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The Milwaukee Brewers had the lead right from the jump and never gave it up as they cruised to a 9-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians, giving them a chance to sweep tomorrow.

Christian Yelich led this game off with an opposite-field home run off Gavin Williams, taking a curveball down and away to the Brewers’ bullpen for a 1-0 lead. They weren’t done in that first inning, however. William Contreras and Jake Bauers drew two-out walks, and Sal Frelick drove them both home with a booming double to right-center.

In the second, Cooper Pratt delivered the first hit of his major league career, shooting a single through the right side of the infield.

“I heard the crowd, and it was sick,” Pratt said postgame as he retold the story of his first career hit.

David Hamilton bunted Pratt over, and Yelich drove him in with a single to left center. Yelich would later score on a Brice Turang double, and very quickly it was 5-0 Brewers after two innings.

Meanwhile, Brandon Sproat was cruising along, facing the minimum through three innings. But then he ran into trouble in the fourth, allowing a walk, a single, and another walk to load the bases. He then hung a curveball right down the heart of the plate to Daniel Schneeman, who did not miss it and crushed a grand slam.

A few pitches later, the athletic trainer was coming out to check on Sproat, and he exited the ballgame. The Brewers later said Sproat left with a right hamstring cramp.

“Just a cramp, he’s fine. He’ll be able to make his next start,” Pat Murphy said.

The Brewers’ offense picked him up with some additional insurance runs in the bottom half of the fourth when Jackson Chourio lifted his fourth home run of the homestand and 10th of the year.

Chad Patrick, who came on in relief of Sproat, proceeded to absolutely shove. He struck out seven over 3 1/3 innings and allowed just one hit. It’s been a struggle for Patrick his last few times out, but he made an adjustment to the cutter and found much more success.

The Brewers were able to add some insurance in the eighth inning with singles from Contreras and Frelick, followed by an RBI double from pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn. Pratt then tallied his first career RBI with a single over the first baseman’s head to make it 9-4.

Grant Anderson closed the door for the Brewers, and they’re now lined up to potentially sweep the Guardians on Thursday afternoon. Shane Drohan will get the start for Milwaukee in that game, with Parker Messick starting for Cleveland in a southpaw-on-southpaw matchup. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m.

Cubs 8, Rockies 6

Leverage index and box score

Graphics via FanGraphs.

Shaw-some: Matt Shaw, +0.17 WPA

Second-inningblowout: Sean Sullivan, -0.37 WPA

Game thread comments of the day

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The White Sox owe the Guardians a fruit basket because after another Bronx beatdown, Chicago is barely clinging to first. The Sox got thumped, dropping to 38-34 and torching their positive run differential on the way out.

The night started with some promise. Miguel Vargas, still glowing from his MLB Network cameo with Mark DeRosa, ripped a two-out double in the first.

Then Colson Montgomery battled for 12 pitches, only to pop out. Cue the Yankees: Anthony Kay got two quick outs, then Amed Rosario doubled, and Cody Bellinger smashed a two-run shot to right-center. Just like that, 2-0 hole.

The Sox had their shots, but the clutch hits never came. In the second, Everson Pereira drew a leadoff walk and Edgar Quero singled, only to watch Braden Montgomery bounce into a rally-killing double play. Meanwhile, Kay continued struggling with his command. José Caballero reached after being hit by a pitch in the second, Anthony Volpe tripled him home, and Ali Sánchez added an RBI single, and suddenly it’s 4-0 Yankees. Kay burned through 52 pitches just to escape two innings.

Finally, some life in the third. Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk singled, then Colson yanked a pitch from Carlos Rodón into the short porch for a three-run bomb. Suddenly it’s 4-3.

Kay battled in the bottom half, managing to strand Bellinger at third after a leadoff double, getting a groundout, a strikeout, and a popped-up bunt to escape.

But missed chances for the South Siders were the story. Quero singled in the fourth and got left. Meidroth doubled to start the fifth and went nowhere. Five innings in, plenty of hits, nothing to show for it.

Then everything unraveled.

Sean Newcomb took over in the fifth and immediately lit the fuse. Bellinger singled, Jasson Domínguez doubled, and Caballero drove in two. Then Volpe smoked a liner off Newcomb’s chest at 98.6 mph, sending him to the showers with a contusion. Tyler Davis came in and poured gasoline on the fire: single to Sánchez, then veteran Paul Goldschmidt obliterated a three-run homer. Suddenly it’s 9-3, and the game is toast.

Brandon Eisert finally put up a zero in the sixth, but Trevor Richards coughed up a solo shot to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the seventh, pushing the Yankees into double digits. The inning also brought another scare when Everson Pereira made a highlight-reel catch in center, then hit the wall before crumpling to the ground. He ended up leaving the game, though he walked off on his own.

Chicago kept swinging, even down big. Braden picked up a two-out single in the sixth, then Colson notched his first career multi-homer game in the eighth with his 19th of the year.

Tristan Peters kept the line moving by drawing a pinch-hit walk, Quero slapped his third hit, but again, no dice. Sam Antonacci led off the ninth with a homer for some window dressing.

The maddening part is that the offense actually showed up. Eleven hits, three from Quero, two bombs from Colson. But the Good Guys went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left a small village on base. The bullpen blowup didn’t help, but when you rack up 11 hits and five for extra bases and still trail all night, that’s a special kind of aggravating.

On the eve of one of the city’s biggest celebrations in years — a parade for the NBA champion Knicks — the Yankees got the party started early.

With Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in The Bronx to throw out the ceremonial first pitches and then watch from a suite, the Yankees put on a show Wednesday behind another relentless offensive attack.

Every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit for the second straight night as the Yankees pounded the White Sox yet again, 10-5, in front of 38,558, including two freshly crowned champions.

Brunson and Hart were the main attraction for many of those fans at the start of the night and whenever they came into sight following their first pitches, but the Yankees (45-27) gave them plenty to watch on the field, too, as they won for the eighth time in their last nine games.

Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. all homered as the Yankees raced out to an early lead and then piled on from there, scoring 22 runs through the first two games of this series against one of the other four American League teams who entered the night with a winning record.

“That’s at its best right there,” manager Aaron Boone said. “When everyone’s playing a role and you’re getting meaningful contributions from everyone and you’re winning baseball games, that leads to good times and good vibes. You love it that way. You know you’re going to go through your challenging moments, so you try to embrace this and keep it going as best you can.”

Carlos Rodón struck out seven while grinding through five innings, with all of the damage he allowed coming on one swing: Colson Montgomery’s three-run homer in the top of the third inning, which pulled the White Sox (38-34) within 4-3.

But that was as close as it would get, as the Yankees blew the game open with a five-run fifth inning capped by Goldschmidt’s three-run home run to the short porch off righty reliever Tyler Davis.

The Yankees are playing without two former MVPs in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, but still have two more playing like their best versions in Bellinger and Goldschmidt.

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With his 11th home run of the year, the 38-year-old Goldschmidt surpassed his home run tally for all of last season (10 in 146 games), doing so in just 47 games to help the Yankees withstand the losses of Judge and Stanton.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Bellinger said. “Lefty, righty, pull-side homers, oppo homers, hitting singles and playing great defense, he’s been tremendous. Obviously a future Hall of Famer. Just been really fun to watch with my own eyes.”

Bellinger, meanwhile, finished a triple short of the cycle as he continued to do everything well. He is hitting .304 with a .941 OPS across his last 43 games.

The Yankees, who improved to 18-6 when facing a left-handed starter this season by beating up on White Sox southpaw (and former Mets prospect) Anthony Kay, have just kept plugging along even as the injuries have piled up, now missing nearly half of their Opening Day lineup.

“We have a good mindset about it,” Rodón said. “We go out there every day trying to win a baseball game. There’s no excuses in this room. Obviously, it’s tough when G is out, Judgey’s out, and those guys are so dynamic at the plate. But it’s great that our guys are still going out there and putting together good at-bats, still scoring a lot of runs. This team’s very capable.”

After clubbing four home runs in Tuesday’s 12-2 win, the Yankees picked up where they left off by racing out to a 4-0 lead.

After Montgomery’s first of two homers made it 4-3, the Yankees put the game out of reach in the fifth, honoring Brunson and Hart by delivering another win.

“That was cool,” Bellinger said. “Obviously, we were all super tuned into the [NBA Finals] and the postseason. Saw them pregame and what they were able to accomplish is pretty amazing. It was cool to see them.”

ATLANTA — So homer-happy were the Giants on Wednesday that even Luis Arraez got in on the power party aided by the balmy conditions in the Braves’ bandbox. 

The contact-hitting second baseman put one over the wall for only the third time this season — his first in any setting besides the hitter’s paradise that is the A’s temporary home — and that was only the beginning of a historic homer barrage on their way to a doubleheader sweep.

“I didn’t know there was any elevation here, so I guess the ball flies here a little bit,” said first baseman Bryce Eldridge, who came away with his seventh homer of the season in his first game at Truist Park.

No kidding.

The Giants hit three home runs on their way to a 7-2 win in the early game. They slugged that many in the second inning alone of the nightcap. Final score: 7-5.

“It was a good day at the ballpark for us,” manager Tony Vitello said, complimenting his team for improving from its first doubleheader of the season, when they lost both games to the Phillies.

“I think if you look at the last time we did this, it serves as a little bit of practice for this year’s team. We’ve gone through a day like today. … No matter what your circumstances are, you’ve got to make them the best that you can.”

The rare homer from Arraez came with two outs in the second, finding a landing spot in The Chophouse in right field, after Willy Adames lined one over the left-field wall to lead off the frame.

Arraez stood in the batter’s box for a moment and stared toward his teammates in the third-base dugout.

“We were giving him crap in the dugout because he pimped it,” Adames laughed. “When he knows, he knows. When he hits it, he hits it.”

Eldridge immediately followed Arraez with a shot to center, giving the Giants three in an inning for the first time this season and their second set of back-to-back homers of the day.

Jung Hoo Lee and Rafael Devers provided back-to-back blasts in the first game.

Devers was contained to the field of play in the second game but used it like a pinball machine to record his MLB-leading 23rd and 24th doubles of the season, including one he snuck down the left-field line in the first that drove in Arraez and opened a 1-0 lead.

Arraez finished with a season-high four RBIs, poking a two-run single in front of Mike Yastrzemski in left field to pad the Giants’ lead in the top of the ninth.

The Giants had manufactured three runs before play was suspended in the first game Tuesday night. From the time they resumed play Wednesday afternoon, the Giants’ six home runs were responsible for eight of the 12 runs they scored the rest of the day.

On the topic of homering in bunches, nobody clumps them together like Adames, who also went deep in the first game. Five different Giants homered on the day, but only Adames did so twice.

The last time Adames homered, he also hit two in one day. In between the multi-homer games, however, the shortstop managed just one single with 11 strikeouts in 31 at-bats. Of his last five hits, four have gone over the fence.

“I don’t feel the best right now,” Adames acknowledged. “I’ve had some good contact, but not results. Obviously when you get some [results], it feels great. … Hopefully I can get hot and end the first half the way I want to.”

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The Braves, on the other hand, weren’t able to do much of anything against Carson Whisenhunt, called up from Triple-A to make a spot start in the second game of the twin bill.

“I thought he was outstanding,” Vitello said. “He put on a clinic for how to handle traffic because there weren’t very many moments where it was easy, or he just breezed.”

Nonetheless, Whisenhunt limited Atlanta to two runs on six hits and two walks over five-plus innings in his first start of the season. Both of Whisenhunt’s walks came in his first two frames, and he settled down to retire 11 of 12 until allowing the first three batters of the sixth to reach base.

“Felt really good,” said Whisenhunt, who arrived as the 27th man for the doubleheader on about four hours of sleep and will rejoin to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. “Obviously not the best it could have been, but for what I had to work with there, I felt pretty solid.”

It wasn’t enough to earn a permanent spot in the major-league rotation, but it made Vitello a believer that Whisenhunt, who struggled in five starts last year, will be back at some point.

“I just think he’s got the ability to be at this level,” Vitello said.

With 6 ⅓ scoreless innings from Robbie Ray in the first game and strong work from their relievers, Giants pitchers held Atlanta to two runs over the first 16 innings they played Wednesday.

Matt Gage, in his return from the injured list, wasn’t able to finish the job, recording only one out in the ninth, surrendering a two-run homer to Mauricio Dubon and handing the game over to Tristan Beck with two on and the tying run at the plate.

Caleb Kilian, their closer, was not available for the sudden save situation after Vitello used him to record the final two outs of their five-run win earlier in the day.

What it means

The Braves began this series with the best record in the majors, 17 ½ games ahead of the Giants, with a 3.32 staff ERA that trailed only the Yankees for the best in MLB.

None of that seemed to matter to the Giants, who unloaded against a bullpen game and a rookie making his sixth big-league start, JR Ritchie. In a roundabout way, San Francisco has reeled off three wins in a row. The Giants haven’t won four games in a row all season.

Who’s hot

The power strokes of the Giants’ hitters, who look like a completely transformed group from the one that ranked last in the majors in home runs through the first week of May.

San Francisco became the last team to reach 20 home runs on May 4. Since then, they’re tied with the Nationals for the most in the majors, with 59 after slugging six more Wednesday.

And consider this: Their 122 wRC+ in that span leads the league, meaning the offensive awakening hasn’t just been a product of the long ball, nor is it merely a result of favorable foes.

Who’s not

Just about everyone has participated in the Giants’ power surge.

But not catcher Daniel Susac.

Susac started behind the plate in the first game of the double header and went hitless in four chances, bringing the Rule 5 pick over 100 plate appearances without a homer.

Susac continues to be a reliable receiver and singles hitter, but just six of his 26 hits this season have gone for extra bases. Since returning from the injured list May 15, Susac is batting .221 with a .550 OPS, putting his OPS on the verge of dropping below .700 for the first time this year.

Up next

With more rain in the forecast for Thursday, the teams have discussed moving up the start time of the series finale from 7:15 p.m. ET. For now, that’s when Braves starter Martin Perez will toe the rubber, opposed by Landen Roupp in his first start since Pride Night in San Francisco.

Blue Jays 3 Red Sox 0

It seems weird to get a shutout in a game that the Jays pitchers really didn’t look great

An impromptu bullpen day, with Max Scherzer scratched with back tightness (landing him on the IL), Jays pitchers walked seven and allowed seven hits. You’d imagine one of those baserunners would have come around to score. The Red Sox were 0 for 12 with RISP.

We did get some good defense. Kazuma Okamoto made a couple of terrific plays (two in the eighth in particular) and Vladimir Guerrero had just an excellent night with the glove. Davis Schneider also made an excellent catch in left field.

On the pitching side:

• Braydon Fisher got the first four outs, giving up two walks in the process.
• Simeon Woods Richardson, the forgotten man in the pen, played bulk guy, going three innings, with three hits and three walks with one strikeout. He was helped by the spectacular catch in left field by Schneider. SWR was awarded the win.
• Mason Fluharty only got one out, with one walk, one his and one strikeout.
• Spencer Miles came in with Fluharty’s two runners on base and left them there, getting four outs, with one hit and one walk, with a strikeout.
• Jeff Hoffman pitched the seventh and was the first Jays pitcher not to walk someone. He gave up a one-out single, but got out of the inning with three ground outs. It took him 25 pitches to throw that scoreless inning, but put up a zero.
• Tyler Rogers had his usual inning, giving up a single, but getting three ground outs.
• And Louis Varland was untouchable in the ninth, three strikeouts on ten pitches. He was amazing. Save number 14.

We only got three runs, but it was enough:

• Two in the third: Davis Schneider hit a double off the left field wall. After Myles Straw (one of Spencer Miles or Myles Straw has to change the spelling of their name, I keep forgetting which is which. Add in all the variations on Brandon on the team and it is too much for a bear of very little brain) struck out, Andrés Giménez singled Davis in. Giménez then stole second. George Springer was hit by pitch (it looked like he got it off the foot again). The pair pulled off a double steal and Andrés scored on a Guerrero ground out. I thought IKF could have come home on the play, but I’m not going to complain.
• One in the eighth: Giménez singled and stole second. Springer flied out, moving up the runner. and Vlad popped one up just out of the reach of the Red Sox second baseman Andruw Monasterio.

We had eight hits (but no walks) on the day. Vlad and Andrés had two each. Springer (with a hit by pitch), Okamoto (2 k), Kirk (2 k) and Clement (2 k) had 0 fors. We were 2 for 9 with RISP, infinitely better than the Red Sox.

Giménez had 3 steals and Springer had 2 which set a new Jays single game record with 5 steals in a game.

Beyond that, the English soccer fans gave a bit of atmosphere to the game. They had fun. I’ve been to a few soccer games in England and the fans are half the fun of the game.

Jays of the Day: Spencer Miles (0.18 WPA), Giménez (0.17), Woods Richardson (0.15) and Hoffman (0.09). I’d give honorable mention to Davis, Kazuma and Vlad for their defense.

No one gets the number for the Other Award. Straw had the low mark at -0.08 but he did make a nice catch too.

Tomorrow is a day game. 1:30 Eastern, which messes with my day. Trey Yesavage (3-3, 3.78) and Sonny Gray (8-1, 3.03) are the starters. I’d say runs will be hard to get, but I said that you should take the ‘over’ on runs scored today and only three runs were scored.

Sportsnet says we are 7-1 on bullpen days. Of course, we were over-using the arms in the pen.

And Tyler Heineman was traded to the Angels for the ever famous ‘cash considerations’. No word on what uniform number cash will be wearing with the Jays. Yeah, bad joke.

Left-hander Victor Zarraga was sent to the rookie ball ACL Cubs from Low-A Myrtle Beach.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs snuck past Indianapolis (Pirates), 6-5 in ten innings.

Paul Campbell gave the I-Cubs five strong innings, allowing just one run. Unfortunately, he came out for the sixth and gave up three runs before getting pulled. The final line on Campbell was four runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Tyler Ferguson blew a save in his first game back with Iowa, but to be fair to him, it was on an unearned run. To be fair to the truth, the error was his own bad pickoff throw at first base. Ferguson allowed one unearned run on three hits over two innings. He walked one and struck out no one.

Vince Reilly pitched the top of the tenth, kept the automatic runner from scoring and got the win. Reilly allowed no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Second baseman James Triantos singled home BJ Murray in the bottom of the tenth to win the game. Triantos went 2 for 4 with a double.

Most of Iowa’s runs came on a fourth inning grand slam by shortstop Ben Cowles. It was his fourth home run of the eyar. Cowles was 2 for 3 with a walk.

The Cowles grand slam.

Vince Reilly gets out of the tenth.

Here’s Murray scoring on Triantos’ single. They could have given an error on this. A clean catch and Murray is out by a mile.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were identified by the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 5-2. The loss drops Knoxville a game behind the Lookouts with four to play in the first half.

Frankie Scalzo Jr. started, gave up a three-run home run in the second inning and got the loss. Scalzo’s final line was three runs on two hits and two walks over 1.1 innings. He struck out one.

Tyler Santana gave the Smokies three strong innings of relief, allowing no runs on just two hits. He struck out five and walked no one.

The Smokies managed just five hits, all singles. Second baseman Hayden Cantrelle was 2 for 2 wth a walk and one run scored.

Third baseman Jefferson Rojas had an RBI single. He was 1 for 4.

South Bend Cubs

I regret to inform you that Josiah Hartshorn did not reach base today. That’s because the South Bend Cubs were rained out. Doubleheader tomorrow in Ft. Wayne.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans washed the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles) out to sea, 8-6.

Noah Edders tossed the first two innings and did not allow a run. He permitted just one hit. Edders walked no one and struck out four.

Riely Huntsaker pitched the next four innings and got the win. Hunsaker allowed one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out two.

Jhon Rosario pitched the final 2.2 innings, gave up two runs in the ninth but got the save. Rosario allowed two hits and hit one batter, all in the bottom of the ninth. Rosario did not walk anyone and struck out one.

Myrtle Beach scored five runs in the top of the second and never trailed afterwards. Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy was 1 for 2 with three walks and three steals. He scored once and drove in one run.

First baseman Michael Carico went 2 for 5 and scored twice.

DH Edward Vargas went 1 for 3 with a two-run single in the third. He was also hit by a pitch, stole a base and scored one run.

RBI infield single for Geuri Lubo, who was 1 for 4.

RBI single for Alexis Hernandez, who went 1 for 4 with a walk.

The two-run single by Vargas.

ACL Cubs

Beating the Angels 4-2 in the third inning.

The Braves’ offense waited a little too long to wake up on Wednesday.

After they managed just two runs in the first 16 innings against a San Francisco Giants pitching staff which entered the day 22nd in ERA (4.52), they found themselves in a 7-2 hole entering the ninth inning staring down another series loss.

Although delayed, the awakening was real for Atlanta’s bats, plating three runs with one out to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth, as Mauricio Dubon hit a two-run homer after two previous flyouts to the warning track and another run came across on a wild pitch.

But Ozzie Albies grounded out and Austin Riley struck out, bringing the comeback bid up short in a 7-5 loss which completed what was essentially a doubleheader sweep after the majority of Tuesday’s 7-2 loss was played on Wednesday afternoon.

Dubon’s homer prevented the fifth time in the last six the Braves have scored three or fewer runs. But the Braves were unable to avoid their second three-game losing streak in the last seven games after they had just one through the first 66 games of the season.

Not to pile on, but it also clinched the Braves’ third straight series loss after they dropped just two of their first 21 series this season.

They had chances throughout, as they were set down in order just twice in nine innings and put the leadoff runner on base five times while outhitting the Giants 12-9

But they couldn’t convert frequently enough, finishing 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranding nine runners.

That only hit with RISP before the Braves were in a 7-2 hole in the ninth inning came from Riley. He led the offensive effort with his first three-hit game since Opening Day and broke a 13-inning shutout streak with his sixth-inning RBI single. Dominic Smith plated the other in the sixth on a sacrifice fly.

Along with Riley, the rest of the middle of the lineup did much of the lifting as Matt Olson and Albies, the two hitters ahead of Riley, had three and two hits, respectively, while Eli White, hitting after Riley, had one as well.

Jair Camargo, called up as the 27th roster member for the doubleheader nightcap, had a ninth-inning double which was his first career major league hit in his Braves debut.

Until it was basically too late, the offense didn’t do much to help JR Ritchie in his return to the starting rotation. Now, it bears mentioning the rookie didn’t exactly help himself early in his outing.

Rafael Devers gave San Francisco a 1-0 lead in the first with a two-out RBI single to left.

The wheels then really came off in the second, when he allowed three home runs. Willy Adames led off the inning with his second homer in as many games. After a walk of nine-hole hitter Eric Haase, Luiz Arraez followed with a two-run homer. Bryce Eldridge came up next and he also homered off the fellow rookie, who was tagged for five runs on five hits over the first two innings.

The nature of the pitching staff after a bullpen game to begin the day meant that Ritchie had to wear his struggles. Thankfully for him, he steadied himself well after the very rocky start. After a leadoff walk and wild pitch to begin the third, Ritchie retired the final nine batters he faced, working through five innings with no more runs allowed.

Carlos Carrasco, called up before the second game of the day, threw the final four innings, starting with three shutout frames before he was tagged for two runs which wound up being PRETTY IMPORTANT in the ninth on a two-run single by Arraez, who had a four-RBI game.

The Braves will look to salvage a game from this series and avoid being swept by the team with the second-worst record in the National League in Thursday’s series finale. There’s a big asterisk on that one, though, as the forecast looks…rough.

If it happens, Atlanta’s Martin Perez (5-3, 2.90 ERA) is slated to start against Landen Roupp (5-7, 4.24) for the Giants.

The champs are in the building. That’s one heck of a motivator.

Before Wednesday night’s game at Yankee Stadium, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart came to the mound to throw ceremonial first pitches. The duo will join the rest of their Knicks teammates at the Canyon of Heroes, a spot the Yankees have populated frequently in years past, for their championship parade. The city will be bloated to burst with euphoric fans, celebrating the end of a long drought and an incredible postseason run which united all five boroughs.

The Yankees will never be able to unite the whole city behind them—they’ve been villains for far too long. But seeing the ovation Brunson and Hart received has to light a fire under you. The Yankees indeed put together a spirited performance, dropping double-digit runs against the White Sox for the second consecutive game en route to a 10-5 victory. It continues an appropriately strong start to a week in which plenty of revelry still awaits in NYC.

It’s always pretty amusing when both teams face the same scenario in the same inning, but one squad ultimately succeeds and the other doesn’t. Both the Yankees and White Sox had a run-producing opportunities after a two-out double in the opening frame. The White Sox’ Colson Montgomery worked a 12-pitch at-bat but ultimately failed to come through. Cody Bellinger, master of the left-on-left matchup, had no such trouble. His two-run homer put the Bombers ahead early.

After Brunson and Hart stopped by the YES—er, Amazon Prime booth, the Yanks got right back to work against lefty starter Anthony Kay with the bottom of their order. José Caballero took a ball off his shoetop, but was still able to race all the way home from first base on an Anthony Volpe triple. Ali Sánchez then singled Volpe home with a simple base hit to right field to give Rodón plenty of early breathing room against the team that drafted him out of NC State.

Unfortunately, the room got cramped again real quick. Montgomery must have felt a little rankled when Rodón outlasted him in the first, so with two aboard and two out in the third he got his revenge. On an 0-2 count, Carlos’ slider caught far too much plate and the young infielder jolted it over the right field wall to put the Pale Hose back within one run.

The Yankees subsequently failed to bring home Cody Bellinger on three tries in the bottom half following his leadoff double and advancement to third on a wild pitch. At this point, my Recapper’s Intuition(TM) told me we wouldn’t be seeing any more scoring for a while.

Thankfully, the Yankees got to work to foil my prediction against new pitcher Sean Newcomb to open the fifth inning. Bellinger’s third hit of the evening started the rally, then Jasson Domínguez lashed an opposite field double to give the middle of the order a prime opportunity for some insurance. Jazz Chisholm Jr. blew his chance on a first-pitch foul pop, but Caballero had his teammate’s back. He stayed back on a letter-high fastball and raked it the other way to score both runners.

They weren’t done. Volpe and Sánchez collected their second respective hits in their second respective at-bats, flipping the lineup card over for Paul Goldschmidt. Continuing the opposite-field theme, Goldy clocked a line drive towards the short porch, and it zipped into the stands for a three-run home run to break the game wide open.

Bellinger and Goldschmidt now have 11 homers apiece on the season.

Rodón struck out the side after the Sox got the leadoff man aboard in the fourth, then he worked around a double in the fifth to finish his night. A couple long stanzas limited his outing to a five-and-dive, but given last night’s 10-run victory and the six-run margin the Yanks had already built, it wasn’t paramount that he go deeper. Paul Blackburn handled matters in the sixth, seventh, and a slice of the eighth.

Following the seventh-inning stretch, Jazz decided to get in on the act with a home right to right field, giving the Yankees double-digit runs for the second straight night. That blast gave him 10 on the year—still a long way to go if he wishes to reach the 50/50 club. But hey, at least the homers have been coming pretty consistently of late.

The Southsiders grabbed a few late runs on solo homers: another from Colson Montgomery in the eighth, then a long drive from Team Italy legend Sam Antonacci against Jake Bird in the ninth. But they went down in order after that final loud sound to secure a fourth straight Yankee victory, nine of their last ten, and 15 of their last 20. Meanwhile, the Dodgers completed a sweep of the Rays to give the Bombers yet another game of cushion in the standings.

The Yankees will aim for a sweep of their own tomorrow night against the White Sox, who have been flattened to the tune of 22 runs during their sojourn in the Bronx. Ryan Weathers will be tapped to start against 26-year old righty Sean Burke.

Box Score.

Up-and-down game (emotionally and, well, on the field) tonight. Gavin was bad tonight. Probably the worst start he’s had since 2024 (not fact-checked). Certainly the worst of the season. He gave up 5 runs in the first 2 innings, walking two and giving up a long ball.

But then, in the fourth, Daniel Schneemann came up with the bases loaded and one out (Bazzana walk, Manzardo single, Rocchio walk, Hoskins strikeout).

That would end up being the high water mark of the evening for the Guardians. Gavin gave up 2 more runs on a 2-run homer from Jackson Chourio right after this.

The highlight of tonight, by far, is Daniel Espino’s debut. It was truly something special to watch. He struck out 2 and induced a weak flyout for the last out of the inning.

To come out throwing that kind of stuff in your major league debut is extremely special.

The Guardians ended up losing 9-4. It’ll be Messick vs. Drohan tomorrow afternoon for the finale.

The Yankees offense continued to roll on Wednesday night in the Bronx, making life easy for starting pitcher Carlos Rodón in the team's fourth straight win, 10-5 the final score.

For the second straight night, all nine starters in the New York batting order got at least one hit.

Here are the takeaways....

-New York Knicks stars Josh Hart and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson threw out the first pitch for tonight's game to celebrate the team's NBA title.

-Rodónallowed a two-out double to potential All-Star corner infielder Miguel Vargas, but bounced back to win a 12-pitch at-bat against Colson Montgomery to strand Vargas at second base and end the top of the first inning.

-Amed Rosario responded in the bottom half of the first with a two-out double of his own, and Cody Bellinger compounded the damage with a home run into the right field seats, giving the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.

-Rodóngot himself into some trouble in the top of the second inning, allowing a walk and a single before recording an out. He worked out of the jam without allowing a run, forcing a ground ball double-play before recording a strikeout for the third out.

-Left-handed White Sox starter Anthony Kay lost control of a breaking ball, which struck Jose Caballero on the right foot. Yankees manager Aaron Boone left the dugout to check on his left-fielder, who remained in the game.

-Shortstop Anthony Volpe was keen to test out Caballero's legs, bringing the speedy utility player all the way around to score from first base with an RBI triple into the gap in left-center. Then, catcher Ali Sanchez poked a soft single into right-center to score Volpe from third, increasing the Yanks' lead to 4-0.

-The White Sox immediately responded to keep the ballgame within touching distance in the third inning. With two men on base, Montgomery took a hanging Rodón slider deep with two outs and two strikes in the count, changing the scoreboard to 4-3. Rodón was visibly frustrated on the mound, but got out of the inning one batter later.

-Bellinger led off the bottom of the third with a stand-up double, his second extra-base hit of the night. Still with nobody out, Bellinger advanced to third base on a wild pitch, but a Jasson Dominguez groundout, a Jazz Chisholm Jr. strikeout, and a Jose Caballero infield pop-out on a hapless bunt attempt squandered the run-scoring opportunity.

-Rodón was resilient in his final inning of work, unfazed by a leadoff double allowed to Chase Meidroth, by recording three straight outs to hold the 4-3 lead. He exited the game having pitched five full innings, allowing seven hits and three walks, but while striking out seven batters. All three runs allowed for the lefty came on Montgomery's aforementioned homer.

-The Yankees bats continued to sizzle in the bottom of the fifth, knocking around lefty reliever Sean Newcomb. Cody Bellinger led off with a line drive single, putting him a triple away from the cycle. Dominguez's double into the right field corner put runners on second and third, and two batters later, Jose Caballero singled them both home to extend the lead to 6-3. Anthony Volpe drilled Newcomb with a comebacker that struck the pitcher on his left arm, forcing him to exit the game, while Volpe reached first base on a fielder's choice. 

-Newcomb's replacement, rookie right-hander Tyler Davis, was unable to limit the damage for Chicago. The Yankees have been ruthless at the plate with two outs all season, and it was no different in this instance, as Ali Sanchez singled Volpe to third base before Paul Goldschmidt joined the hit party with an opposite-field frozen rope that left the yard for a three-run home run. The fifth inning ended with the score 9-3 in New York's favor.

-Chisholm Jr. was the final Yankee in the order to record a hit tonight, but came through in a big way, clobbering a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning and pad the lead to 10-3.

-Ben Rice sent a jolt into one with runners on the corners and two outs, but former Yankee Everson Pereira made a spectacular leaping grab on the run in left-center field. Pereira was shaken up after the play, as he collided with the outfield wall, but the White Sox center fielder held onto the ball for the third out, ending the seventh inning. He was quickly removed from the game.

-Colson Montgomery added another home run to his tally in the top of the eighth, his 19th of the season, a long drive to center field off of Yankees reliever Paul Blackburn, bringing the score to 10-4.

-Sam Antonacci took Yankees righty Jake Bird deep in the ninth inning, but Bird retired the next three White Sox batters in order to secure the 10-5 win.

Game MVP: Cody Bellinger

It was Cody Bellinger who stole the show with a stellar 3-for-4 night plus a walk, racking up eight total bases and two RBI.

Highlights

Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/xobyrLm3b9

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 17, 2026

Anthony Volpe drives in a run with a triple! pic.twitter.com/IuSoUNcc9v

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 17, 2026

PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT OH MY pic.twitter.com/mZUQ0IDFix

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 18, 2026

Cabby tacks on two! pic.twitter.com/CbB9L7AncQ

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 18, 2026

🎷 pic.twitter.com/PIXfXuTAiB

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 18, 2026

What's next

The Yankees, who now lead the AL East by 3.5 games at 45-27, will go for the three-game sweep of the White Sox on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

LHP Ryan Weathers (2-5, 4.36 ERA) and RHP Sean Burke (3-4, 4.15 ERA) will square off on the mound.