeouts, but Verlander nor Troy Melton are striking out any more than Montero. Unlike those two, Montero also has a very good changeup to help combat platoon splits and keep left-handed hitters in check. He does need to generate more whiffs, and his tendency toward more and more fly balls against him is a concern as the weather heats up, but again, you could say the same for Verlander or Melton. Montero has always been overlooked, and yet he continues to show up for the Tigers and improve. They’d be in even bigger trouble without him and you’d hate to see that rewarded with a move to the bullpen in a season where it feels like he’s putting his complete game together.
Troy Melton
Melton has only made four starts since returning from the injured list after forearm inflammation early in camp saw the Tigers take no chances and immediately put him on the 60-day injured list to make sure he was 100 percent before he returned. The right-hander throws hard, and he has a good cutter/slider combination. His splitter remains too inconsistent to be a factor, and until he conquers that issue, he’s best deployed in the bullpen.
Sure, Melton holds a 2.81 ERA in those four starts, but his relatively meager strikeout rates as a starter in the big league tell a different story. So far, he’s only struck out 13.7 percent of hitters faced. We can expect that to improve as he settles into his routine, but despite good velocity and great extension, his fastball remains fairly hittable in the zone. Combine that issue with the fact that he can’t command his splitter and is vulnerable to left-handed hitters as a result, and you have a pretty good case for putting him in the pen and letting him air out the heater to 98-99 mph, where it is a plus pitch that gets whiffs.
Long-term, Melton probably has to be part of the Tigers’ rotation plans, but it can wait for now. If they end up trading starting pitching at the deadline, Melton will likely stretch out and take over one of those spots anyway. For now, the bullpen could certainly use a killer, and Melton at peak velocity and with his chill demeanor, has some closer vibes.
Ty Madden
After a lost season in 2025 due to a shoulder injury, the 26-year-old Madden has also pitched pretty well for the Tigers in a pinch. He’s striking out 26.8 percent of hitters with a 2.60 ERA and a 3.28 FIP across 17.1 innings of work. Walks have remained an issue for him, and even in Toledo this season they were a problem, but he’s managed to avoid them since his call-up at the beginning of May despite getting sent back down to Toledo for a start late in the month before returning.
Madden is coming off a lost year, and my feeling is that letting him remain a starter might be the best way to help him build back to full strength. He used to sit 95 mph and touch 99-100, but we haven’t seen that since the injuries started to bite him. His fastball shape is very hittable, and that’s also been the issue with him as a prospect. He shows some signs of working on that, occasionally popping 18-19 inches of induced vertical break before losing that release feel again and returning to his usual pedestrian numbers. Maybe that can keep developing if he’s pitching on regular rest every fifth day in Toledo for a while.
On the other hand, Madden has a six-pitch mix and has learned to use that advantage to better handle hitters on either side of the plate. He packs a cutter, slider, curveball to go with the fourseam-sinker combo, and his splitter is a little more reliable than Melton’s at this point. All of this argues that he should be the one to stay stretched out in case of further injury trouble.
These decisions may decide the Tigers fate
The decisions that Scott Harris, GM Jeff Greenberg, and manager A.J. Hinch make about the pitching staff in the next week or two are going to be crucial. The decisions they make at the trade deadline may well be the deciding ones in the current front office’s tenure running the Detroit Tigers. The pressure cooker is real, and in their current circumstances, the room for error is non-existant.
Let’s say the rotation becomes Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty, and Justin Verlander, as initially intended. Those are big decisions to keep Flaherty and Verlander starting, and move Melton and Montero to the pen. They really can’t waste their innings in Toledo.
With Kenley Jansen nearing a return, the rest of the bullpen could look like this.
Will Vest
Kyle Finnegan
Drew Anderson
Tyler Holton
Enmanuel de Jesus
Keider Montero
Troy Melton
If we presume that Skubal and Mize will get back to full strength in relative order, the rotation is going to be better no matter who occupies the final two spots. Moving two starters like Melton and Montero adds up to a much improved bullpen, especially if they get back to a full-on matchup strategy again and don’t just reflexively have Kenley Jansen close games. The Tigers are missing Brant Hurter, but Montero and Anderson’s ability to handle left-handed hitters helps balance things out as well. The length available from former starters with Montero and Melton added to the mix should also help them to cut Flaherty and Verlander’s outings short as needed. Drew Sommers, Beau Brieske, and Brenan Hanifee would then return to Triple-A Toledo. Both Sommers and Brieske need to lock in their command to be effective anyway.
Were the Tigers to keep one of Melton or Montero in the rotation, moving Flaherty or perhaps Verlander to the pen, that’s a pretty interesting debate between the two young starters. I lean toward Montero staying in the rotation, but there are good arguments on both sides. There are also decent reasons to keep Flaherty starting for a while longer to see if a deeper pen and a quicker hook helps get more out him. On the other hand, Flaherty would probably do well in the bullpen, but sometimes that transition is pretty difficult.
The Verlander decisions are not easy because of the circumstance, but the Tigers really cannot afford to give him 4-5 starts just to see if he can get rolling. Whatever they decide, that decision can’t wait through a month of poor starts just because he’s Justin Verlander.
What I think is a must, is that Montero and Melton stay in the major leagues. Wasting either one of them in Triple-A just to stay stretched out in case of an injury is absolutely not the right move. With Madden I think there’s more of a case to let him keep getting starting reps under his belt, especially if they’re adding Montero and Melton to the bullpen. After a year away, Madden could use the reps, and if he can just stay healthy and solidify his progress this year he has plenty of future ahead with the Detroit Tigers.
Of course, we’ve already gotten a crash course in how plans can go awry this season. Further injuries might make some of these decisions for the club by the time everyone is actually healthy and ready to go. Skubal appears to be on track to return this weekend, while Mize, Verlander, and Jansen are still a bit more up in the air. What is perfectly clear, however, is that how they deploy their pitching staff at full strength is going to be crucial to their chances of catching fire and gaining enough ground in the standings to avoid an obvious sell-off situation at the trade deadline.
If they can get into good position, maybe they don’t sell. Mediocre position, a few games out of a playoff spot? Maybe you sell to a degree, but get major league ready pitching and look to sneak into the playoffs with a surge in August and September anyway even if it does come down to trading Tarik Skubal. Bad position? It’s time to commit to trading most of their veterans and start reshaping the club for 2027 and beyond.
Obviously there are still all sorts of different ways this season could play out. Baseball will baseball. The trade deadline just limits how long the club has to turn things around and affect the way management approaches it. Whatever comes, the strange, unfortunate drama of the early 2026 season is now into a crucial stretch that might decide not just this season, but several seasons down the road. Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg better stack up a lot of smart decisions over the next eight weeks, and some of them are likely to be painful ones.
MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 25: Brycen Mautz #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Monday, May 25, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
On Monday, I covered the position player depth. My bad on not including Thomas Saggese at shortstop. Even though I think I’m lower on his defense there than most, the Cardinals do clearly consider him SS depth, so he should have been listed. Today, I want to address the pitching depth. I’ll take a different approach with the pitching.
First, let’s talk about the ideal pitching depth heading into a season. For your #1, you want somebody where there’s not a debate that they’re an ace. This hasn’t been a thing for the Cardinals since the 2nd half of 2019, and then Jack Flaherty got hurt. Before that, it was probably Adam Wainwright once Chris Carpenter retired. It’s been a minute. (Carlos Martinez topped out at 3.3 fWAR, so I think he falls short of this standard)
For your #2, think Tyler Glasnow as the prototype. The unreliable “ace” if you will. I actually think the last month or so of Dustin May is pretty much this. We can’t really trust him, but he’s pitching like an ace. The true ideal is of course having both Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, but one thing at a time here. Your #3 is…. Michael McGreevy honestly. He’s exactly what I imagine a perfect #3 to be. Someone whose numbers will probably be more reflective of a #2 because of the amount of innings they pitch.
And then your #4 is your hotshot prospect who hasn’t quite put it together yet, and your #5 is the 2026 version of an innings eater. I say 2026 version, because this pitcher will get taken out fairly early in the game sometimes just because taking him out helps you win, but if you’re blowing out a team, they’ll probably go 6. If they get roughed up early, they’ll still throw 5 innings. The Cardinals have my ideal #5 too: Andre Pallante. I wish he was more fun to watch, because yeah he’s a perfect #5 starter.
He’s not a hotshot prospect, but Kyle Leahy’s season is kind of like what I’d expect a season from said hotshot prospect looks like. Can’t quite make it through 3rd time through the order, shows flashes. Leahy is 29 so it’s very much not the same and I still expect him to move to the bullpen, but his season is more or less the expectation for a first-time pitcher.
Again, I’m speaking in generalizations and rarely will a starting rotation look like my ideal rotation. Matthew Liberatore doesn’t fit neatly into my categories right now, but I would say the fully realized Liberatore, if it ever comes, looks a lot like my #3. If he manages that, good chance between McGreevy and Liberatore, you still get a #2 production out of one of them. Hunter Dobbins is in the same boat. He might fit my #3 definition, he might fit my #5 definition.
Behind this group is an MLB ready starter who you want in the major leagues, but nobody has gotten hurt yet. Hunter Dobbins this year, Michael McGreevy last year. Unfortunately, a lot of times in this plan, your sixth starter will look better than at least one of your top five, but it’s just kind of a necessary safeguard in today’s game. On Opening Day, I want there to be at least one starting pitcher in Memphis who I really wish was in St. Louis. You’ve crafted good depth if that’s the case.
Your 7th guy on the depth chart has extensive AAA experience and even if you don’t think they’re quite ready, they’ve been in AAA long enough that they’d probably still benefit from MLB starts. You don’t consider it rushing. Think Quinn Mathews. If Mathews had to be added to the 40 man before the season, he’d have probably made his MLB debut already. And lastly, your 8 and 9 guys on the depth chart are legitimate pitching prospects who you hope will be ready by midseason. One of their seasons will go well, the others will not. Think Ixan Henderson and Brycen Mautz.
So, you have your ace, your flawed ace, your bulk inning #3, your struggling prospect, and your innings eater. Your 6th guy is ready right now, and maybe he fits the bulk inning role, maybe he fits the struggling prospect role. You have your experienced AAA starter, and then two pitching prospects at least a half season away (and probably more than that). And I’m not willing to define depth beyond that.
So going forward, let’s try to map out possibilities. You already have my picture of the 2026 depth, so let’s look beyond 2026. For this exercise, we will act like the Cardinals will make no free agent signings or trades. That’s a good way to get a picture of the depth. And then we might know if we need free agents or trades. After the player’s name will be their service time entering that season.
2027
Possible projected rotation: Matthew Liberatore (3.144), Michael McGreevy (1.091), Andre Pallante (4.145), Hunter Dobbins (1.131)*, Quinn Mathews (0.030)*
6th guy: Richard Fitts (0.164)
Yes, I will once again point out I am not a Kyle Leahy in the rotation believer. I’m moving him back to the bullpen for 2027. I’m probably trading Andre Pallante, just because Dobbins and Fitts seem like natural replacements for him. I’m signing and/or trading for a starting pitcher, one who is better than Michael McGreevy. But again this is a depth exercise. If they don’t actually get another starter, I think Pallante would have to come back unless you’re rolling with Liam Doyle on Opening Day.
Other starters to see MLB time: Tekoah Roby, Ixan Henderson, Pete Hansen, Brycen Mautz, Liam Doyle, Cooper Hjerpe
Using purely internal depth is not so great for ceiling in 2027 specifically, but the pitching depth at large looks extremely strong. I’m listing Hjerpe because some of you believe in him, so that was an attempt to leave my bias out of it. But yeah my personal expectation is 100 percent in the bullpen. I feel comfortable not listing Tink Hence as SP depth at the moment unfortunately. I think Mautz has a good opportunity to put himself in the 6th guy role too for 2027. They could make some trades to clear out the clutter a little if they want. Of course injuries usually solves these issues.
*I am speculating on the service time of Dobbins and Mathews. Dobbins would need to not get sent down again to reach that number, but the important info is between 1 and 2 years of service. Same for Mathews: I expect a little MLB service time.
2028
Possible projected rotation: Matthew Liberatore (4.144), Michael McGreevy (2.091), Hunter Dobbins/Richard Fitts, Quinn Mathews (1.030), Liam Doyle (0.030)
6th guy: Jurrangelo Cjintje
Other starters to see MLB time: Brycen Mautz, Braden Davis, Mason Molina, Tanner Franklin, Jacob Odle, Brandon Clarke
And I just realized how impossible this exercise is. I think Tekoah Roby to the bullpen is a safe bet, but between him, Clarke and Hjerpe, I mean one of those dudes will stick at starter. That I happen to believe it will be Roby is almost irrelevant. But I realized crafting this rotation that there’s going to be a prospect I have to ignore. Then there’s the fact that Franklin might be ready by 2028 too. Are we still going to be messing with Hunter Dobbins or Richard Fitts in the rotation if the potential of Franklin, Doyle, Roby, Clarke, and Hjerpe is still starting at this point? Probably not right? But they have a bunch of team control.
Anyway, I definitely don’t think Pallante lasts until 2028. He’s eligible for free agency after the 2028 season. I think the version of Liberatore who pans out is safe until 2028, just because in this version, he’s a stable hand and you want a stable hand in the rotation. Maybe when players like Doyle and Franklin establish themselves more fully, that’s the point where you look for a trade.
2029
Possible projection rotation: Michael McGreevy (3.091), Quinn Mathews (2.030), Liam Doyle (1.030), Jurrangelo Cjintje (1.040), Tanner Franklin (0.050)
6th guy: Yhoiker Fajardo
We’re in pick a name of out of a hat status here, but if the pitching prospects remotely go the way the Cardinals want them to go, I think Liberatore is traded before the 2029 season. I think Liberatore is safe for next season, somewhat in danger after, but I don’t think enough names will be established by the beginning of the 2028 season and then either he has taken a leap forward or he’s in that #3/#5 and is someone you can trade. Or he gets injured like every other pitcher. Who knows? But yeah the names at this point aren’t specifically important, pick whoever your favorite prospects are. The high potential starting pitching prospects are either in the starting rotation or full-time relievers by 2029 though. Or traded honestly.
And I’ll stop there, because there’s just too many directions this could go. But that gives a pretty good picture of how much this depth may stack up in the upcoming years and it’ll be interesting to see who sticks at starter, who moves to the bullpen, who is traded, who flames out. It’s important to remember: no so such thing as too many pitching prospects. Which is a good thing to remind oneself looking at the Cardinals’ system, because there are a lot of them.
Jerry Seinfeld shut down an anti-Israel influencer by telling him Palestine “doesn’t exist” after he was rushed while leaving the Garden Wednesday night following the Knicks’ historic NBA Finals comeback.
The legendary comedian, 72, was walking among the throngs of people after Game 4 when he was ambushed by a popular streamer armed with a mic and camera.
“What up, Seinfeld? What up? Can we get a ‘Free Palestine’?” said the streamer, FinesseFave, sticking a mic in the face of the Jewish actor and writer.
Jerry Seinfeld and wife Jessica on celebrity row during the second quarter of the Knicks’ game. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The famously quick-on-his-feet standup responded with a laugh before shutting down the incendiary question in three words.
“It doesn’t exist,” he said, before walking away.
FinesseFave later shared the video with his 180,000 TikTok followers, along with the caption, “Clown hasn’t been relevant in decades anyway.”
Jerry Seinfeld told a prominent Kick streamer that Palestine does not exist. TikTok / @finessefaveThe comedian was rushed after the historic game. TikTok / @finessefave
Two weeks later, he was interrupted on stage by an anti-Israel protester who jumped up and yelled, “Free Gaza” during a standup show in Norfolk, Virginia, TMZ reported.
The audience responded by booing the heckler and chanting, “Jerry! Jerry!” as another bystander got the protester in a headlock before security ushered the man out.
Here’s the latest on the Knicks’ historic 2026 NBA Finals run
“This is exciting. I like this. I like a little Jew hate to spice up the show,” Seinfeld joked darkly from the stage as the heckler was evicted.
The show continued, but protesters interrupted Seinfeld a further eight times throughout the 90-minute set.
Seinfeld has also faced abuse on the streets of his native New York, with two high-profile incidents in 2025.
Jerry Seinfeld performs onstage at the Colossal Stage during Colossal Clusterfest at Civic Center Plaza and The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on June 4, 2017 in San Francisco, California. FilmMagic
In February 2025, an influencer asked Seinfeld for a selfie outside Radio City Music Hall, before instead recording himself saying “Free Palestine” while filming the comedian.
Seinfeld responded by saying, “I don’t care about Palestine,” before walking away.
And while leaving the Garden after a Knicks game in May 2025, a vile protester filmed themselves telling Seinfeld he supports the genocide of babies in Gaza.
The comedian watches the second half of Game 4. AP Photo/Ross D. FranklinJerry Seinfeld cheers on the Knicks from court side. NBAE via Getty Images
“Only you,” Seinfeld quipped, as he got into his car.
His standup shows have faced continual picketing this year, with protesters branding him a “genocide apologist” ahead of his appearance in Aurora, Illinois, in January, as the Jamia Times reported at the time.
Seinfeld, star of the eponymous iconic ’90s sitcom, was sitting on celebrity row at Madison Square Garden as the Knicks completed a record 29-point comeback against the San Antonio Spurs to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
The Knicks are on the brink of their first NBA Championship since 1973 if they beat the Spurs in Texas on Saturday, with tipoff at 8:30 p.m.
Mboko forced out with knee injury after heavy fall
Williams’ focus now shifts to Berlin wildcard spot
Serena Williams’s first tournament since coming out of retirement has ended prematurely after her partner Victoria Mboko was forced to withdraw from the Queen’s Club tournament after injuring her knee when slipping on the grass in her singles match on Wednesday.
Williams made a sensational return to competition at 44 after a four-year absence on Tuesday alongside Mboko as the pair defeated the third seeds Nicole Melichar Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(2), 6-2. The pair were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund on Thursday afternoon.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 19: Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox look on in the bullpen during a Spring Training workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 19, 2025 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Garrett Crochet is not coming to save the Red Sox season. Or at least he isn’t any time soon. After initially saying that his lat strain was so minor that he didn’t even want to call it a setback, the Red Sox ace now says that it “is a lot worse than what we thought” and that “he has “no idea” when he’ll be cleared to pitch. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
But wait! Is his injury actually any worse? After Crochet’s dispiriting comments came out last night, Chad Tracy and Craig Breslow both spoke to the media, providing somewhat contradictory information. “Garrett continues to make good progress with the lat strain,” Breslow said, further stating that there was no new information in terms of the severity in the injury. So no one has any idea what’s going on with the team’s ace and highest paid pitcher. This is what a dysfunctional organization looks like, folks. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Elsewhere in the rotation, you my have noticed that it was Jake Bennett — not Brayan Bello — who got the start for the Red Sox yesterday. But just because Bello’s been relegated to AAA, that doesn’t mean he can’t bounce back. Cliff Lee, for one, once similarly got demoted in the middle of an established bid league career and came back stronger. So what does Bello need to do out in Worcester? “With Bello, the Sox have areas of focus. For much of this year, the arm slot on his foundational sinker had been an average of 6 inches higher than it was last season. From that height, he was losing sink on his sinker and changeup. His locations and pitch shapes became worse.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But for all the ink spilled about Crochet, Bello, and the rest of the pitching staff, it’s the somnambulant lineup that remains the Red Sox’ biggest problem. “I can’t believe they are content going with so many [Triple-A] players — utility infielders — at the bottom of the lineup,” said one executive from a rival team. “I’m still confused on the Red Sox roster construction and truthfully how they thought it would turn out any different than it has. The holes that were there at the start of the season are still there,” said another. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Notably, none of those rival executives thought that the Red Sox problem was literally with the team’s bats, rather than the players wielding them. But Mickey Gasper isn’t taking any chances — he put in a new order of bats to try to turn his offensive fortunes around. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
Of course the bats probably aren’t to blame for the team’s terrible plate discipline. In the previous four games entering yesterday’s contest, the Sox had walked just four times total. “It marks only the fourth time since 1994, and the fifth since 1981, that Boston has had four or fewer walks in a five-game span.” (Justin Turpin, WEEI)
No word on whether Caleb Durbin was using a new bat yesterday when he had his first career multi-homer game, and hit his first homer off a non-position player this year. “Honestly, the last couple days felt really good,” Durbin said. “Felt like I was really getting good swings on the ball, and when I was going to hit them, it was going to be good results — not just feeling like I’m putting good swings on the ball, but trusting that the result would be good and trending in the right direction. But obviously still a lot of work to be done.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
But despite Durbin’s power surge, the Sox still lost. It’s going to be one of those seasons where we see historical parallels like this all year long:
The last time the Red Sox were this bad, Titanic was still in theaters. https://t.co/OQXv85u3Ue
NEW YORK — In the service area here at Madison Square Garden, after it was all over, the world’s biggest pop icon was being whisked toward the tinted Chevy Suburban that would wheel her out into the thick night.
By this point, thousands of fans had already spilled back into the streets for a rave in orange and royal blue.
As Taylor Swift approached the truck, the expression on her face was caught between wonder and exuberance. Shaking her head in disbelief, she mouthed, seemingly to no one: What just happened?
About 200 feet away, San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson was trying to explain how his team had wasted a 29-point lead to become an inglorious footnote in NBA Finals history. And on the other end of that were the New York Knicks, who authored the largest comeback in Finals history to go up 3-1 in the series, on the cusp of the franchise’s first championship in 53 seasons.
This was, when considering the stakes, undeniably the greatest game in the storied history of the Knicks.
Johnson was in a makeshift press room. Makeshift because it wasn’t a room at all, but rather a wedge of hallway carved out of black cloth room dividers. There was no door to speak of, and the exultant cries still coming from Knicks fans were so loud that his microphone picked them up.
Seventy-five feet from there, underneath the tunnel that feeds to the court, Knicks superfan and actor Ben Stiller was trying to make his way toward the New York interview room. Stiller is reportedlyshooting footage for an HBO documentary about the Knicks and has been a staple at the team’s postgame press conferences.
Stiller could not get very far; members of the Knicks hype squad started shouting "We love Ben" over and over until Stiller joined the mob in an impromptu mosh pit.
In the upper and lower bowls, thousands of fans had chosen to bask in the revelry a little longer. Fittingly, Journey’s "Don’t Stop Believin’ " was pumping through the speaker system. Those who stayed were dancing and belting the chorus, snapping selfies and FaceTiming jealous loved ones. It was unrestrained jubilance in the collective, a catharsis for a fan base deprived of an NBA title for 53 seasons.
Somehow, it felt spiritual; this was their mecca, and they were gathered in worship.
Down the corridor back toward Tower C, Knicks coach Mike Brown was holding his press conference, where he called the game-winning tip-in from OG Anunoby "the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball."
He reflected but acknowledged the need to close the series out. He humbly praised the grit and resilience of his players. Yet, as much as he tried to restrain his emotions, he, too, got caught up in the
"Fat Joe is just sitting there with all his chains on, and every time he jumped up, the freaking lights with those chains, they blinded me, so it was a little hard (to see)," Brown said. "Fat Joe, keep wearing the chains, because you look smooth.
"But you can’t replace this crowd, man. The building’s already electric, but during a run like that, to see, you know, people like Fat Joe and all the others just enjoying themselves at a basketball game – you know, just being human, jumping up and down, high-fiving, screaming, the vibe is just – it’s hard to describe, and the energy in the crowd had a lot to do with our comeback, too. It was fantastic. Unbelievable."
As Brown left the press room and worked his way back toward the Knicks locker room, a procession of people congratulated him. From long-time beat reporters to a Madison Square Garden staffer ("great adjustments, Mike") to former Knick Iman Shumpert ("great [expletive] win"), Brown brought hope back to this fan base.
Shumpert, who wore his own Knicks jersey though he last played for the team in 2014, then said, to no one in particular, that he was "going to turn up on 7th Ave." He was a man of his word.
A pair of former Knicks paraded toward the exit, and the communal celebration of fans continued to steadily thrum throughout the building.
"One more," Marcus Camby said to Latrell Sprewell, referring to the final game the Knicks need to win.
Back in the Knicks press room, the current players had that very thought in mind.
"I’m not going to sugarcoat this: I was about to cry, not because – obviously there is one more – but I’m at Madison Square Garden, end of the fourth quarter, playing with these guys, and we’re playing for something special," Knicks guard Jose Alvarado.
"I was just – I was just excited. It’s really something I couldn’t put into words. And like I said, we could get excited and enjoy this, but we got one more to do."
Towhid Hridoy hit an unbeaten 40 as Bangladesh won the second one-day international by five wickets on Thursday to clinch their first-ever series win against Australia in the 50-over format.
The Knicks are one win from the third championship in their 80-year history and first since 1973.Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images
What does a team of destiny look like? You know it when you see it. The evidence has been mounting for weeks – months, even – that this year, despite decades of precedent to the contrary, that team is the New York Knicks.
On Wednesday night, the proof overflowed in the hallowed halls of the Mecca. One of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history – and the largest ever in an NBA finals game – saw New York erase a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4, leaving Taylor Swift and members of Haim leaping for joy courtside and the 58-year-old building shaking like a bounce house.
The irony, of course, is that these same Knicks have so often found themselves on the wrong end of heartbreak in those very halls. As recently as last year, the Indiana Pacers reminded them of the sport’s cruelest lesson: no game is over until the clock hits zero. In some ways, those Pacers were the last team to carry the sense of inevitability that seems to surround this Knicks squad. Their run, however, ended in crushing fashion with a Game 7 defeat. The Knicks appear mindful of that history. “It’s still 0-0” and “still a long way to go” were common refrains throughout their post-game press conferences on Wednesday night. Some, including head coach Mike Brown and players Jose Alvarado and Karl-Anthony Towns, showed visible emotion.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat this,” Alvarado said. “I was about to cry. I’m at Madison Square Garden, end of the fourth quarter, playing with these guys, and we’re playing for something special.”
Others, such as team captain Jalen Brunson and game-winning playmaker OG Anunoby, were more stoic. But the message was unanimous: as extraordinary as this victory was, there is still one more game left to win.
The Knicks have become something of comeback specialists in recent years. There have been multiple double-digit rallies during this 2026 playoff run alone, after a handful of stunning recoveries against the favored Boston Celtics last postseason. So they certainly have some experience in the art of the improbable. But perhaps the real preparation for nights like this comes from the heartbreak. Being on the receiving end of an unlikely comeback teaches you, in unforgettable fashion, that no lead is safe and no game is ever truly over. The scar tissue of past playoff disappointments, the callouses left by victories snatched away at the last moment – those can be life’s greatest teachers.
And beyond the wins and losses (and Knicks fans will be the first to tell you there have been plenty of losses), this is, in many ways, a team of castoffs. The Dallas Mavericks let Jalen Brunson walk, and that was after he was passed over in the first round of the NBA draft as a two-time national champion at Villanova. Karl-Anthony Towns was abruptly moved by the Minnesota Timberwolves after years as the face of the franchise. Josh Hart bounced around the league. Alvarado went undrafted. Even Brown was dismissed as coach of the Sacramento Kings not long after helping them “light the beam”.
Perhaps that’s why this group never seems to believe they are beaten. Too many of these players have spent their careers being told what they couldn’t do to accept that a game is over before the final buzzer sounds.
“I think everybody, to a certain degree, at some point in life is overlooked,” Brown said late Wednesday night. “Just to have the ability to stay with it, stay with it, stay with it, stay with it, especially when you get knocked down, to me, that defines who you are. Even if you don’t have the quote-unquote ‘ultimate success’ that you think you deserve, if you get knocked down in life and you’re able to get back up and keep fighting, that’s a freaking win.”
The idea of a team of destiny raises an interesting question: how much control do we really have over our own fate? Is destiny a path laid out before us, something inevitable and immutable? Or is it something we create ourselves? Maybe it’s a bit of both. The Knicks found themselves pondering those questions after their historic victory.
“You’ve got to have a little luck in sports,” Brown said. “But you can also make your luck, too.”
Towns echoed the sentiment.
“Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you make your luck,” he said. “We made our luck today.”
For most of Wednesday night, it seemed as though New York’s luck had finally run dry. Team owner James Dolan had spent the previous few days making himself the center of attention on a decidedly ill-advised media tour, while some fans half-jokingly wondered whether the bad vibes lingering from the Commander in Chief’s controversial – and sleepy – appearance at Game 3 had cursed the Knicks’ title hopes. The Spurs certainly played as if they believed it. Victor Wembanyama even went so far as to proclaim “I’m in your head” to the Knicks during the first half, and he may not have been wrong. Until he was.
Because that’s the thing about a resilient group like this one. That’s the thing about a team of destiny: however unconventional the path, however theatrical the punctuations along the way, it somehow arrives where it’s meant to. And for the 2026 New York Knicks, that journey is now just one win away from an NBA championship.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 10: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates after his team's 107-106 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Antonio set a record nobody would want, giving up a 29-point lead, including a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, and losing to New York, 107-106.
Charles Barkley, who has had a few things to say about the city of San Antonio over the years, called the Spurs “the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization.”
He’s not entirely wrong, but there is some context: first, the Spurs are by far the youngest team to make it to the Finals. If a couple of plays had gone differently, they’d be up 3-1 instead of down by that margin.
And secondly, while this team has some great pieces, it’s not where it could be. Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell might be better coming off the bench. And while De’Aaron Fox had a major error, so did Josh Hart.
Imagine the Spurs with a couple of other pieces. For argument’s sake, let’s say they had Jared McCain, a confident shooter and acceptable defender. Imagine if they had, say, De’Andre Hunter or Marcus Smart.
Or having just one veteran could stabilize that team when things get dicey and could put them over the top.
Right now, Dylan Harper (20), Stephon Castle (21), and Victor Wembanyama (22) are the heart of that team. Wembanyama is wildly gifted, but he’s cracked under the pressure of the Finals. Harper is very promising, but he’s a rookie. Castle, just in his second year, seems like the rock of the team.
We’d love to see Mason Plumlee playing a bigger role, but he’s 36 and his career is winding down. He got another DNP in Game 5.
We said the other night that San Antonio had a narrow margin of error in the Finals, and that was the case in Game 4. Their best three players are under 22, and they’ll learn from this failure. This is a humiliating loss and a brutal lesson, but this is still the team of the future.
Just as the Spurs are too young to pull this off, New York is a team with a lot of veterans who made amazingly gutsy plays down the stretch. The guy we’re happiest for is Jose Alvarado. When he was at Georgia Tech, we said he’d be a four-year player who would not play in the NBA. Well, we were really wrong there. Alvarado hit a dagger of a three late in the fourth. The Knicks probably wouldn’t have won without him.
Assuming they get one more win, which seems highly likely, Alvarado is going to be an absolute prince in his hometown. New York hasn’t won a title since 1973, and when they do, he may never have to pay for another meal in town again.
