Worldwide Sports News

PHOENIX — Orel Hershiser was getting ready to grab dinner before broadcasting the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game Wednesday night when he got the news that Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez’s bid to break his all-time scoreless innings streak had ended.

Hershiser says he was privately rooting for Sanchez, but concedes that his family and friends were quite relieved his record 59-inning scoreless streak remains the standard. Sanchez’s streak was snapped at 50.2 innings on San Diego Padres center fielder Jack Merrill’s two-out single, scoring Ty France from second base.

“It’s a great accomplishment, it really is,’’ Hershiser told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s tremendous. I really believe you’re going to see more streaks this year. You’ve got guys like Shohei (Ohtani of the Dodgers). Miz (Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers). I think with the way hitting is now, you’re going to see more of these streaks.

“Someone will break the record.’’

Just not now, with Hershiser’s 1988 record still standing after 38 years and counting.

“I was rooting for him because I know how special it is in your life,’’ Hershiser said. “He’s having a great year. He’s got to be the front-runner for the Cy Young. He’s got ridiculous stuff. And he’s a strikeout pitcher, much more of a strikeout pitcher than I was.’’

I think it’s safe to say, most Diamondbacks’ fans are going into this game, more in hope than genuine expectation of winning. Shohei Ohtani has made nine starts this year, all but one going at least six innings. And just once has he allowed more than a single earned run. Opposing batters are hitting just .147, and of the 213 batters to have faced Ohtani this year, only two have homered. He has a 0.82 ERA. Kinda remarkable he is not 9-0. But Shohei has “only” got five wins. He lost 2-1 to both the Astros and Marlins, and also has a pair of no-decisions. Both of those came in Los Angeles defeats, but he didn’t allow an earned run in either game.

On the other hand, we have Zac Gallen. He has allowed fewer than two earned runs in only three of his eleven starts – and one of those was a curtailed three-inning outing. He has precisely two quality starts all year. They came against the Tigers and Giants, the 26th and 27th-ranked teams in the majors this year, by runs per game. Tonight, he’s facing the second-ranked Dodgers, who have scored an average of 5.26 runs per game [Somewhat fun fact: #1 are the next visitors to Chase Field, the Washington Nationals, at 5.32 R/G] Gallen’s ERA has increased after five of his last six starts.

Of course, much of the above is written in the spirit of a reverse jinx. One of the great things about baseball is, any team can win on any given day. We’ve seen this often enough before. Why not tonight? At least we should be safe from any “Why are we making this scrub look like Cy Young?” comments in the GDT! It would be nice if they end up posting those over on True Blue LA instead. As mentioned in Snake Bytes, three of our four losses to the Dodgers have been by one run. Be nice if the gods of regression smile on the Diamondbacks tonight, and give us our first one-run win over the Evil Empire. Especially on a day where we got the bad news about the return of our former staff ace.

The Colorado Rockies have certainly enjoyed the series against the Los Angeles Angels. After a wacky win to kick off the series on Monday, the boys in purple enjoyed a convincing win on Tuesday to win the series. Now, they look to complete the sweep on the road before heading home for the weekend.

Michael Lorenzen (2-7, 7.22 ERA) takes the hill against his former club, looking to right the ship. May was not a kind month to Lorenzen as he posted an 8.87 ERA over five starts, throwing 23.1 innings. He allowed five or more runs in three starts and allowed at least five hits in all of his starts. The major issue for Lorenzen has been a lack of command and consistency in his starts. It has seemed that he is typically good for one or two innings in a start that can come before or after things fall apart. The second time through the order has proven the most troublesome, as he has allowed 22 runs and issued 12 walks. The numbers, a third time through the order, haven’t proven much better. If he can attack the zone and find his spots, Lorenzen can be quite effective, but that consistency has eluded him.

In his career, he has made 11 appearances, including seven starts, against the Angels and has a 3.80 ERA. In 13 appearances at Angel Stadium, he sports a 3.47 ERA.

The Angels will send out the 22-year-old right-hander Walbert Ureña (2-4, 2.44 ERA). The rookie Ureña has done well to start his big league career, recording four quality starts in eight starts. His first two appearances of the year came out of the bullpen before he was moved to the rotation, where he has thrived. In May, he posted a 1.64 ERA over 33 innings. He went at least five innings in each outing, going six innings in three of them. He allowed more than one run just once and has done well limiting contact. However, he can struggle with command, allowing at least three walks in four of six starts last month. He can get strikeouts, but if the Rockies can work deep counts, they may be able to knock him out early since his season high pitch count is 93 pitches and he hasn’t worked past the sixth inning.

First Pitch: 7:38 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Lineups:

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It hasn’t been an easy first year with the Mets for Bo Bichette.

After signing a lucrative three-year, $126 million deal in the offseason to be a big part of the offense and help replace some of the production lost in free agency, Bichette hasn’t lived up to expectations.

Entering Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, Bichette was hitting .213 with a .570 OPS and was stuck in an 0-for-16 slump over the last handful of games. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Bichette, known as a great hitter throughout his career with runners in scoring position, was hitting .196 in those situations this season.

However, not only did Bichette snap his hitless streak in the series finale with a 4-for-4 day, he also came through in a big spot in the fourth inning when he singled in two runs with the bases loaded to break a 1-1 tie.

“Really good day for him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “That first at-bat he hits that bullet to right field and then it’s just kind of a typical game from Bo when he’s going well. He’s gonna spread the ball around, he’s gonna hit line drives. Runner at third with the infield in he gets a sac fly. A very good day for him offensively.”

Despite Bichette’s struggles for the majority of the season, Mendoza hasn’t moved him lower in the order, keeping him near the top of the lineup in hopes that he gets things going. That strategy paid off for him on Wednesday.

Mendoza also believes Bichette has run into some tough luck this season, saying he’s hit the ball hard but doesn’t have the results to show for it.

“They’re human. When you look up and the numbers aren’t what they’re supposed to be at, [and] everybody keeps telling you after a good swing, after a bullet, it gets tiring at times,” the skipper said. “They wanna see results. Hopefully now he continues to get results and he gets going here, but I feel like this guy has been very unlucky, I hate to say it. He’s a good hitter.”

For what it’s worth, the stats back up Mendoza’s claims. Bichette’s xBA is .276 – a full 50 points higher than his .226 batting average and much closer to his career .288 number – which ranks in the 79th percentile, per Baseball Savant. 

Bichette’s average exit velocity (90.9 mph), hard-hit percentage (45.5 percent) and squared-up percentage (28 percent) all also rank highly around the league. Still, at the end of the day, results are what matter the most.

“I’m not gonna sit here and say I’ve been at my best,” Bichette said after admitting his latest performance felt good. “There’s been probably a lot of at-bats that could be better so just trying to focus on being more consistent.”

Bichette will have a chance at finding that consistency after an off day on Thursday. The Mets are back in action on Friday night against the San Diego Padres.

So what can he take from the success he found on Wednesday and implement it into the rest of the season?

“Just staying in the moment,” Bichette said. “There’s no secret recipe. Staying in the moment, getting good pitches to hit, competing. Whatever happens, happens and move on.”

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks, who would be back in the National League playoffs if the season ended today, were dealt a blow to their postseason hopes when ace Corbin Burnes was shut down in his throwing recovery program from Tommy John surgery, likely sidelining him at least until September.

Burnes, who signed a six-year, $210 million free-agent contract a year ago, the largest in franchise history, was expected to return to the Diamondbacks around the All-Star Game to provide the D-backs a huge lift in the second half.

Instead, Burnes was diagnosed with a teres major strain after throwing about 18 pitches in his first outing against hitters a few days ago, and will have to re-start another throwing program, perhaps in July.

“It’s a blow, and it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with,’’ Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It’s what we do in this game, and we’ve got very qualified players in that clubhouse that are going to get some opportunities. We’ve got five really good starting pitchers right now and they’re doing a really good job. I want that to continue.’’

Burnes underwent an MRI Monday that showed no further damage, but the Diamondbacks still don’t know what caused his setback.

“There’s no real defined answer,’’ Lovullo said. “He felt it after his last outing. He felt like the next day something was just a little tight. He threw a little bit, and it just amplified a little bit. …

“We’ll just remain hopeful. We want him to get healthy once he gets there.’’

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (27-35), who are 6-4 in their last 10 games, will continue their nine-game homestand tonight as they play the second game of a three-game series against their former divisional opponent, the Pittsburgh Pirates (33-28).

RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-1, 1.34 ERA), who was acquired from the Pirates this offseason, will open the series against his former club tonight opposite defending Cy Young winner RHP Paul Skenes (6-5, 2.89 ERA).

ABOUT Arrighetti: Arrighetti is fresh off of winning the AL Pitcher of the Month award following a month that saw him go 5-1 in six starts.

VS. THE PIRATES: The Astros are hosting the Pirates in Houston for their first series in the Bayou City since July of 2024.

Since the Astros moved to the AL in 2013, the Astros and Pirates have nearly split their 19 matchups evenly with the Pirates owning a 10-9 record. Historically, these teams have played each other 718 times, with the Astros going 348-371.

YOR-GONE!: DH Yordan Alvarez has hit 191 career regular season home runs, which ties him for sixth in Astros history along with 3B Alex Bregman.

HOME RUNS IN ASTROS HISTORY (REG. SEASON):

1. Jeff Bagwell: 449 
2. Lance Berkman: 326          
3. Craig Biggio: 291 
4. Jose Altuve: 259
5. Jimmy Wynn: 223

T6.  Alex Bregman: 191

T6.  Yordan Alvarez: 191

TODAY’S AVAILABILITIES: The Astros clubhouse will be open to approved media at Daikin Park until 4 p.m. CT…Astros Manager Joe Espada will be made available in the Astros dugout at approx. 4 p.m.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, June 3, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network, SCHN2 (Spanish)

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KTRH 740 AM, KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Astros

SS Jeremy Pena

DH Yordan Alvarez

1B Christian Walker

3B Isaac Paredes

RF Cam Smith

CF Jake Meyers

LF Zach Dezenzo

2B Nick Allen

C Christian Vazquez

Pirates

1B Spencer Horwitz

2B Brandon Lowe

LF Bryan Reynolds

3B Nick Gonzales

CF O’neill Cruz

DH Marcell Ozuna

RF Jhostynxon Garcia

SS Jared Triolo

C Henry Davis

The Mets tried to pull off a double steal with Carson Benge on third earlier this season. 

Benge hesitated slightly, and ended up being gunned down at the plate. 

The rookie learned from the mistake, and was sure to make up for it the next time the play was called. 

That came on Wednesday afternoon in Seattle. 

Jared Young stepped to the plate with Juan Soto on first and Benge on third as the Mets pieced together a rally against Seattle right-hander George Kirby in the top of the third. 

Soto came into the day with just five stolen bases on the season, but he got a terrific read on Kirby and took off on just the second pitch of the at-bat. 

Seattle’s catcher Jhonny Pereda still decided to make the throw through to second, which immediately prompted Benge to start busting down the line towards home. 

The rookie came in easily, standing up for the Mets' third run of the inning. 

“That’s just part of his game,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “When him or A.J. [Ewing] are on-base, they are going to put pressure on the defense, they are going to try to create runs -- it’s good we were able to execute today.”

New York ended up tacking on another run just a few pitches later, and then held on for a  much-needed 7-1 victory to close out the series against the red-hot Mariners. 

For Benge, he says it was his first steal of home at any level. 

For the Mets, it was the franchise's first since Francisco Lindor executed that same play in Aug. 2023. 

The speedy 23-year-old is now 10-for-12 on stolen base attempts during his rookie campaign, pushing him into a tie for the eighth-most in the National League. 

The Mets execute the double steal to perfection to plate another run! pic.twitter.com/JVyjopvcUw

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 3, 2026