Worldwide Sports News

We have an early start today, 1:30 Eastern.

Using seven pitcher on day two of 16 games in a row is less than optimal.

It puts a fair bit of pressure on Trey Yesavage today. He really needs to go deep into the game. Deep into the game has a different meaning now than it did a few years back. I remember when calling a pitcher a ‘seven-inning pitcher’ was an insult. Now seven inning pitchers don’t exist.

The good news is that Louis Varland made it out of his inning on just ten pitches. He’s thrown two days in a row but only 29 pitches across those two days. I don’t know how Pete Walker will think about this, but I’d imagine he could go a few pitches today, if needed. Jeff Hoffman has also pitched two days in a row, 34 pitches total. Tyler Rogers also pitched two days in a row, 28 pitches. With the sidearm thing, I’d guess that he could go again.

The other issue is that we used both SWR and Spencer Miles, leaving us short of long men. Chad Dallas would be the one guy we could expect to have go multiple innings (baring a very last minute roster move). He threw 3.2 innings for us back on June 4th. If Trey has to leave early, I would think Dallas would be asked to throw until his arm falls off.

But, if Trey wanted to throw a complete game, that would be best. No pressure. There has only been four complete games this season.

Tyler Heineman said a very nice goodbye to Toronto:

Every off-season the rotation looks crowded whether it appears to be excellent, terrible, or somewhere in between. Then the A’s go out and add a SP or two even though it’s unclear where everyone will fit. Coming up from behind are exciting arms but you wonder where they will fit if they keep rising.

Then the calendar turns to June and you’re scrambling just to fill a rotation while the minors are looking downright barren. 2026 is no exception. How did we get there?

Injuries

At the big league level, the A’s have lost their supposed #1 SP, Luis Severino, and he won’t be back any time soon. In the minors, highly touted 20 year old Wei-En Lin, who was one of the few pitching prospects having sustained success, has hit the IL with an ominous “elbow injury” that will be elaborated on when his MRI comes back. Tommy John surgery would put him out of the commission, realistically, until the 2028 season.

Braden Nett and Henry Baez, both quality prospects from the Mason Miller deal, spent time on the IL and while both are back pitching it’s hard to say how either one is feeling given the fact that last night they combined for 1.2 IP, threw a combined 79 pitches, and issued a combined 4 hits, 9 ER, and 6 BB.

Ineffectiveness

The A’s entered the 2026 season with high hopes pinned on two younger SPs: Luis Morales and Jacob Lopez. Both were absolute busts, with Morales posting a 14.46 ERA in 9.1 IP woeful innings in which he surrendered 17 hits and walked 12. Lopez couldn’t get anything going, lasting for 10 starts/12 appearances and compiling a ghastly 6.75 ERA in 50.2 IP that included 33 walks.

Meanwhile, down on the farm Jamie Arnold has not lived up to his 1st round, “fast mover” pedigree. Slotted at AA which, granted, was aggressive, Arnold has just not been good. He has been touched for 71 hits in his 58 IP, and he has walked 29 (one every other inning), leading to a 4.66 ERA.

Also ineffective have been the aforementioned Nett and Baez, leaving the A’s 0 for 4 with their top 4 arms still in the minors (Arnold, Lin, Nett, Baez).

Veterans Scuffling

Two veteran arms counted on to stabilize the staff, Jeffrey Springs and Aaron Civale, got off to terrific starts but were last seen pitching well in April. Springs has not won a game since April, while Civale posted a 5.40 ERA in May, went on the IL, and returned last night to throw batting practice until we were relieved of his duties after 3 IP, 9 hits, 6 ER.

2 SPs who were excellent out of the gate have become guys you cringe when you see their turn is coming around. They are at best, right now, your #4 and #5 SPs but they are hardly anchors until further notice.

In Sum

That’s 9, count ‘em, 9 pitchers who have seen their stock fall greatly since the season began: Severino, Springs, Civale, Morales, Lopez, Arnold, Lin, Nett, Baez.

Silver Linings

Luckily there has been some good to counter the bad. Gage Jump has been as advertised, looking like a potential front of the rotation arm who is more than ready for the big leagues. JT Ginn has been exceptional, his breakout season showing him currently 6th in the league with a 2.91 ERA — and that’s with pitching half his games in Sacramento with a Summerlin chaser. Jack Perkins flashed his SP upside in 5 sparkling innings Tuesday before running out of gas in the 6th.

But before we get too jazzed about the “next big 3” we only need to look back a couple months to see how fickle pitching success is — pitchers get hurt constantly and when they’re healthy their progress is anything but linear. The A’s entered spring training with more pitching than they had spots for, and now they’re scrambling to get through games at every level. Stay tuned…

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The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies begin a three-game NL East series Thursday, June 18 at Citizens Bank Park, and my best Mets vs. Philliespredictions have you covered for the opener.

Philly has won 30 of its past 45 games, and my free MLB picks call for another home win for Philadelphia tonight.

Who will win Mets vs Phillies today: Phillies moneyline (-116)

While it hasn’t been pretty for Philadelphia Phillies veteran Aaron Nola, his underlying 3.49 xFIP at home is impressive, and Philly ranks 11th in wOBA and sixth in ISO at Citizens Bank Park.

So, with the New York Mets sporting respective 29th- and 26th-ranked marks on the highway, I’m expecting Nola to pitch well enough for the Phillies to pull away.

New York lefty Sean Manaea will be making just his second start after beginning the season as a reliever, and the Philadelphia bullpen paces the majors in xFIP this season and across the past 30 days to close out the game behind Nola.

Play to -125.

COVERS INTEL: The Mets rank 29th in wOBA and 27th in ISO against righties, and are tied for 28th in overall wOBAcon this season.

Mets vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-103)

In addition to the highlighted offensive struggles of the Mets, New York has also played to the Under in 25 of its last 40 away games (+9.50 Units / 22% ROI).

Similarly, the Phillies have struggled against lefties with a 25th-ranked wOBA and gone Under the number in 24 of their last 35 games (+12.00 Units / 31% ROI).

The New York bullpen has also been solid and checks in just below Philly with ranks of seventh in xFIP for the year and eighth across the past 30 days.

Play to -115.

Mets vs Phillies weather

There's an elevated total on the board based on the forecast, which calls for a high of 87F and winds blowing out to right center at 15 mph.

Mets vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Mets -104 | Phillies -127
• Run line: Mets -1.5 (+150) | Phillies +1.5 (-200)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (-110) | Under 9.5 (-122)

Mets vs Phillies trend

The Phillies have hit the Moneyline in 30 of their last 45 games (+11.40 Units / 17% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Phillies.

How to watch Mets vs Phillies and game info

Mets vs Phillies latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Not everything is sunshine and rainbows under the bright lights of the Major League stadium. Some are able to cherish it and milk it for all it offers, making an impact on fan bases throughout their time in a big-league uniform. But others can lose their way and fall by the wayside. When that happens for certain players during their careers can vary, with some not being heard from early on and others carving out a decent living before the game or their bodies (or both) fall out of love with them.

For Félix Heredia, it was a mix of poor performance, injuries, and arm problems, along with a scandal whose punishment he never got to serve because of those issues, that saw his big league career come to a crashing finish.

FélixSanto Heredia
Born: June 18, 1975 (Barahona, Dominican Republic)
Yankees Tenure: 2003-04

Heredia was born on June 18, 1975, in Barahona, a city on the southwest Dominican coast which, as of 2022, is home to around 221,000 residents. He grew up and attended Escuela Dominical while playing baseball. He was signed as an international amateur free agent by the Florida Marlins at age 18 in 1993, giving him the opportunity to pursue his dream and come to America. He played his first baseball on American soil with the Gulf Coast League Marlins, pitching and starting in 12 games and finishing with a 5-1 record alongside a 2.47 ERA.

In 1994, Heredia began his career in A-ball, pitching for the Kane County Cougars in the Midwest League, and it wasn’t as nice a welcome as he may have envisioned coming in. He moved into a bullpen role but still managed to start a handful of games through the course of the season. He appeared 24 times on the mound, eight of which were starts, and finished with a record of 4-5 and a 5.69 ERA over 68 innings. But despite the poor final numbers, he moved up to High-A the next season and played for the Brevard County Manatees in the Florida State League. And not only did he see more action (he started the same number of games but appeared in 10 more), but his ERA dropped considerably. He gave up fewer runs in more innings pitched (38 earned in 95.2 innings versus 43 in 68), putting his ERA at 3.57. He still wasn’t much of a strikeout threat and had a hard time keeping men off the bases via hits and walks, but overall, he didn’t allow runs, and that’s what was most important in his 6-4 record.

Heredia was promoted again, this time to Double-A Portland in the Eastern League, where he became strictly a reliever, and this move was quintessential for his career path. He once again saw a boatload of playing time (55 games) and, over 60 innings he posted a 1.50 ERA. He allowed only 10 earned runs the entire season, and while walks were still a bit of an issue, he kept men from crossing the plate, and thanks to that fact, after the season and spring training, he became a Florida Marlin.

On August 9, 1996, Heredia made his MLB debut out of the bullpen against the New York Mets, one of his future teams at just 21 years old. He threw 0.2 innings and gave up no hits and no runs with no strikeouts and a walk. Following his debut, he would throw in 21 more games for the Marlins and never returned to the minor leagues. He finished his rookie season with a 4.32 ERA, just under the average mark.

At 22, Heredia remained a part of the Marlins bullpen throughout the season. He appeared in 56 games in 1997 and finished with an ERA just under his previous mark at 4.29, along with a 5-3 record. While he would never finish with a strikeouts per inning rate over one in his career over the course of a regular season, the 1997 season was one of the times he got the closest, tallying 54 in 56.2 innings pitched. He also ended with the second-lowest hits per nine rate of his career at 8.4 and the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio of his career at 1.8. He really made his name in the 1997 postseason.

Over the six games and 8.2 innings he pitched in the NLCS and the World Series, Heredia finished with a 2.08 ERA and nine strikeouts. He allowed only five hits and came up huge, particularly in Game 3 of the Fall Classic, when he tossed 2.1 scoreless innings against Cleveland.

Heredia became a World Series champion for the first and only time in his career at the age of 22, and not only was he on the roster, but he was an integral part of the team on the biggest stage.

The next season following his awe-inspiring postseason was not kind to the young Dominican lefty, though. He pitched in a career-high (at that point) 71 games, including the only two starts of his career, but his ERA skyrocketed to 5.06. Heredia was traded to the Chicago Cubs in the middle of the season, along with Steve Hoff, in exchange for Justin Speier, Kevin Orie, and Todd Noel on July 31, 1998, and following a 5.49 ERA performance with the Marlins things got better following the trade, but the bar was low. He finished his season in Chicago with a 4.08 ERA across 17.2 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts.

The Cubs would be where Heredia spent most of his career, playing three full seasons with the team. From 1999 to 2001, he was used plenty by manager Ed Lynch in 1999 and Don Baylor in 2000 and 2001, including a career-high 74 games played in 2000, when he also finished with his best ERA of that stretch (4.76). His worst came the following season, when he played fewer games, pitching 48 innings and finishing with a 6.17 ERA and an ERA+ of 68, the worst of his career. Heredia gave up 11.6 hits per nine innings and 1.5 home runs per nine innings, both career-lows. Eventually, the Cubs had seen enough and decided to ship him north of the border to the Toronto Blue Jays along with a player to be named later. In exchange, the Cubs received Alex Gonzalez on December 10th, and the player to be named later became James Deschaine just three days later.

Heredia spent one year with the Blue Jays in 2002 and saw a return to the form he had been searching for in Chicago and in his last season with the Marlins. He pitched in 53 games and finished with an ERA+ of 128, the first time in his career managing a number over the 100 average. But after the season, he became a free agent on October 28, 2002. And on January 7th, he returned to the National League after signing a minor-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds and receiving an invitation to spring training.

After making the team out of spring training, Heredia made sure not to blow his chance; in fact, he did the opposite. The 2003 season was his best year on a major league mound. He recorded the sixth save of his career (the last one he would ever register) and finished with a 5–3 record and a 2.69 ERA in 69 appearances. But the season came in two different places.

Following 57 appearances and a 3.00 ERA (138 ERA+, a career-best for a singular team that he pitched more than 20 games in a single season for) between the road and the Ohio Riverfront, the Yankees claimed the lefty off waivers in mid-August, hoping to add a specialist to their pennant run since some aspects of their bullpen had faltered as the season went along. Same-handed batters actually had better splits against Heredia that year, but in 2002, he’d held them to a .698 OPS in this high-octane era for offense.

In 12 games with the Yankees, Heredia finished with a 1.20 ERA over 15 innings pitched, letting fans see the kind of potential he, as a 28-year-old, could bring to a bullpen. Joe Torre was careful with his deployment of Heredia, as he could occasionally be shaky with his control, so he picked his spots. Indeed, Heredia pitched just once in the ALDS rumble with the Twins and not at all in the World Series against the righty-heavy Marlins. But he made five appearances across the seven-game ALCS classic with the Red Sox, most notably retiring the only two batters he faced in the climactic Game 7.

With New York trailing Boston 4-1 and trying to stay in the game against Pedro Martinez, Heredia fanned Johnny Damon to begin the seventh before getting Todd Walker to foul out. Nomar Garciaparra was due up next, so in came Jeff Nelson to get the start shortstop swinging. Aaron Boone of course had the most memorable moment of Game 7, but it was truly a team effort to get the comeback going in earnest to make extra innings even possible. Heredia played his role for the pennant-winners.

Re-signed to a two-year, $3.8 million deal, the next season was when things began to go south.

With an exciting new beginning on the horizon, Heredia stepped onto the mound for his first appearance in pinstripes in 2004 on March 30th against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a special Opening Day series at the Tokyo Dome. He pitched two innings and gave up two runs on four hits through 27 pitches. His next appearance on April 6th back at Tropicana Field was much better, throwing a clean inning and getting out of there before any damage could be done. However, it was three days later that the struggles became apparent.

Against the Chicago White Sox, he walked two men, allowed a double to Miguel Olivo, and departed without recording a single out. All four runners would score and he wouldn’t pitch in the majors for another 41 days, dealing with a left hand contusion. Heredia’s ERA did not get below the 6.00 mark until July 16th, and it never went below 5.93 following a July 24th game at Fenway Park when he gave up an RBI double to David Ortiz and was immediately removed.

The Dominican reliever finished the 2004 season with a 6.28 ERA, growing more and more unpopular with the fans. Rostered for the playoffs anyway, he got beat up by the Twins but actually fared OK against the Red Sox while used sparingly in the ALCS rematch, retiring three of the four hitters he faced. That wasn’t enough to save his Yankees career, as he was traded across town in December for fellow southpaw Mike Stanton, who had previously been with the Yankees during their dynasty run in the late 1990s.

Heredia made only three appearances with the Mets in 2005. Following those appearances, he went on the shelf in June with a left shoulder aneurysm, and he missed the rest of the season. And not only did he miss the rest of the season due to that injury, but he was also suspended 10 days for performance-enhancing drug usage during his rehabilitation. He was the 11th player in MLB history to be hit with such a suspension.

Heredia signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a minor-league deal the following year, but was released during spring training. Four days later, he signed with Cleveland and played eight games in Triple-A before being released there as well. Then, in December, the Detroit Tigers signed him to a minor-league deal, but they released him during spring training as well. He made some appearances outside of MLB in the Mexican League following his release in 2006, and he played there for the next six years before ultimately hanging up the spikes in 2012.

While he only spent parts of two seasons with the Yankees, Heredia made his mark on the 1997 Marlins and even had a couple nice playoff moments in pinstripes. Happy birthday, Felix!

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

We have an early start today, 1:30 Eastern.

Using seven pitcher on day two of 16 games in a row is less than optimal.

It puts a fair bit of pressure on Trey Yesavage today. He really needs to go deep into the game. Deep into the game has a different meaning now than it did a few years back. I remember when calling a pitcher a ‘seven-inning pitcher’ was an insult. Now seven inning pitchers don’t exist.

The good news is that Louis Varland made it out of his inning on just ten pitches. He’s thrown two days in a row but only 29 pitches across those two days. I don’t know how Pete Walker will think about this, but I’d imagine he could go a few pitches today, if needed. Jeff Hoffman has also pitched two days in a row, 34 pitches total. Tyler Rogers also pitched two days in a row, 28 pitches. With the sidearm thing, I’d guess that he could go again.

The other issue is that we used both SWR and Spencer Miles, leaving us short of long men. Chad Dallas would be the one guy we could expect to have go multiple innings (baring a very last minute roster move). He threw 3.2 innings for us back on June 4th. If Trey has to leave early, I would think Dallas would be asked to throw until his arm falls off.

But, if Trey wanted to throw a complete game, that would be best. No pressure. There has only been four complete games this season.

Tyler Heineman said a very nice goodbye to Toronto:

Today’s lineup:

The Milwaukee Brewers are looking for a sweep of the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday afternoon, as they’ll also look to lock up a 5-1 homestand against the Phillies and Guards.

After a closely fought 2-1 win in Tuesday’s series opener, the Brewer bats came alive last night to win 9-4 against Cleveland ace Gavin Williams. They’ll try to keep things rolling today in a matchup of rookie southpaws, with Shane Drohan getting the start opposite the Guardians’ Parker Messick.

Drohan, 27, is making his fifth start of the season and fourth consecutive appearance from the rotation. In those last three outings, he’s totaled 15 1/3 innings against the Giants, Rockies, and Phillies, allowing nine runs on 17 hits and three walks while striking out 16 in a pair of blowout victories and a high-scoring loss. For the season, he has a 3.59 ERA, 2.72 FIP, and 44 strikeouts over 42 2/3 innings.

Messick, 25, was a second-round pick in 2022 out of Florida State. He debuted last August but held rookie status through this season. His stats in 2025 and 2026 are nearly identical, so I’ll summarize them as a whole: over 21 career starts, he has a 2.69 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 120 strikeouts across 120 1/3 innings, totaling 3.7 bWAR. He’s coming off a pair of losses, though, as he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and four walks over 11 1/3 innings in losses to the Rangers and Yankees. He struck out four batters in both of those outings.

Today’s lineup features Christian Yelich in the leadoff spot as the DH, followed by Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn. Jake Bauers bats fifth and starts in right, with Gary Sánchez to follow. Blake Perkins, Cooper Pratt, and Joey Ortiz round out the order as lefties David Hamilton, Sal Frelick, and Garrett Mitchell start on the bench (alongside William Contreras).

In some negative injury news, we’ve learned that Quinn Priester, who has missed the entire season while dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome, has opted for “season-ending first rib removal surgery,” that will keep him out eight to 10 months until he’s fully healthy, meaning in a best-case scenario, he’ll be back in early 2027. Priester has had multiple rehab stints in the last two months, but he’s struggled with command, with a 15.75 ERA on 24 walks and 22 hits over just 16 innings over eight appearances. Here’s what he had to say about the injury:

First pitch is slated for 1:10 p.m. on Brewers.TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

1903
The White Sox badly lost their first trade ever with the Reds, sending Cozy Dolan and Tom Daly to Cincinnati for second baseman George Magoon.

Magoon was awful for the White Sox for the remainder of 1903, slashing .228/.303/.278 for 0.0 WAR; before the 1904 season, the team dumped Magoon on Indianapolis of the American Association for a player to be named later. He would never return to the majors.

Daly, though long in the tooth for the time (37 years old), finished what would be his final season in the majors well enough, logging 0.7 WAR and slashing a formidable .293/.332/.407 at second base. Right fielder Dolan was the lone player in the trade to play in the majors beyond 1903, lasting until 1906; while never a standout and playing poorly for Cincy to finish out 1903, Cozy would rebound in 1904 for a career-high 1.7 WAR and 115 OPS+.

1933
Right in the middle of a 24-game homestand (!), the White Sox drew the biggest crowd in Chicago history at the time, 53,398, to a doubleheader split against the Yankees.

The White Sox, surprisingly playing better than .500 during the dark ages of 1920-50, dropped the first contest vs. New York, 6-4, with Ted Lyons taking the loss. But in the nightcap, the South Siders rewarded their faithful with a 5-4, walk-off win to move to 30-27 and 5 1⁄2 back of first in the American League.

It was a furious finish for Chicago, who trailed all game but score one in the seventh and then a game-tying three in the bottom of the ninth. Evar Swanson knotted the game, 4-4, with a two-run single with one out in the ninth.

In the 10th, Whit Wyatt sat the Yankees down three straight, and the White Sox immediately set to rallying. Luke Appling led the inning off with a double, and after an intentional walk to Red Kress, Jimmy Dykes laid down a bunt to move the runners over that he beat out; on pitcher Wilcy Moore’s overthrow to first base, Appling came around to score.

The next season, Dykes would become player-manager of the White Sox, and would stay at the helm of the team until 1946.

The White Sox would surpass this attendance mark seven times at Comiskey Park after this, but this game remains the eighth-biggest crowd in White Sox (and Chicago baseball) history.

1961
Eddie Gaedel, who came to fame as a pinch-hitter for the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and a Martian leader who landed in Comiskey Park and kidnapped Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox eight years later, was found dead at his apartment on the South Side of Chicago.

The centerpiece of Bill Veeck’s follies had endured a difficult life, unemployed and alcoholic at the time of his passing. The 3´7´´owner of a 1.000 career MLB OBP was followed home from a bowling alley and beaten and/or mugged, and it was his mother who discovered him dead, in his bed, bruised. A coroner found that Gaedel had suffered a heart attack during or after the assault.

Only one representative of Major League Baseball attended Gaedel’s funeral: Bob Cain, the Tigers pitcher who walked Gaedel in 1951. (Cain had been traded to Detroit from the White Sox three months before the infamous Gaedel game.)

2000
A 17-4 mauling of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium capped the first and only 7-0 road trip in White Sox history. The club jumped on future White Sox starter Orlando Hernández for nine runs in the first inning, knocking him out of the game with two outs in the first; the onslaught was capped by a José Valentín grand slam.

The win pushed the South Siders to a season-high 20 games better than .500 at 44-24, and 7 ½ up in the AL Central.

2006
Jon Garland became the first White Sox pitcher since 1971 to homer in a regular season game when he hit a two-run shot off of Esteban Yan in the eighth inning in Cincinnati. The Sox won easily, 8-1. Garlandscored two runs in the game, as well.

2019
It was a huge moment, and seemingly a big step forward for the rebuilding White Sox. In a 1-1 tie at Wrigley Field, former top Cubs prospect Eloy Jiménez blasted a two-run home run into the left-field bleachers, giving the Sox what turned out to be a 3-1 win. The shot came in the ninth inning, and he did it while breaking his bat! Jiménez was acquired by the Sox along with top pitching prospect Dylan Cease for pitcher José Quintana on July 13, 2007.

2023
A brilliant individual performance by Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn was all for naught.

Lynn, who had been badly struggling all season, found a comfort zone in Seattle and wound up striking out 16 Mariners — tying the franchise record — on a Father’s Day Sunday afternoon.

But the Sox offense was so embarrassingly bad it only managed one run, and Seattle wound up winning the game, 5-1, tacking on additional runs off of Reynaldo López when Lynn left in the eighth inning. Lynn was charged with three runs in the game.

The 16 strikeouts tied Jack Harshman for the team record. Harshman, a converted position player, struck on 16 Red Sox on July 25, 1954 at Fenway Park in a game the White Sox won, 5-2.