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With another full slate across the Majors, I've found value in my MLBsame-game parlay predictions. 

Dylan Cease will carve up the Texas Rangers this afternoon, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto will help the Los Angeles Dodgers bounce back after a tough loss to their rivals, the San Diego Padres. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, June 27. 

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Rangers at Blue Jays SGP: Cease Racks up The Ks

Dylan Cease has been one of baseball's premier strikeout pitchers this season, recording 118 strikeouts in 78.2 innings.

He's cleared 7.5 strikeouts in six of his last seven starts while averaging 12.66 K/9 across his last two outings. The Texas Rangers are also striking out 8.93 times per game on the road.

The Toronto Blue Jays hold the edge on the mound, as Cease continues to dominate while Cal Quantrill enters with an 8.46 FIP and a 59.1% hard-hit rate over his last two appearances. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is also swinging the bat well, hitting .280 over his last six games while cashing the Over on total bases in three of those contests

• Time: 3:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, Rangers Sports Network

See full analysis of this game in our Rangers vs Blue Jays predictions.

Reds at Pirates SGP: Burns Leads Reds to Victory

• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Reds.TV

See full analysis of this game in our Reds vs. Pirates predictions.

Dodgers at Padres SGP: Yamamoto Silences San Diego

Yoshinobu Yamamoto continues to pitch like the Los Angeles Dodgers' ace. He owns a 2.17 FIP over his last four starts while limiting opponents to a 27.5% hard hit rate and 2.9% barrel rate. The righty has also allowed Under 1.5 earned runs in five of his last six appearances. 

Randy Vasquez takes the ball for the San Diego Padres, and he's struggling. The right-hander has compiled a 6.84 xERA over the last month while posting an alarming 46.2% hard hit rate. It's a clear opportunity for the Dodgers to do damage and ride the wave behind Yamamoto. 

Freddie Freeman is one of those hitters who should benefit. He's cashed the Over in total bases in four straight, and Freeman has finished with two hits or more in every single game during that span. The veteran has a 73.3% hard hit rate in his previous six games, and he's 3-for-7 lifetime against Vasquez. 

• Time: 8:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MLB Network

See full analysis of this game in our Dodgers vs. Padres predictions.

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.

Hurston Waldrep was pulled out of Nashville on Thursday afternoon and put on a flight to San Francisco. He had worked himself up to 4 2/3 innings five days before this appearance. He is 16 weeks removed from his surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow, and admitted that this is his Spring Training. So what can we make of Hurston Waldrep at this point?

The slider looked good. (All the videos here are from last year because last night’s video is not available at time of writing.) The spin rate was about on par with last year. He was able to get a strikeout with it, which is actually one more than he had with it last year. This generated two whiffs last night. The splitter was working as well. Hurston felt that he had a good feel of it. The spin rate didn’t match last year. But otherwise, it was effective and he felt in was “in his back pocket”.

The bad part is that he has not found the sinker. The walk rate in his rehab appearances and last night bear that out. He didn’t really get hit at all. One of the two hits was a 57 MPH swinging bunt that likely glanced off the plate and meandered about 40 feet. But he was all over the place, which is not what you want to see in a bulk role.

So, what are we doing here? He’s pitched every fifth day like clockwork in his rehab. Does this mean we will see him again in a permanent role on Wednesday at home versus the Cardinals? Does he return to Gwinnett and recover his sinker? The Braves have already ripped the seal on his last option year. So if they want to return him for a single inning reliever they can do it. It was so good to see him and his breaking pitches last night. But he’s likely undercooked for now and probably needs another week or two to continue rehab.

Well, come on. You didn’t really think the Cubs would defeat Jacob Misiorowski, did you?

The thing is, though, that they did pretty much hold Misiorowski and the Brewers even while the Milwaukee fireballer was still in the game. Then the Cubs had another bullpen meltdown and Milwaukee won the game 6-2. For anyone who thinks the Cubs need starting pitching help above anything, yes they need starting pitching help but if they don’t fix the bullpen soon…

Colin Rea’s outing against Misiorowski was admirable. He matched zeroes for four innings with the Brewers starter, though he did allow four hits in that span. He got helped out by his defense.

Matt Shaw with this nice diving grab in the fourth [VIDEO].

Dansby Swanson, also in the fourth [VIDEO].

The Cubs had just one baserunner through four innings, a one-out walk by Shaw in the third. Shaw was erased when Swanson hit into an inning-ending double play.

Seiya Suzuki gave the Cubs the lead, leading off the fifth [VIDEO].

That’s a really impressive home run. First, on height, exit velocity and distance [VIDEO].

But also, that was the first time Misiorowski had allowed a home run since April 14, when both Andres Gimenez and Daulton Varsho of the Blue Jays went deep off him. That’s a span of 75.1 innings and 278 batters in between home runs allowed. Including last year’s division series, when Suzuki hit a homer off Misiorowski, that makes Suzuki the only player to homer off him more than once.

A 1-0 lead wasn’t likely going to be enough no matter how well Rea threw. Rea had reached 89 pitches after allowing a leadoff single to William Contreras and walking Jake Bauers.

Craig Counsell summoned Ethan Roberts, who has generally been effective this year. And Roberts got Andrew Vaughn to line into this double play — on a line-drive comebacker [VIDEO].

As you can see on the clip, that came really close to being a triple play. Too bad it wasn’t, because two pitches later Garrett Mitchell homered off Roberts to give the Brewers a 2-1 lead. Okay, that’s likely not insurmountable now that Misiorowski’s going to be out of the game (he’d thrown 107 pitches, a season high, through six). But Roberts then walked Cooper Pratt and David Hamilton’s triple scored him to make it 3-1 Milwaukee.

Jayden Murray replaced Roberts in the seventh, and allowed a leadoff double to Jackson Chourio. One out later Contreras homered off Murray to make it 5-1.

The Cubs did get one of those runs back. In the eighth, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman led off with walks. PCA took third on a fly ball, and scored on this sac fly by Suzuki [VIDEO].

The Brewers scored another run off Murray in the eighth on an RBI double by Christian Yelich that PCA nearly made a spectacular catch on.

Seriously: Jayden Murray is not a major league pitcher. I can only assume Craig Counsell left him out there for a second inning of work because Sunday’s a likely bullpen game and he’s trying to save arms (and he basically confirms that in his postgame comments, see below). I’d think there could be a roster move to replace Murray for Saturday’s game, though who that might be — I have no idea. The Cubs really are running out of useful bullpen arms. To circle back to what I noted earlier, this team needs bullpen help, and fast.

About the two home runs allowed in this game, from BCB’s JohnW53:

The two homers off Cubs pitchers Friday raised the total for the season to 125 — most surrendered by any team, and also the most the Cubs ever have served up through 82 games.

They allowed 121 in 1999 and 2000, 116 in 2006, 110 in 20022, 109 in 1966 and 101 in 1956. From 2023-25, they had given up 80, 90 and 97.

A couple of final notes. First, on Rea’s outing, which really was very good [VIDEO].

And here are Craig Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

Newly-acquired left-hander David Peterson will make his Cubs debut in the second game of this series Saturday evening in Milwaukee. He’ll face Brewers lefty Kyle Harrison. Game time is 6:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Meet the Mets

The Mets kicked off the Andy Green era with a 2-1 loss to the Phillies on Pride Night at Citi Field. Zach Thornton had a really impressive second major leagues start, pitching six innings of one-run ball, but the offense couldn’t do much against old friend Zack Wheeler. New York has now lost seven in a row and dropped to 34-48 on the year.

Choose Your Recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, Daily News, NY Post, ESPN

The day began with that the news that the Mets were firing Carlos Mendoza.

The Mets revealed that Andy Green would serve as interim manager for the duration of the season.

Mendoza shared a statement following his dismissal.

Steve Cohen shared his own statement on Mendoza following his firing and says the fans deserve better than what the team is giving them.

David Stearns and Andy Green addressed the media before the game.

Green referred to the move as his ‘responsibility’ but will return to the front office following the 2026 campaign.

Bridget Reilly offered an introduction to Green, for those Mets fans who may not be familiar.

Green already had a positive review before his first game at the helm.

Greg Prince wrote about how Mendoza’s menschiness did not save him in the end.

With Mendoza gone, David Stearns is on deck for accountability, explains Laura Albanese.

While Mendoza took the fall for the team’s play, the real indictment is on Stearns, argued Ken Rosenthal.

David Lennon wrote that firing Mendoza won’t fix Stearns’ mess.

Joel Sherman, in a similar vein, said that, with Mendoza gone, there is no one left to shield Stearns from this disaster.

Stearns talked a lot about accountability, but now it’s time to back it up, writes Abbey Mastracco.

Spender Brod stated that the team currently has a $25 million Stearns dilemma.

Francisco Lindor called Mendoza a great man and said he feels like he failed him.

Lindor and Bo Bichette expressed regret and took responsibility for Mendoza getting let go given their recent play.

Ultimately, the players feel like they failed Mendoza.

Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal looked at some of the early candidates for the Mets’ managerial opening.

Laura Albanese also listed seven possible replacements for Mendoza next season.

Albert Pujols made it known that he’s interested in the Mets’ managerial opening.

Mark Feinsand isn’t convinced that the team firing Mendoza means they’re ready to become sellers.

Mike Francesa had some choice words for the Mets’ owner.

A segment of Mr. Met dancing behind Steve Gelbs while he talked about Mendoza’s firing during yesterday’s pregame show has gone viral for its awkwardness. And honestly, it was pretty funny to watch in real time.

Prior to the game, the team activated Tyrone Taylor and Zach Thornton and optioned Daniel Duarte and MJ Melendez to Triple-A.

In happier Mets news, the team has revealed their new service dog in training, Howie, and people are obsessed.

Infielder Nicky Lucky got a call from his Indy Ball manager alerting him that the Mets were signing him to join their Double-A affiliate.

Around the National League East

Derek Hill made a jaw-dropping catch to rob Soto of a homer, and he stunned his teammates in the process.

The Braves have placed reliever Robert Suarez on the IL with right forearm tightness.

The Marlins will be giving Jonah the dog his dream day at loanDepot park on July 12.

The Nationals fell 3-1 to the Orioles for their fourth straight defeat.

The Braves won their game against the Giants 3-1.

The Marlins blanked the Cardinals 4-0.

Around Major League Baseball

Thomas Harrigan explored whether some big names will end up on the trade block this year.

The Angels dismissed GM Perry Minasian and announced that John Mozeliak has been brought in as a consultant.

The Tigers blanked the Astros 8-0.

The Reds picked up two runs in the eighth to skate past the Pirates 6-4. In the loss, Konor Griffin hit a 435 foot, 108.9 mph home run in his first at-bat off the IL.

The Rays topped the Diamondbacks 6-1. In the win, Junior Caminero strengthened his All-Star case with his 20th home run of the season, and his fourth in two games.

Benches cleared in last night’s Red Sox vs. Yankees game after Will Warren buzzed Willson Contreras, and warnings were issued following the scuffle. The Red Sox got the last laugh, topping the long-time rival Yankees 6-1.

The Mariners clipped the Guardians 3-1.

The Rangers outlasted the Blue Jays 5-4.

The White Sox put up 10 in the third inning and roasted the Royals 22-1.

The Brewers beat the Cubs 6-2. In the game, Jacob Misiorowski fired a pitch to Pete Crow-Armstrong that registered at 105.5 mph.

The Twins walked off the Rockies 9-8.

The Athletics defeated the Angels 9-3.

The Padres beat up the Dodgers 7-1. Walker Buehler, who tormented San Diego for years as a member of the Dodgers, enjoyed the chance to return the favor to his old club.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

I introduced you to Andy Green, the team’s interim manager.

I previewed the team’s series against the Phillies.

On the latest episode of Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series, Chris McShane and Brian Salvatore discussed the team moving on from David Peterson and other things going on around the team.

Joe Sokolowski brought us the latest edition of This Week in Mets Quotes.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets signed a 17-year-old Ed Kranepool on this date in 1962.

Given the disaster the Red Sox have gotten themselves into this season, let’s take a look back on how the ballclub could have been in a better position to compete, both in 2026 and other recent seasons with just two playoff appearances in the 2020s.

Boston currently ranks last in baseball with just 67 home runs as a team. Guess which player leads the sport in long balls? 

That would be Kyle Schwarber, the three-month power boost the Sox acquired at the 2021 trade deadline in a swap with the Washington Nationals that’s among the larger wins of Chaim Bloom’s complicated tenure as chief baseball officer.

The 2016 World Series champion didn’t immediately hit the field after the trade as he worked back from injury. Once he did take the field, he elevated an already talented lineup. Schwarber hit .291 with seven homers in a .957 OPS in 41 regular-season games for Boston. Finding a brand new role at first base, he also elevated the inconsistent Bobby Dalbec to the best two-month stretch of his life with 15 homers in 49 games in the last two months of the year. 

Schwarber also popped three dingers in the postseason, with memorable moments from his solo shot off Gerritt Cole in the American League Wild Card Series to blowing open a raucous Game 3 of the ALCS off Jose Urquidy. 

That was really the end of the fun on an unexpected run. Boston’s bats fell quiet from there on out and eventually fell to the Astros in six games that series. Schwarber headed to free agency and Boston chose not to bring him back given that designated hitter J.D. Martinez was still there for another season, Dalbec was available to play first, and the eventual arrival of touted power prospect Triston Casas.

The Red Sox never should have let him walk out the door. Keeping him paired with Martinez (at least for part of 2022), Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers would’ve made for a lethal lineup with a cemented core, even after the Mookie Betts trade in 2020.

Boston had options to make that work. The front office could’ve traded Martinez to clear the way for Schwarber on a longer deal. They could’ve let him ride out first base until Casas or Dalbec truly forced the issue, at least defensively to an extent. But that never happened.

Instead, Schwarber walked to the Philadelphia Phillies on a four-year, $79 million deal. That’s a pretty good bargain for someone who led the league in home runs twice during that contract. And the Red Sox should’ve matched it. 

After four playoff appearances and a trip to the World Series with the Phillies, Schwarber hit the market again this past winter. The Red Sox had an open chance to right their wrongs and add real power to a lineup that truly needed it in its modern construction. 

The Red Sox never made him an offer. Once again, he signed on with Philadelphia, this time for five years and $150 million. Don’t like that number for a 33-year-old? Too bad, he continues to back it up.

There’s obviously several “what if” personnel decisions to look back on over the last half-decade in Boston. For the Red Sox, Schwarber continues to play to a level worthy of topping that list. 

Rangers 5, Blue Jays 4

• Its a two game winning streak, y’all.
• And a win that is thanks in large part to our man Nathan Eovaldi.
• In the first game against Toronto, MacKenzie Gore allowed four hits and a walk in seven innings, but clustered most of them together in one inning, resulting in three runs scoring.
• Nathan Eovaldi was similar to Gore in terms of allowing baserunners — five hits and a walk — but wily veteran that he is, he made sure they were more scattered.
• Through five innings Eovaldi had allowed just a walk and a single. He allowed a pair of hits in the six and two more in the seventh, but left them all stranded, ultimately leaving the game with no Blue Jays runs on the board.
• The Jays did their damage off the pen in the eighth, with Robby Ahlstrom and Jakob Junis each getting dinged with two runs apiece in the inning before Junis finally struck out pinch hitter Alejandro Kirk with the tying run on first.
• And Jacob Latz decided to walk the leadoff hitter in the ninth just to alarm us a little before retiring the next three batters on foul pop outs.
• Eovaldi’s most effective pitch for once wasn’t his splitter. Instead it was the curveball that was keeping the Jays off-balance, generating 8 of the 14 swings and misses he got on the day.
• Eovaldi threw his cutter and curveball a combined 49 times and didn’t allow either a hit or a hard hit ball off of either of them. Eovaldi only allowed three hard hit balls all game, per Statcast, with two coming off of his fastball and one on his sinker.
• That’s pretty good, I think.
• Eovaldi logged nine strikeouts against the Jays, which moved him past Kerry Wood, Yovani Gallardo, Woodie Fryman and Todd Stottlemyre for 204th on the all time strikeout list, with 1588. If he can strike out seven his next time out he’ll move into the top 200.
• Looking at the guys ahead of him on the all time list, guys he could pass this year if he stays healthy and effective, you see an odd combination of names. The next three are Ron Darling, he of the awful Lee Mazzili trade, Steve Trachsel, and Hall of Famer Rube Marquard. Guys Eovaldi could be passing later in the year include Hall of Famer Vic Willis, who is sandwiched between J.A> Happ and Rick Wise. Freddy Garcia, Jack Powell, Steve Rogers and Jered Weaver are all tied at #186, with 1621 Ks.
• Much like the series opener, the Rangers jumped on top early, then rode that out despite having to sweat a little late.
• The Rangers jumped on Patrick Corbin for three runs in the first inning, then two more in the third.
• I’m like, oh, yeah, Patrick Corbin was in the Rangers’ rotation most of last year. It feels kind of embarrassing.
• Justin Foscue, looking to securely lock down his role as short-side platoon DH, went 2 for 4, driving in a run in the first with an RBI single, and then both the third inning runs with a two run homer.
• Foscue is currently slashing .382/.462/.735 in 39 plate appearances against lefties, and I think that will play.
• For the season he’s slashing .268/.330/.500 in 91 plate appearances. I’m not going to provide his splits against righties because I don’t want to harsh my mellow.
• Wyatt Langford went 3 for 5 with a double, continuing to silence the critics. He also stole a base, though he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double as well.
• Langford is slashing .278/.324/.500 on the season. His 1.7 bWAR is the second-highest on the team, despite playing in just 40 games so far this year, and he has a 138 OPS+. He has a 1.5 fWAR and 128 wRC+, if you prefer Fangraphs to B-R.
• Coming into this game, the Rangers were in a four-way tie for WC3 with the Astros, A’s and Jays. The Jays lost to the Rangers, of course, and the Astros lost, but the A’s won, so the Rangers are now in a tie for WC3 with the A’s, one game up on the Astros and Jays, a game and a half up on the Twins and the Orioles, a game and a half back of Seattle in the A.L. West, and two games back of Cleveland for WC2.
• Nathan Eovaldi reached 96.3 mph on his fastball, averaging 95.6 mph. Robby Ahlstrom topped out at 96.4 mph with his fastball. Jakob Junis’s sinker reached 94.6 mph. Jacob Latz touched 95.9 mph with his fastball.
• Alejandro Osuna had a 105.6 mph groundout. Justin Foscue had a 104.8 mph homer and a 101.6 mph groundout. Wyatt Langford had a 104.2 mph double and a 103.0 mph single. Nicky Lopez had a 103.3 mph single. Ezequiel Duran had a 101.2 mph groundout.
• Five down, five to go.

The Yankees were asleep at the wheel last night, getting retired in order through five innings before finally getting a hit in the sixth, and losing a 6-1 dud in Boston. I will be upfront in that I had other plans and was spared from watching it, but from what I’ve gathered and reviewed, I sure as hell didn’t miss much. Anyway, read Peter’s recap if you’re daring and interested in more.

Here’s some of what else was going on around the Junior Circuit on Friday night.

Tampa Bay Rays (46-33) 6, Arizona Diamondbacks (41-40) 1

The Yankees haven’t won since Wednesday and the Rays haven’t lost since then either. That includes a Yankees offday on Thursday, but it still means that Tampa Bay has made up ground in a hurry. The 3.5-game lead from Wednesday night is down to one after the Rays welcomed the D-backs to the Trop with a pretty comfortable win.

The Rays prolonged Zac Gallen’s nightmare return to Arizona following an unsuccessful free agency. On the one hand, he only gave up four hits and got into the seventh, but Tampa Bay made the knocks (and two walks) hurt. Geraldo Perdomo had led off the game with a solo shot before Gallen toed the rubber. He walked Yandy Díaz, plunked Jonathan Aranda, and then got smoked for a three-run homer by Junior Caminero that sailed 437 feet.

Gallen actually retired the next 15 batters in a row, but the damage was costly. And when he ran out of steam in the seventh, he allowed a homer to Cedric Mullins before departing in wake of a two-out double from Hunter Feduccia. Díaz singled him in to close out Gallen’s line, and Aranda hung a run on reliever Juan Burgos with a two-bagger to plate Yandy. That was enough to back Nick Martinez (unscored upon for 5 2/3 after the Perdomo dinger) and the Tampa Bay bullpen.

Hope you didn’t use any mental energy on this game either! It was a dud for anyone who doesn’t happen to also be a St. Pete partisan.

Other Games

Cleveland Guardians (42-40) 1, Seattle Mariners (42-41) 3: The Cantillo/Castillo Bowl ended in a 1-1 stalemate after six with both Joey and Luis gone from the ballgame after six, though the former looked sharper with nine K’s and two hits allowed. One of those knocks was a homer by rookie Colt Emerson, and Seattle actually ended up giving Castillo the win by scoring right after he departed. Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone drew back-to-back walks to begin the seventh, and once Raleigh went to third on a double-play ball by Josh Naylor, he scored when J.P. Crawford beat out an infield hit on a ball that Travis Bazzana couldn’t handle. Julio Rodríguez added insurance in the eighth on an RBI single of his own; the José A. Ferrer/Gabe Speier/Andrés Muñoz trio spun three innings of perfect relief to nail it down.

The M’s are a game and a half up on the Rangers in a crowded AL West that also has the A’s two back and the Astros 2.5 games behind. The ever-hapless Angels fired their GM and are back to square one with former Cardinals head honcho John Mozeliak suddenly popping up to be their interim leader. What an org. Meanwhile, Cleveland fell one behind Chicago, who, uh, quite frankly annihilated the Royals:

Toronto Blue Jays (39-43) 4, Texas Rangers (40-42) 5: With all due respect to our late pal John Sterling, sometimes you can predict baseball — at least when the starting pitching matchup is Nathan Eovaldi vs. Patrick Corbin. Brandon Nimmo’s RBI double kicked off a three-run first for Texas against Corbin and Justin Foscue belted a two-run homer to make it 5-0 by the third. Eovaldi fired seven scoreless, and though his bullpen nearly gave it all back in an awful eighth that featured a clout by Kazuma Okamoto, Jakob Junis struck out Alejandro Kirk with one man on to finish the inning. Jacob Latz worked around a leadoff walk to retire the next three Jays in order, closing it out despite Toronto having three cracks at walking it off.

Two massive earthquakes rocked Venezuela on Wednesday. Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas and reliever Edgardo Henriquez both have family in the country who are safe, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, who caught up with both players. From Rojas:

“They’re in a place where they have power, they have connection, they have everything we need to stay in contact and we talk every day. But I still really feel that I’m so far from them right now,” he said.

“Literally two blocks away from where my family was two buildings collapsed, the whole building. And the building where my family was was shaking really bad and they had to go away from that place to stay someplace else that night. They were lucky to get away before everything else happened and the building stayed in some kind of good shape to go down the stairs and get out of there. I’m lucky to be honest with you guys. I’m really lucky to have my family still alive and with me. I’m not taking this for granted.”

Dodgers and Padres players are wearing  the letters VZ on the sides of their caps this weekend, per Maddie Lee at the Los Angeles Times:

The Dodgers and Padres are wearing VZ on their hats to show support for the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela this week. pic.twitter.com/An6H0G3fS4

— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) June 26, 2026

Links

Class-A Ontario manager John Shoemaker is such a staple in Dodgers history that it’s been over a decade since he was named the organization’s captain of player development, and why his uniform is adorned with a capital C. This is Shoemaker’s 50th season with the Dodgers, the first four as a player, and last 46 as a coach and manager.

Benjamin Hill at MLB.com profiled Shoemaker about his storied career:

“Coming to the park every day and knowing there’s going to be 25 or 30 guys that walk into that clubhouse that I feel responsible for. I’m at the age now where I could be their grandfather, some of them, and I feel like I’ve got a job to do to treat them like I was treated as a kid. … That they were taught how to become a professional, how to work hard and what it meant to be a Dodger.”

---

Lorenzo Bundy managed six seasons in the Dodgers minor leagues between 2007-13 and was also on the major league staff as third base coach and outfield coach in 2014-15. Part of his time with the Dodgers included managing the Albuquerque Isotopes from 2011-13, and he’s being honored this weekend with induction into the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame. Geoff Grammer at the Albuquerque Journal has more.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

It’s nice to be back home, isn’t it? The Orioles returned from their nine-game trek to the West Coast — their longest road trip in two years — with a solid victory against the Nationals on Pride Night to begin a six-game homestand. While one win over a reeling Nats team doesn’t erase the ugly way that the Birds’ road trip ended, it’s something the Orioles desperately needed. Check out Andrea SK’s recap of the Orioles’ 3-1 win.

That’s not to say the Birds played a mistake-free game. They simply don’t do that. The loss featured yet another baserunning blunder, with Blaze Alexander inexplicably getting thrown out at third base for the final out of the fourth inning just before Jackson Holliday crossed the plate, denying the O’s a run. It’s the second time this month that Alexander has made that exact baserunning mistake to wipe a run off the board, which suggests that the Orioles didn’t properly address the issue the first time. It’s this kind of constant foolishness, even in an O’s victory, that makes fans skeptical that the Orioles can go on any kind of an extended hot streak.

But there was plenty to like about last night, too. Firstly, there aren’t any Orioles players who got themselves into hot water on Pride Night like some Giants pitchers did recently, so that’s a plus. And as for on-field performance, Trevor Rogers delivered one of his most dominant outings of the year, notching a season-high eight strikeouts. If Rogers is back to being a capable pitcher, we’re almost at the point where O’s fans can feel reasonably confident in four of the club’s five starters, and a rehabbing Dean Kremer is on the horizon to fill that fifth spot soon. It was also nice to see the Orioles’ bullpen rebound from their ugly road trip by tossing 2.2 perfect innings last night.

The Orioles are still just 1.5 games out of the final wild card slot, and there are the pieces on this roster for a potential contending team. I’m going to need to see a lot more than this before I believe they’ve got any real shot at October baseball, but a homestand-opening win is a nice start.

Links

Rogers holds down Nationals and bullpen finishes 3-1 win (updated) – School of Roch

Besides Rogers, one of last night’s stars was Coby Mayo, who had his first career two-double game. Coby really needs to decide whether he’s a good player or a lousy one, because his constant back-and-forth is confusing me.

Orioles should not trade Adley Rutschman | MAILBAG – Rich Dubroff

I probably wouldn’t consider trading Adley during the season. But this offseason, all bets are off.

Kremer, Povich make 2nd rehab starts as O’s rotation reinforcements near return – MLB.com

Swapping in Kremer for Trey Gibson will be a nice upgrade for the Orioles’ starting staff. But I don’t really see any rotation spot available for Povich, at least until the next inevitable O’s injury.

Samuel Basallo is showing ‘daily growth,’ and the Orioles will benefit from it – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Basallo is already the Orioles’ most impressive hitter, and you’re telling me he’s only going to get better? Maybe the O’s can have nice things after all.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Six former Orioles were born on June 27, including righty Jim Johnson (43), infielders Óscar Salazar (48) and Jackie Gutiérrez (66), outfielders Jeff Conine (60) and Nelson Simmons (63), and the late right-hander Lou Kretlow (b. 1921, d. 2007), a member of the inaugural 1954 Orioles.

On this date in 1964, the Orioles’ Boog Powell single-handedly defeated the Washington Senators, blasting three solo home runs to provide all the O’s offense in a 3-1 win. Boog went deep off Senators starter Jim Hannan in both the first and fourth innings, then added an insurance run in the ninth with a blast against reliever Ron Kline.

In 1967, the Birds’ Frank Robinson was injured in a second-base collision with Al Weis of the White Sox, causing him to miss 28 games with double vision. The injury perhaps cost Robinson a chance at a second straight Triple Crown season, as he was hitting .337 with 21 homers and 59 RBIs before the injury but batted .282 with nine dingers and 35 RBIs afterward.

And in 2022, the Orioles hit back-to-back homers in back-to-back innings for the first time in their history, all against rookie Mariners starter George Kirby. Fellow rookie Adley Rutschman went back-to-back with Ryan Mountcastle in the top of the third, and Anthony Santander and Austin Hays followed suit in the fourth. The home run barrage powered the O’s to a 9-2 win.

Today’s Reflections

After Dansby Swanson’s four RBI in Wednesday nightcap of the double-header with the Mets, PCA’s RBI double in the 10th inning gave the Cubs a 4-3 win and a four-game sweep of the Mets. Yes, it was the Mets. But this was much needed momentum going into the Brewers’ series.

A lot writers have been writing about Swanson’s historic double-header and the week he’s had. This speaks for itself:

Dansby Swanson just 6 games ago vs. today:

7 HR ➡️ 11 HR
28 RBI ➡️ 46 RBI
6 SB ➡️ 10 SB
.306 SLG ➡️ .385 SLG
.587 OPS ➡️ .688 OPS
68 wRC+ ➡️ 93 wRC+
1.1 fWAR ➡️ 2.1 fWAR

An unreal heater from Dansby 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UciqhQeB3F

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) June 25, 2026

Keep it up, Dansby.

There have been several articles written on BCB by our writers, so, along with the articles below, there’s not much for me to add. Good move with a potential innings eater in front the Cubs’ defense.

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Stories from Thursday’s game:

• Bill Ladson (MLB.com): PCA’s late heroics cap Cubs’ 4-game sweep. “Pete Crow-Armstrong haunted the Mets once again.”

• Jerry Beach (Chicago Tribune {$}): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s RBI double in 10th gives Chicago Cubs a 4-game sweep of New York Mets with 4-3 win. “The Cubs, who have won six of seven, went 7-0 against the Mets this season, outscoring them 51-24.”
• Anthony Kerr (Da Windy City): Matthew Boyd looks sharp in his return as Cubs complete season sweep of the Mets. “After several IL stints, the best version of Matthew Boyd may finally be alive at the perfect time for Chicago.

Second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader:

• Jerry Beach (Daily Herald): Dansby Swanson caps monster doubleheader as Cubs sweep Mets. “Dansby Swanson had a go-ahead RBI triple and four RBI to cap a monster doubleheader performance and help the Chicago Cubs sweep the reeling New York Mets with a 10-5 victory Wednesday night.”
• Field Level Media (Deadspin): Dansby Swanson comes up big again as Cubs sweep Mets in doubleheader. “Dansby Swanson had the go-ahead RBI for the second time in a matter of hours Wednesday night.”
• Lou Landers (The Big Lead): Cubs’ Dansby Swanson has insane 48 hours at the plate. “Dansby Swanson put together one of the most productive offensive days you’ll ever see in MLB.”

Trade talk (with a trade):

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago Cubs trade for David Peterson, banking on the lefty’s upside to boost a rotation decimated by injuries. “Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had spent the last six weeks in discussions with the New York Mets about left-hander David Peterson.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Adding David Peterson is first step as Jed Hoyer tries to solve Cubs’ pitching woes. “The Cubs brought in Peterson on Thursday to help their ailing rotation and believe he could succeed with their defense behind him. But it’s just the start of the front office’s attempt to deal with a torrent of pitching injuries.”

The Cubs desperately need starting-pitching help, and they'll get a big leaguer in Peterson who has a 6.09 ERA this season. He's got a 3.85 FIP, however, and 51.1% groundball rate — and going from the Mets' infield defense to the best-in-MLB Cubs' could be huge for Peterson.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 25, 2026

• Anthony Kerr (Da Windy City): Chicago Cubs may have found the perfect fit in David Peterson. “The left-hander’s ground-ball profile could become even more valuable behind Chicago’s dramatically improved infield defense.”
• Max Ralph (MLB.com): Cubs bring back veteran lefty Pomeranz on Minor League deal. “This is the second straight year the Cubs have acquired Pomeranz in an under-the-radar move.”
• Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Cubs best trade target might be $56M Marlins righty, not Tarik Skubal. “This team needs another starter this summer by the August 3 trade deadline.”
• Sean Sears (Chicago Cubs On SI): 3 More Bounce-Back Trade Targets for the Cubs After the David Peterson Trade. “The Cubs may need to look at reclamation projects to solve their pitching needs.”

Assorted stories:

• Steve Adams (MLBTradeRumors.com): Ben Brown Diagnosed With Stress Reaction In Neck; Cubs Continuing To Seek Rotation Help. “When the Cubs placed righty Ben Brown on the 15-day injured list earlier this week, the injury was initially announced as a “neck strain.”
• Phil Maton’s also on the IL (Bluesky link):

• Tyler Courtney (LastWordOnSports.com): Dansby Swansons June Hot Streak Could Turn His 2026 Season Around. “Dansby Swanson had been dealing with a rough start to the season, and many fans had become frustrated with him. However, recently, he has caught fire and has looked like the best version of himself.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Pete Crow-Armstrong Plays Hero Once Again, Even as the All-Star Voting Snubs Him. “PCA is a star. A total star. A complete star. But not an All-Star.”
• Michael Canter (Cubs Insider): The Rundown: Streaky Cubs Running Into Milwaukee Gauntlet, Hoyer Searching High & Low for Pitching. “Did Joe Maddon have anything about living nine lives in his book of idioms? “Never let the pressure exceed the pleasure” is probably pretty close. “You have to have a little crazy to be successful” also works.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ Pedro Ramirez plays through sadness, worry as countrymen deal with aftermath of Venezuela earthquakes. “The 22-year-old infielder played the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader after learning of devastating earthquakes in his home country and communicating with his family to see if they were OK.”
• Cory Sparks (North Side Baseball): Josiah Hartshorn Could Be the Best Prospect in the Chicago Cubs Pipeline. “You’re supposed to struggle when you play at a higher level than is typical for your age. You’re supposed to have a harder time when you move up to a new, harder level. Don’t tell Josiah Hartshorn any of that.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs find emergency rotation help from former Phillies gamble. “They had to do something.”
• Randy Holt (North Side Baseball): Hoby Milner, Provider Extraordinaire of Volume and Stability for Cubs Bullpen. “Hoby Milner had a strong start to the year but some concerning underlying trends. Now clear of the chaos, he’s settled right back into the pitcher the Cubs hoped he’d be.”

Food For Thought:

Slow Blow Fuse is a Dutch contemporary and rock-influenced “power-blues” band formed in 1999. Known for a hypnotic, groove-driven style, their music blends traditional blues with rock and soul, drawing inspiration from artists like Muddy Waters and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The band is best known for their raw, high-energy live shows. Their influences include legendary figures like Muddy Waters and Albert Collins, as well as modern acts such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds and The Hoax.

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