Worldwide Sports News

SITE NOTE: Here’s how all the BCB threads will go for today’s doubleheader. This is a normal game preview as would be the case for any afternoon away game. Since this is a split doubleheader, I’ll write a recap after the first game and also include the pitcher matchup and other info for the nightcap. That recap will post as soon as possible after Game 1 is over. Now, on to the particulars for the first game of today’s doubleheader.

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We don’t yet know who the Cubs’ 27th man for the doubleheader is, but we do know this:

RHP Gavin Hollowell is also here. https://t.co/vsGD4z6fxt

— Meghan Montemurro (@MegMontemurro) June 24, 2026

So, my guess is: Vince Velasquez is the 27th man, with Edward Cabrera to the 60-day IL to make room for him on the 40-man roster. Gavin Hollowell is recalled to replace Cabrera on the 26-man active roster and will stick around for a while, at least until the Cubs decide who’s going to take Cabrera’s spot in the rotation. That spot doesn’t come up until Sunday.

I know, clear as mud. As always, we await developments.

Wednesday notes…

• DOUBLEHEADER FACTS: This will be the Cubs’ second doubleheader of the season. The first, at Cleveland on Sunday, April 5, was due to a rainout the previous day. The Cubs won, 1-0, then lost, 6-5. The Cubs swept their only twin bill last year, at home vs. the Brewers, 6-4 and 4-1. They have not swept any of their last eight doubleheaders on the road, splitting five and dropping both games of three. Splits: 2023, 2022 and 2018 at Cincinnati; 2017 at Colorado; 2015 at Pittsburgh. Swept: 2024 and 2022 at St. Louis; 2018 at Washington. The split in 2015 at Pittsburgh was on Sept. 15. Four days earlier, on the 11th, the Cubs won twice at Philadelphia. In the first game, Jake Arrieta gave up one run on six hits and two walks in eight innings, then Justin Grimm pitched a scoreless ninth to complete a 5-1 win. In the second, Kyle Schwarber homered twice and Kris Bryant once, as the Cubs won, 7-3. Bryant and Miguel Montero each had three of the Cubs’ 12 hits. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• RUN SCORING, PART 1: The Cubs have scored at least six runs in four consecutive games, tying for their second-longest streak of the season, April 21-24. They did it in five straight April 12-17. Last year, they had one streak of five games and two of four. They have not had a streak of more than five in 26 years, since they had six in a row April 22-28, 2000. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• RUN SCORING, PART 2: In their last four games, the Cubs have scored 39 runs (eight, 16, six and nine), their second most in a four-game span this season, after 40, April 13-17 (seven, 10, 11, 12). (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel combined to no-hit the Dodgers in Los Angeles, as the Cubs won 4-0. The four pitchers combined to walk eight (!) Dodgers hitters in the first combined no-hitter in Cubs history. It happened five years ago today, Thursday, June 24, 2021.

Cubs lineup:

Game 1 of 2 today.

Tune in live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/v3DmGlCM6s

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 24, 2026

Mets lineup:

Game 1 starters #LGMpic.twitter.com/3foY2jwXaT

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 24, 2026

Javier Assad, RHP vs. Nolan McLean, RHP

Javier Assad has been a revelation since his recall from Triple-A Iowa. In three starts this month since that recall: 1.00 ERA, 0.611 WHIP, two runs allowed (both on solo homers). His season numbers are now pretty much in line with his career before this year.

Assad is kind of a Kyle Hendricks-type pitcher. He just gets guys out.

He did that April 19 vs. the Mets at Wrigley Field — 5.2 innings, three hits, one run. That’d do for tonight’s game. I’d say.

Nolan McLean was a Top 10 MLB prospect last year and had a brief eight-start cameo with the Mets. One of those games was against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Sept. 25, 2025. He struck out 11, but the Cubs also scored five off him in five innings, including a home run by Dansby Swanson and two long balls by Seiya Suzuki.

This year most of McLean’s starts have been pretty good, save for a two-start run in May in which he allowed 13 earned runs in nine innings. Since then: four starts, 1.64 ERA, 1.091 WHIP.

Overall he has a 28.2 percent K rate and 9.3 percent walk rate. This will not be an easy pitcher to hit.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Citi Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Mets site Amazin’ Avenue. If you do go there to interact with Mes fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

For those of us who grew up in the mid-2000s, Phil Hughes was the first real Yankees super-prospect. Drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft, the young right-hander shot up prospect boards and through the Yankees farm system, taking the league by storm even before officially making his Major League debut. Injuries and unerperformance ultimately consigned Hughes to the list of “Top Could-Have-Beens of Yankees History,” but not before he emerged as a critical part of 2009’s World Series run.

Philip Joseph Hughes
Born: June 24, 1986 (Mission Viejo, CA)
Yankees Tenure: 2007-13

A lifelong Red Sox fan despite being born and raised in California, Hughes signed with the Yankees for $1.4 million, foregoing his commitment to Santa Clara University. Following a brief run in rookie ball after signing — shoulder tendinitis limited him to just five innings — he began turning heads during his first full professional season, reaching High-A Tampa despite, once again, being limited by injuries.

When he received an invitation to spring training in 2006 at just 19 years of age, Hughes was ranked as Baseball America’s 39th overall prospect. Immediately, his future teammates took notice. Jason Giambi compared him to Roger Clemens, Jorge Posada declared him “the best arm in camp,” and Alex Rodriguez turned to senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman after facing him in live batting practice and asked, “Who the [heck] is that guy?” While his age and lack of professional experience meant that he received a ticket back to the minors, he quickly showed that he was ready for more, flirting with a pair of no-hitters and winning the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award.

Although Hughes started 2007 in Triple-A Scranton, it was only a matter of time before he would get the call to the Bronx, and on April 26 — earlier than expected due to a flood of injuries to the rotation, and simultaneously delayed a day due to rain — the Yankees’ top prospect made his Major League debut. His first start was OK, but forgettable, as he allowed four runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings. Five days later, though, Hughes announced his arrival to the league, flirting with a no-hitter across 6.1 innings…before feeling a pop in his hamstring and becoming the fifth Yankees pitcher to hit the injured list in less than a month.

Hughes would not return to the rotation until August, where he showed enough promise that the Yankees opted not to trade for Johan Santana and instead penciled him into the 2008 starting rotation, alongside fellow youngster Ian Kennedy.

The decision to roll with the kids backfired horribly for the Yankees. Injuries limited Hughes to just eight starts, and even when healthy, he was horrendous, allowing 26 runs in 34 innings, and his failures on the mound were part of the reason the Yankees went out and acquired both CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett that offseason. Relegated to rotation depth, Hughes put together an inconsistent start to the season, surrendering eight runs on May 9th, tossing eight shutout innings on May 25th, and allowing three or four runs in four of his other five starts. With Chien-Ming Wang returning to the rotation after a few appearances in relief, the Yankees relegated Hughes to bullpen duty…where he suddenly morphed himself into a shut-down setup man.

From the first of June through the end of the season, Hughes was the most valuable reliever in baseball, posting a league-leading 2.1 fWAR, a miniscule 1.40 ERA, and a dominant 33.7 strikeout percentage (fourth in baseball among relievers with at least 30 innings of work in that span). His performance in the bullpen was so valuable that, when Wang hit the injured list again in July, the team opted not to return Hughes to the rotation. Between him and David Robertson, the Yankees’ biggest weakness — the bridge to Mariano Rivera — had been repaired.

And while he struggled in October, his teammates picked him up, as Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, and Dámaso Marté locked down the middle innings and brought a World Series championship back to the Bronx.

The 2009 season turned out to be the main highlight of Hughes’ Yankees career. Returned to the rotation in 2010, Hughes earned an All-Star nod, but faded in the second half before falling apart against the Rangers in the ALCS. Significantly, he began to develop a propensity for the long ball, and without the swing-and-miss stuff he had flashed early but which he could never access with any consistency, that is a recipe for disaster in the Bronx. Across the next three years, he made 79 appearances (75 starts) and went 25-32 with a 4.83 ERA, accruing just 0.4 rWAR. While it did include some hot stretches, including a dominant performance in the 2012 playoffs, it was capped off by a disastrous 2013 that can be summed up by the fact that he allowed a .260/.320/.461 slash line to opposing batters after jumping ahead 0-2 against them.

To his credit, Hughes managed to pull his career out of the toilet after leaving for Minnesota in free agency. He found himself on the cusp of the Cy Young conversation in 2014, setting the record for the highest K/BB ratio in baseball history (11.63), earning him a three-year, $42 million contract extension.

Unfortunately, the injury bug resurfaced, as back problems, a fractured femur, and thoracic outlet syndrome robbed Hughes of most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons. After 23 appearances between the Twins and Padres in 2018, Hughes was released, and although he didn’t retire until 2021, he never returned to the Show again.

Since stepping away from the game, Hughes has kept baseball part of his life, running a YouTube channel where he pulls various cards. He has been invited to Yankees Old-Timers’ Days, including the 2024 15th anniversary celebration of the 2009 champs, but he has not attended any. Perhaps it’s simply because–as he himself pointed out–he was not really an “old-timer” in terms of age just yet.

Well Phil, we hate to break it to you, but now that you’re turning 40 today, you’re probably in that realm! Here’s hoping that he has a happy birthday and that comes back around the Bronx sometime soon.

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

I have never been a big league hitter. I received some hitting instruction as a youth, but it was mostly “keep your eye on the ball”, “be a hitter”, and “stop adjusting yourself down there so much.” Big leaguers get all sorts of more sophisticated hitting advice from not only their hitting coach, but the assistant hitting coach, the assistant to the assistant hitting coach, the director of hitting, the doctor of hit-ology, and the Chief Strategic Officer for Launch Angle Excellence and Exit Velocity Innovation. And that’s only within the organization! They also probably have their own personal hitting coach, a hitting academy they visit in the off-season, their dad (make contact or I’m not visiting you this holiday season!), and their buddy Little Jim, who thinks everyone would hit .300 if they just stopped swinging for their fences (its just that easy!).

So I don’t really know what Alec Zumwalt, the Royals’ Director of Hitting Performance, actually does. But he is in charge of overseeing how the Royals develop hitters. And in case you haven’t noticed, the Royals have not been particularly good at hitting over the last two seasons. They finished last year with the fifth-fewest runs scored per game and were abysmal with runners in scoring position. This year they got off to a very similar start, burying the team in the standings early on. There were calls to fire Zumwalt. Even from me!

They don’t walk. They don’t hit for power. They swing too much, chase too much, and yet, are far too patient on the first pitch. They hit too many flyballs for a team that doesn’t hit the ball hard. They are also terrible at hitting fastballs, which should be the easiest pitch to hit. In short, while Zumwalt has advocated for a strategy of identifying a good pitch to hit and doing damage to it, the Royals have utterly failed.

Yet despite a growing list of injuries, the offense has begun to flourish this month. Royals hitters are batting .284/.349/.460 in June, with a 121 wRC+ that ranks seventh in baseball, and they are second in the majors with 5.9 runs per game.

Arguably Zumwalt’s most important job has been overseeing the development of the Royals’ two prized hitting prospects—Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone. Those two lefty power hitters are the future of this lineup, and brother, the future is starting to look really bright. Jensen is hitting .280/.325/.507 this month, and has his season wRC+ at 100, which is impressive considering the average rookie catcher has a wRC+ of 81.

Meanwhile, Caglianone is on another planet right now. A planet of home run-hitting beasts! This month, he is hitting .373/.453/.773 with nine home runs and a 10.5 percent walk rate. His June wRC+ of 232 is better than anyone in baseball, save for Pete Crow-Armstrong.

And it does appear that the hitters have made changes. As friend of the site Jack Johnson pointed out, Jensen has opened his stance and moved his hands up.

Left: June 7th @ Minnesota
Right : June 21st vs. St. Louis

In that span of two weeks, Jensen has slashed .386/.429/.682 with nine XBH.

Stance is a little more open. Hands are a little higher. #Royalspic.twitter.com/Z2riRAMMpF

— Jack Johnson (@JohnyJ_15) June 22, 2026

Jac Caglianone has also appeared to make some changes, simplifying his stance and shortening the distance between his bat and the ball.

Jac Caglianone is rocking a 1.144 OPS in the month of June! 🚀@CY24_7 breaks down how the @Royals slugger is keeping it simple in the box and using his strength to his advantage. pic.twitter.com/a2FYkP21vc

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 23, 2026

Now don’t get me wrong, the offense overall is still near the bottom of the league. Those shutouts back in April still count, and the team buried itself in a hole that may be too deep to escape from. Zumwalt is responsible for more than just two hitters, and the Royals have received disappointing production from Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, Jonathan India, and Isaac Collins.

But those are veterans, many of whom may have been dealing with injuries much of the season. Hitting coaches and coordinators often have a greater impact on younger players than on established veterans who already have years of ingrained habits. And it is not just Jensen and Caglianone that are coming on, the Royals have gotten impressive offensive streaks from young hitters like Michael Massey and Nick Loftin lately that could provide more depth to the lineup.

As the injuries pile up, this is looking more and more like a lost season. But the Royals could use this as an evaluation season for several young hitters. And at least this month, they look like they could be on the right track. I’m not ready to issue a full mea culpa to Zumwalt quite yet, but the recent results suggest something may be working.

Diamondbacks News

Late, Clutch Offense Salvages Win from E-Rod Gem
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched 6.2 innings of scoreless baseball. He left with the score tied. But then, Nolan Arenado got key knock, giving the Diamondbacks their first hit with runner in scoring position in what seems like an age. Paul Sewald was terrible, but Torey Lovullo actually pulled him in time and the Diamondbacks celebrated the win after Brandyn Garcia pitched the one-batter save.

Diamondbacks Escape Sewald Meltdown
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched a gem. The Diamondbacks finally managed a productive few hits with runners in scoring position. That resulted in Sewald entering the game with a four-run lead, a non-save situation. As seems to be his M..O. Sewald struggled and only recorded two outs while allowing three runs. Brandyn Garcia then came in and pitched lefty on lefty to record his first save through a one-batter outing.

Diamondbacks and Giants Agree to Schedule Change in August
The two teams will now play a day-night double header on 29 August, giving both teams an important day off. For the Diamondbacks it gives them a day off before taking on the Phillies in a series with potential playoff implications.

Right at Home, Arenado Silences Crowd with RISP Hit
Some things just feel like they were scripted – but not in a bad way. This is one of those times.

Mitch Bratt (@WVBlackBears '21) is getting the call to the show with the @Dbacks! ☎️ 🐻

The #dbacks' No. 1️⃣4️⃣ @MLBPipeline prospect and 2nd draft pick in #MLBDraftLeague history becomes the 19th alum to get called up to the big leagues.🤩📈pic.twitter.com/wf1C10j1lL

— MLB Draft League (@mlbdraftleague) June 24, 2026

Other Baseball News

MLB’s Competitive Balance Issue “Explained”
The disconnect between the players, the owners, the fans, and reality is staggering and pieces like this do nothing to alleviate the growing impression that an extended lockout is looming and inevitble.

Freddy Peralta Deal Has Been a Dud for Mets
For all the hand-wringing about how poor Zac Gallen has been this season (incredibly poor), at least it isn’t the situation of Freddy Peralta with the Mets. Yikes!

How ABS if Helping Fuel Left-Handed Hitting Resurgence
The more uniform strike zone has resulted in a rather sizeable split between left-handed and right-handed wRC+.

Zack Gelof Leaves Game with Spiked Hand Laceration
The Athletics’ Zack Gelof saw his 24-game hit streak come to an end after his hand was impaled by the Giants’ Matt Chapman during an awkward play at second base in which Chapman stod p while Gelof’s hand was under the cleats.

Craig Counsell Perplexed, Irked by Rainout Decision
Back-to-back rainouts in two cities have caused something of a scheduling conundrum for Craig Counsell and the Chicago Cubs. The Chicago skipper is displeased with the situation and questioned the decision-making process, given that no rain fell during the game’s scheduled window for play.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is ruled out at second base after initially contacting second base and losing possession of the base.

Crow-Armstrong had initially advanced to second base on a walk.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell has been ejected. pic.twitter.com/YlPGeYbmjb

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2026

Tigers Relied Too Heavily on False Production from 2025
When the Tigers did their winter business, they were mistaken in what the team needs really were and now it is showing up in the standings in a big way.

Texas Rangers @ Miami Marlins

Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 11:10 AM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

loanDepot park

RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Eury Perez

Go Rangers!

With Trea Turner at the plate, Brad Lord and the Washington Nationals were one strike away from completing another emotional win over the Phillies. In what felt like an hour later, Trea Turner came to the plate again in the top of the 9th to single and make it 14-8 Phillies. I would say I have never seen anything like this, but I did just a couple weeks ago in San Francisco.

At this point, we know what the floor of this bullpen is, and it is at the Dead Sea. The bullpen can actually string together some decent performances. However, when it is not going right, this unit is legitimately unable to get outs. That 9th inning in San Francisco and the 9th inning tonight are perfect examples of that.

The floor of this Nats bullpen is so low. They have actually had some decent games lately but when things aren’t going well they legitimately can’t get an out

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) June 24, 2026

All the damage in those innings came without the other team even making an out. Tonight, 10 straight Phillies reached base with two outs, turning an 8-6 lead into a 14-8 deficit. The normally reliable Brad Lord crumbled so quickly that he gave up 5 runs before another reliever was even able to get ready.

It was so close to being such a statement victory at Nationals Park. The crowd was engaged and fired up in a way that I had not seen in years. They were ready to explode when Lord got two strikes on Trea Turner. Instead, they went home disappointed like they have so many times over the past 6 years.

At the end of the day, this bullpen just does not have the horses. The floor is super low in the bullpen for a reason. It is because these guys do not have swing and miss stuff. When they desperately need it, these guys cannot get that big strikeout. Blake Butera mentioned all the times Nats pitchers got into 2 strike counts and could not finish the job.

He talked a lot about execution, and that is part of the problem. However, the bigger problem is something he cannot really say. These relievers just do not have good enough stuff. Butera knows this, but clearly you cannot totally throw your guys under the bus. Nats relievers have the lowest whiff rate in the MLB by a large margin and have the worst stuff with the least velocity.

In here: The Nationals have fixed a host of the issues that plagued their predecessors. This one feels harder to repair. https://t.co/PXAn6CjhOmpic.twitter.com/OEcOKvp0ea

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) June 24, 2026

As Paul Toboni sinks his teeth into this project further, that will change. However, for now, this bullpen is always on the brink of disaster because if they are not executing, there is nothing for them to fall back on. I wrote about the Nats lack of stuff in the bullpen and some options to fix that.

These pieces really loom large right now. I love me some Brad Lord and still think he is an extremely valuable piece of this bullpen. However, his best role is as a multi-inning guy. His stuff is fine, but it is not lockdown closer stuff. When the Phillies have a tight game in the 9th, they can turn to Jhoan Duran, who averages over 100. Meanwhile, the Nats don’t have anyone who even averages 97.

The Nats have some okay pieces in the bullpen, but they do not have an alpha, or anything close to that. Clayton Beeter has good stuff, but he can’t throw strikes. Richard Lovelady has a closer mentality, but he does not have closer stuff. Orlando Ribalta is solid, but he is not elite either. PJ Poulin is a nice opener, but nothing more. Gus Varland has gotten big outs before, but he also has plenty of blow up potential. It is just slim pickings for Blake Butera when he needs to get big outs.

Current state of the Nationals bullpen:
Clayton Beeter: Can’t throw strikes
Gus Varland: Gives us bombs
Brad Lord: Can never pitch after the 7th inning again
Richard Lovelady: Meh
Orlando Ribalta: Meh
PJ Poulin: Opener only
Mitchell Parker: Awful
Paxton Schultz: Bad

Welp.

— Paul Cubbage (@PaulCubbage23) June 24, 2026

Paul Toboni has been so long term driven in his quotes this year, but this morning on the radio, he struck a different tone. He talked about how much this loss ate at him and acknowledged that this team could be in a very different place with a better bullpen. 

Toboni is a big reason why the bullpen is in this spot. He traded the Nats highest upside bullpen arm that he inherited in Jose A. Ferrer. The Ford for Ferrer trade made a ton of sense at the time, but it has not aged well so far. Ferrer is not some perfect reliever, but he throws gas and has been good in high leverage. 

He also used the waiver wire to build the bullpen, instead of signing more proven options. When the Rangers rebuilt their bullpen this offseason, they went down the cheap veteran route. They signed Tyler Alexander, Chris Martin, Jalen Beeks and Jakob Junis. Alexander, Junis and Beeks have all been hits, posting ERA’s below 4. These guys were not big money options, but all had fairly long track records.

This is not a bullet proof plan. We saw that last year, when Mike Rizzo brought in Jorge Lopez, Lucas Sims and Colin Poche. None of those guys worked out. However, you have a better chance of finding reliability when you bring in these veterans.

I do not necessarily blame Toboni for choosing the route he did. It is clear that he viewed this as a rebuilding year, and wanted to take some chances on arms that have the team control to help the team beyond this year. However, these guys were on waivers for a reason.

Now that Toboni knows that this team has something about them, I hope he addresses the bullpen at the deadline. I am not asking him to bring in a rental like Aroldis Chapman. Rather, I would like to see him bring in a younger, hard throwing controllable arm like Sam Bachman or Jaden Hill, who I wrote about.

With the lack of stuff in the bullpen, total implosion is on the table at any time for the Washington Nationals. As we get deeper into this build, Paul Toboni must find better stuff in the ‘pen. Whether that is through trades, or converting a guy like Luis Perales to the bullpen, we just need to find swing and miss stuff. Without elite stuff, it is tough to get those final outs, and we saw that last night and in San Francisco.