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JT Benson

Week: 4 G, 16 AB, .438/.500/1.188, 7 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 1/1 SB (High-A)

2026 Season: 33 G, 116 AB, .276/.361/.578, 32 H, 10 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 11 BB, 36 K, 8/11 SB, .355 BABIP (Single-A) / 28 G, 99 AB, .283/.377/.576, 28 H, 10 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 11 BB, 30 K, 5/8 SB, .359 BABIP (High-A)

There are some weeks where identifying a hitter of the week is a chore, and the best of the best still feels like scraping the bottom of the barrel. Other times, there are a dearth of options and it sucks to pass over someone who had one hell of a week because someone else had an even better one. This week was the latter. Nick Lorusso hit .300/.391/.750 with three doubles and two homers. John Bay hit .333/.455/.778 with two doubles and two homers. Nick Morabito hit .364/.417/.455 with two doubles and four stolen bases. Yonatan Henriquez hit .417/.417/.542 with three doubles and three stolen bases. Yonny Hernandez hit .571/.591/.762 with four doubles and two stolen bases.

Of those players, JT Benson really turned it up a notch. Benson has been on a tear since getting signed out of the indies earlier this year, but this week was especially impressive. I normally don’t like selecting players who didn’t play a “full week” (five or six games), but it’s hard to deny what he did this week; he had a 301 wRC+!

Offense is only about half of the equation of a player, and looking at Benson’s defense, he’s solid. The 24-year-old outfielder has average-to-above average speed and not only knows how to use it on the basepaths- where he has successfully stolen 13 total bases in 19 attempts this year and 33 in 38 attempts last season in the indies- but taps into it in the outfield as well. He is smooth out there, able to read the ball off the bat well, has a quick catch and release, and a strong arm. He has the combination of defensive skills that allow him to play all three outfield positions well enough, but he profiles best at this point in either left or right field for now due to a lack of reps and experience in center.

Daviel Hurtado

Week: 1 G (1 GS), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (Single-A)

2026 Season: 4 G (3 GS), 9.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER (5.00 ERA), 1 BB, 15 K, .409 BABIP (Single-A) / 6 G (6 GS), 28.1 IP, 13 H, 6 R, 6 ER (1.91 ERA), 4 BB, 24 K, .167 BABIP (High-A)

Daviel Hurtado had a solid week. Against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, he had a solid quality start, allowing one run in six innings pitched, scattering a pair of hits, walking one batter, and striking out six. I wouldn’t necessarily classify that kind of start as exceptional, but given the rest of the pickings for this week among the Mets minor league pitchers, that was the best individual performance. Jonah Tong is the only other starting pitcher who had a quality start, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in six innings. Everyone else? Not so much.

The 18-year-old Hurtado was signed by the Mets on January 15, 2023 after the young left-hander left Cuba. A native of Havana, he had been involved in baseball in the city for years, playing on the U-12 and U-15 Cuban National Baseball Teams. In 2022, he and his parents took up residency in the Dominican Republic and the left-hander began the vetting process by Major League Baseball to establish his eligibility to sign with an MLB club. The process went smoothly and quickly and he was granted his eligibility to sign that year, but given that most clubs had spent the majority of their international bonus pool monies, Hurtado and his representatives elected to wait to sign until 2023, giving him a better opportunity to sell his talent and maximize his signing bonus. Having agreed to an informal agreement in the months prior, Hurtado signed with the Mets and the two sides came to official terms, agreeing to a $640,000 signing bonus.

The left-hander was assigned to the Dominican Summer League for the 2023 season, but did not actually pitch, as Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound all season. He finally made his professional debut in 2024 with the FCL Mets and posted a 6.32 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing 15 hits, walking 10, and striking out 23. He remained in the Florida Complex League to begin the 2025 season, but was promoted to Single-A St. Lucie after roughly a month, allowing a single earned run with the FCL Mets in 19.0 innings over 5 starts, scattering 8 hits, walking 5, and striking out 25. He remained with the St. Lucie Mets for the rest of the season and posted a 2.70 ERA in 46.2 innings over 13 appearances, 7 of which were starts. He allowed 45 hits, walked 19, and struck out 50.

The Mets had the 21-year-old begin the season with St. Lucie, and after posting a 5.00 ERA in 9.0 innings over 4 appearances, promoted him to High-A Brooklyn. The southpaw shrugged off the malaise he was showing in St. Lucie and has pitched well with the Cyclones. In 6 starts, Hurtado has a 1.91 ERA in 28.1 innings, allowing 13 hits, walking 4, and striking out 24.

Hurtado is listed at 6’1”, 165-pounds and is well-proportioned and lean. He stands on the far first base side of the rubber and throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot with a high leg kick and a long arm action through the back. His mechanics flow and are loose and smooth, leaving him in excellent fielding position in his follow-through.

Hurtado’s four-seam fastball sits in the mid-90s, ranging 90-96 MPH; he added a little velocity to it this season, and it is up roughly 2 MPH as compared to last season. The pitch has a low spin rate for a four-seam fastball, 2,190 RPM, giving it less ride and more sink. Overall, the pitch has been very hittable, which lowers his overall ceiling and is why he was never given serious consideration on the 2026 Top Prospect list despite posting sterling surface-level numbers- that and the fact that he bears a striking resemblance to Oliver Perez. He has been throwing the pitch a bit less this season, in favor of his breaking balls a bit more, which can only help him right now. Hurtado’s two-seam fastball is almost identical to his four-seam fastball in every way, from velocity to spin rate to induced vertical break, except it generally gets a few more inches of arm-side horizontal movement, about ten inches to his four-seam fastball’s five.

The southpaw’s curveball sits in the mid-70s-to-low-80s, featuring 55 inches of vertical drop and 5-10 inches of horizontal movement, making it a loopy, slurvy 11-5 bender. His slider sits in the mid-to-high-80s, featuring 35 inches of vertical drop and 3-5 inches of horizontal movement, giving the pitch hop. The two breaking balls tunnel well with each other, the slower curveball featuring more overall movement and the faster slider featuring less.

Hurtado was throwing a budding changeup infrequently in 2025, but he has since scrapped it, barely throwing the pitch during in-game situations this season. Despite the lack of a changeup, he has generally been slightly better against left-handed hitters over the course of his career, but has not ever exhibited extreme platoon splits one way or the other, dominating lefties or struggling against righties.

Hurtado is not only able to command all of his pitches, but the left-hander has pinpoint control. He can throw in the zone and outside of it with confidence, though gets beaten with regularity when he lives inside of it for too long. The southpaw is at his best when he is able to nip the zone with his fastball and then expand the zone with his breaking balls, getting batters to get themselves out either by inducing weak contact or swinging-and-missing. Between the sink from his fastball and weak contact from his breaking pitches, the left-hander has maintained extremely favorable batted ball splits over the course of his young career. This year, Hurtado has maintained a 22.6% line drive rate, 57.0% groundball rate, and 20.4% flyball rate in his 37.1 innings with St. Lucie and Brooklyn combined.

Players of the Week 2026

Week One/Two (March 27-April 5): Hayden Senger/Cam Tilly

Week Three (April 7-April 12): A.J. Ewing/Christian Scott

Week Four (April 14-April 18): Randy Guzman/Jose Chirinos

Week Five (April 21-April 26): A.J. Ewing/Channing Austin

Week Six (April 30-May 3): A.J. Ewing/Jonah Tong

Week Seven (May 5-May 10): Ryan Clifford/Jonathan Santucci

Week Eight: (May 12-May 17): Jacob Reimer/Zach Thornton

Week Nine: (May 19-May 24): Ryan Clifford/Channing Austin

Week Ten: (May 26-May 31): Ryan Clifford/Jose Chirinos

Week Eleven: (June 2-June 7): Vincent Perozo/Frank Camarillo

Week Twelve: (June 9-June 14): JT Benson/Nick Carreno

Week Thirteen (June 16-June 21): Nick Morabito/Jonathan Santucci

I had an oh-duh moment while watching this one play out. I have to go back down the rabbit hole, because I don’t see anyone keeping the full total. I know this is 10 walk-offs. I’m pretty certain the number is three for road wins in their last at bat. But I don’t recall if there were any home wins with an eighth-inning winning run. That is technically the other way to win while scoring in your last team at-bat. 10 walk-offs already is amazing. 13 last chance wins is amazing. This team finds new ways to amaze me all the time.

I’ll probably change my opinion once or twice more, but I think I’ve decided that if the Cubs decide to only bring back one corner outfielder, it is Seiya. I love the loyalty, the longevity, the season over season consistency of Ian Happ. I love that he moved all over the field until they settled on a position for him. I love that he then won several gold gloves at that spot. Seiya is significantly improved in the field now too. He’s grown so much as a fielder and he’s quietly having a very good season there. The relationship between Seiya and Pete Crow-Armstrong feels special. I think when all of my internal ballots are counted, I’m about 53 percent in favor of Seiya. Well within the margin of error.

But yeah, the story of the game and these last three days and really this whole season is this team just finding a way to win. Just like that, they are essentially back on a 90-win pace (89.6). Will all the injuries, all of the slumps, this team somehow gets it done. Four Cub pitchers were used in this game. None of them were particularly impressive. The Cubs allowed 11 hits and two walks. It definitely felt like they were in trouble all night long. And yet, they yielded just two runs.

The Cubs couldn’t really get to Griffin Canning, finally chasing him with two runs allowed over 4.1 innings. But he’s fared so much worse lately than that. The Cubs put up 10 hits, four walks and had a batter hit. They managed three runs. Often not enough, but just enough on this night. To be fair, I’m pretty sure at least one more run would have scored had the game not ended there. I really thought that was a walk-off homer off of Seiya’s bat. It felt like he hit it pretty close to the spot where Javier Baez once reached the basket against Johnny Cueto to win a game 1-0 in the playoffs.

I said the Cubs needed to get at least one win in this series to make sure they at least split the season series with the Padres. That mission is accomplished. Now they get two shots to win this series and also the season series. Given that the two teams figure to compete for a Wild Card spot, that could matter.

This team is bonkers to cover, but I wouldn’t miss it. These three straight wins are absolutely wild. They’ve faced some really elite pitchers on good teams and countered with a bunch of scrap heap arms. And won. I’m watching potentially the ultimate collision of social media and real life. If this team wins 90 games (or more), social media will have been tap dancing all season long on Craig Counsell’s grave while he wins the NL Manager of the Year award. The Dodgers and Brewers are exactly who we thought they were. The Braves are more or less who we thought they were and the Cubs are running more of a MASH unit than a pitching staff. And every time the dust settles again, they are still standing. Still in the rear view mirror of the Brewers. Stalking like some campy 80’s horror-slasher movie villain.

This team has been so odd, winning more than half of their games either by scoring in the last inning or blowing out their opponent, that we basically haven’t nitpicked any decisions. Not at the micro level anyway. While I’m often a big fan of the aggressive fan and making the other team make a play, I hated the send of Dansby Swanson on the fly out double play in the ninth. I would have rather continued to have the bases loaded there, even though it also put PCA on third. It didn’t end up mattering, but I just wouldn’t have made that send.

What a time to be alive! Go Cubs.

Three Positives:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong, the walking man? Two more singles, two more walks. That up to the minute on-base percentage is .370. In his age 24 season, he’s going to be a two-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove (first time platinum?), and will best his ninth place MVP finish of last year.
• Shōta Imanaga. 6.1 innings, nine hits, no walks, two runs. Four strikeouts. Not his best outing, but a terrific one at that.
• Seiya Suzuki. Two hits, one a double. Two runs driven in, one run scored. He was part of all three runs that scored. That will be one of the most well struck balls off of Mason Miller this year.

Game 85, June 29: Cubs 3, Padres 2 (47-38)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Seiya Suzuki (.305). 2-4, 2B, SF, 2 RBI, R, DP
• Hero: Michael Conforto (.149). 1-4, RBI
• Sidekick: Trent Thornton (.134). IP, 3 BF, H, K (W 3-2)

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Michael Busch (-.330). 0-4, BB
• Goat: Miguel Amaya (-.183). 0-4
• Kid: Ian Happ (-.144). 0-4

WPA Play of the Game: Seiya Suzuki’s walk-off “single” off the top of the wall. (.367)

Brewers Play of the Game: Michael Busch one play earlier, the fly out/thrown out at home double play. (.303)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 84 Winner: Bryse Wilson received 123 of 235 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +17
• Michael Busch +15
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Trent Thornton +12.5
• Carson Kelly +11.5
• Edward Cabrera -9.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Dansby Swanson -12
• Caleb Thielbar -13
• Seiya Suzuki -14.5

Up Next: Game two of this three-game set. Matthew Boyd (2-1, 5.02) starts for the Cubs. JP Sears (1-0, 3.18) makes his second start of the season for the Padres. The 30-year-old veteran lefty made 27 starts last year for the A’s and Padres with a 5.04 ERA.

Get this win.

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Another night, another trio of MLB same-game parlay predictions for a loaded 15-game slate Tuesday, June 30.

My top MLB picks begin with Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal handing the New York Yankees another loss tonight. 

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Game	SGP Odds
vs	+345
vs	+335
vs	+310

Tigers vs Yankees SGP: Detroit motors to another win

The New York Yankees have dropped eight of their past 10 games while striking out at the highest clip in the majors and ranking last in xwOBA.

They’ll face back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal on Tuesday, and the Detroit Tigers are heating up at the dish with the sixth-ranked wOBA and xwOBA for the month of June.

I’m anticipating Skubal to cruise tonight, too.

His 2.59 xFIP is below his 2.74 mark across the past two years, and I’m anticipating statistical correction coming to his .287 BABIP and 74.3% strand rate because they’re worse than his .273 and 80.3% marks during his Cy Young campaigns.

I’d recommend this SGP down to +320.

• Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: TBS

See full analysis of this game in our Tigers vs. Yankees predictions.

Nationals vs Red Sox SGP: Washington pulls off Fenway upset

The Washington Nationalspace the majors in wOBA against lefties, and Boston Red Sox southpaw Connelly Early has surrendered the 10th-highest barrel percentage among pitchers with at least 75 innings. 

Early is also eyeing statistical correction with his 3.59 ERA well below his 4.72 FIP, in addition to his unsustainably high 85.7% strand rate.

The Boston offense doesn’t move the needle with a 27th-ranked xwOBA in June and the sixth-lowest barrel percentage for the season, either.

Still, I expect Early to pitch well enough to contribute to this total going Under the number, and Nationals righty Cade Cavalli has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts with a solid 3.57 xFIP.

This SGP is in play down to +315.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NESN, NATS

Padres vs Cubs SGP: Chicago wins fourth straight

San Diego Padres lefty JP Sears posted an underwhelming 4.87 xFIP and a 12.9% strikeout-to-walk ratio across 58 2/3 innings entering 2026, so I’m anticipating him struggling against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

The North Siders have won nine of 11 while averaging 7.3 runs per game and ranking seventh in wOBA, and they also rank third in wOBA against left-handed pitchers for the season.

Still, this is another inflated total at Wrigley Field, and the teams combined for just five runs in similarly favorable hitting conditions Monday.

Chicago lefty Matthew Boyd is also set up for success in his second start back from knee and shoulder injuries. The Padres are 29th in wOBA against southpaws, and they’re 24th in xwOBA across the past 30 days.

I price the breakeven point of this SGP at +300.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MARQ, SDPA

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Life comes at you fast. The Red Sox, in the midst of a five-game win streak, remain deep under .500. And in a world in which the owners hadn’t spent the last 20 years devaluing the regular season in a blatant attempt to increase postseason revenue and justify slashing payroll, a team in the Red Sox’ position wouldn’t have any playoff hopes today. But this is 2026, and it’s legitimately possible that the American League’s third Wild Card could be swiped by a team that doesn’t even reach the .500 mark. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Thus, the Red Sox, who looked dead and buried one week ago today, are now being called potential buyers at the trade deadline. Their biggest need is obvious: middle infield help. (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)

Right now the middle infield help is coming in the form of Anthony Seigler, who has started at second base for 10 games in a row. Seigler has bounced back and forth between AAA and the big leagues throughout his young career. What helped him get back to the majors this time was resuming something he’d quit before: switch hitting. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

We know where they certainly don’t need help: the starting rotation. Red Sox starters have now thrown 12 straight quality starts, two shy of the club record set in 1988. “They’ve been phenomenal,” said Chad Tracy. “It’s very similar to my initial time here when we weren’t playing that well, but the starting pitching was so good that you always felt like you were going to look up in the sixth inning and think, ‘We’ve got a chance to win this game.’ I don’t think there’s too many managers who wouldn’t sign up for that.” (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

All the starters have contributed, but Payton Tolle in particular has been a big part of the streak. In fact, he now has teammates publicly lobbying to get him to the All-Star Game. “Just being in that conversation is amazing, but that’s kind of far out of mind for me,” he said. “I guess it doesn’t mean anything until it actually happens.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Unfortunately, Garrett Crochet won’t be getting a second straight All-Star nod, and he continues to be frustrated by the mysteriously slow rehab process for what was initially thought to be a minor injury. While everyone involved still says there are no structural issues, they are now looking to last year to explain the injury. “I was still kind of experiencing that hangover from last year, and once I started throwing again, maybe my mechanics just weren’t in a great spot,” said Crochet. “And then as the buildup occurred, that just continued to get further from the norm.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

But the Sox could be getting back another couple of lefty pitchers soon. Jovani Moran will make another rehab appearance tomorrow and then potentially rejoin the big league bullpen. Patrick Sandoval has one more rehab start scheduled and will be reassessed by July 4, when his 30-day rehab clock expires. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

We’re back with another Reacts Survey, and we’re asking fans if they’d like to see the Brewers make a splashy move or continue their “take bites of the apple” approach at this year’s trade deadline.

The Brewers’ last truly “splashy” move came way back in 2008, when the team traded four prospects to Cleveland to get CC Sabathia. Sabathia then made 17 starts in less than three months, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 128 strikeouts over 130 2/3 innings, including seven complete games to help the Brewers sneak into the playoffs as the Wild Card.

Since then, the Brewers have made several smaller moves at just about every deadline, including the following moves in recent seasons under David Stearns/Matt Arnold:

• 2018: Acquired Mike Moustakas from the Royals, Joakim Soria from the White Sox, and Jonathan Schoop from the Orioles
• 2019: Acquired Jordan Lyles from the Pirates and Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black from the Giants; traded Jesús Aguilar to the Rays for Jake Faria
• 2020 (COVID-shortened season): Acquired David Phelps from the Phillies
• 2021: Acquired John Curtiss from the Marlins, Daniel Norris from the Tigers, and Eduardo Escobar from the D-backs
• 2022: Acquired Trevor Rosenthal from the Giants and Matt Bush from the Rangers; traded Josh Hader to the Padres for Taylor Rogers, Robert Gasser, Esteury Ruiz, and Dinelson Lamet
• 2023: Acquired Andrew Chafin from the D-backs, Mark Canha from the Mets, and Carlos Santana from the Pirates; traded Luis Urías to the Red Sox for Bradley Blalock
• 2024: Acquired Frankie Montas from the Reds, Nick Mears from the Rockies, Tyler Jay from the Mets, and Aaron Civale from the Rays
• 2025: Acquired Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery from the D-backs and Danny Jansen from the Rays; traded Nestor Cortes to the Padres for Brandon Lockridge

As you can see from that list, there are no mega-deals. The closest thing would be trading Josh Hader, which was big for the other team (the Padres) and more so seemed to just upset fans and even the clubhouse. With big trade candidates like Tarik Skubal, Luis Arraez, Casey Mize, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, and Aroldis Chapman (to only name a few) potentially available at the deadline, would you like to see the Brewers make a big move? Or would you rather they continue their “bites of the apple” approach?

Weigh in below and stay tuned for results later this week!

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The Atlanta Braves own a strong 22-14 record vs. left-handed starters this season, and are -150 favorites to add to the win total today against the St. Louis Cardinals.

My Cardinals vs. Braves predictions and MLB picks see value in backing them to do just that on June 30.

Who will win Cardinals vs Braves today: Braves (-150)

St. Louis Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore turned a corner in May, only for the wheels to fall off again in June.

He has posted a FIP of 6.3 or higher in four consecutive starts, none of which came against teams holding onto playoff spots.

Martin Perez recorded a FIP of 2.5 or better in three of his last four and should give the Atlanta Braves a clear pitching advantage.

The Braves (eighth in ISO) also have a lot more power than the Cardinals (23rd) against lefties, and that will be advantageous in hot weather.

Back Atlanta to -160.

COVERS INTEL:Matthew Liberatore ranks in the seventh percentile with a 5.72 xERA.

Cardinals vs Braves Over/Under pick: Under 9.0 (+100)

This total is a little high regardless of the conditions.

The Cardinals have plated just 13 runs over their last six games, and now have to deal with Perez. 

He ranks in the 81st percentile in Pitcher Run Value and owns a 2.36 ERA over eight starts against teams outside of the Top 15 in OPS vs. left-handed pitching.

The Braves are powerful but rank only 23rd in OBP against lefties. There may not be enough traffic to score the necessary amount to push this game Over the total.

I’d play the Under to -110.

Cardinals vs Braves weather

Temperatures could reach the 90s, with a small amount of wind blowing out. Boost to the bats.

Cardinals vs Braves odds

• Moneyline: Cardinals +130 | Braves -150
• Run line: Cardinals +1.5 (-150) | Braves -1.5 (+130)
• Over/Under: Over 9.0 (-120) | Under 9.0 (+100)

Cardinals vs Braves trend

St. Louis has hit the game total Under in 27 of its last 45 games (+9.40 units, 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Braves.

How to watch Cardinals vs Braves and game info

Cardinals vs Braves latest injuries

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The New York Yankees are -135 favorites to snap their five-game losing skid on Tuesday night.

With Cam Schlittler set to take on a struggling Detroit offense, my Tigers vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks are backing New York to get back in the win column on Tuesday, June 30

Who will win Tigers vs Yankees today: Yankees moneyline (-135)

The Detroit Tigers are struggling at the plate, ranking dead-last in line-drive rate while hitting .225 against righties over the past two weeks.

It’s not going to get any easier against Cam Schlittler. He's faced nine opponents who rank Bottom-10 in OPS vs. right-handed pitching this season, and owns a 1.34 ERA in those games. He's allowed more than a single run just once in that sample.

Conversely, Tarik Skubal has allowed multiple runs in five straight, including a couple of four-spots. The New York Yankees are missing key bats, but still have juice vs. lefties.

Bet New York to -145.

COVERS INTEL: Skubal hasn't been at the peak of his powers this season, ranking in the 29th percentile in xBA.

Tigers vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Over 7 (-120)

Playing Overs with a pair of elite pitchers on the mound is a scary proposition, but the circumstances call for it.

Temperatures are expected to approach the 90s in this game, making for perfect conditions for the ball to carry in an already hitter-friendly ballpark.

Neither offense has garnered great results of late, but the Tigers lead the majors in fly-ball rate this month, while the Yankees come in at eighth.

If the ball is consistently being put in the air in excellent hitter conditions, the runs should follow.

I’d play Over 7 to -130.

Tigers vs Yankees weather

With temperatures in the high 80s, the ball should carry well in what is already a very hitter-friendly environment. Clear boost to the bats.

Tigers vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Tigers +115 | Yankees -135
• Run line: Tigers +1.5 (-190) | Yankees -1.5 (+160)
• Over/Under: Over 7 (-115) | Under 7 (-105)

Tigers vs Yankees trend

Detroit has only hit the moneyline in 17 of its last 50 away games (-18.20 units, -33% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Yankees.

How to watch Tigers vs Yankees and game info

Tigers vs Yankees latest injuries

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PHOENIX — It wasn’t the first time a Giants starter learned of Tony Vitello’s plan when the first-year manager began to implement it or let it be known to the press.

Tyler Mahle first and foremost blamed himself for not realizing that his workload would be limited in his second start back from the injured list, or where his pitch count stood when the fifth inning began in Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.

But these are things that shouldn’t require a pitcher to wonder, or even be especially alert.

The Giants, and Vitello, have a pitching coach, an assistant pitching coach and a director of pitching. 

But neither Justin Meccage, nor Christian Wonders, nor Frank Anderson, in addition to Vitello, apparently felt it was necessary to relay to their starting pitcher that he would only have 85 pitches to work with before he took the mound, or that he was 18 away from reaching that limit when the fifth inning began.

“I didn’t know the pitch count, or else I probably would have went about that [last] at-bat differently,” Mahle said. “I thought it was just going to be normal. But I guess I should’ve realized. It was my second start back. It’s not like I was going to throw 100 today.”

Mahle, however, was left to guess. And with that logic, he determined the best plan of attack against Ketel Marte with two runners already on base and one out in the fifth was to pitch around Arizona’s best hitter.

Marte had nine hits in 16 previous at-bats against Mahle, including three doubles and his third homer against him leading off the game. He added a second walk to his ledger on Mahle’s final five pitches, then came around to score on the bases-clearing double from Geraldo Perdomo that followed off Sam Hentges.

The three-RBI knock put the Giants in a 5-1 hole and they never recovered.

“I didn’t realize I was on a pitch limit of like 85 or whatever, so Ketel was up there and he’s done well against me, so I’m like, I’m not gonna give him anything to hit, and then walked him,” Mahle said. “And then I got taken out.”

For whatever surprise came over Mahle when he saw Vitello emerge from the dugout, it would have paled in comparison to the reaction from Logan Webb if his no-hit bid in Milwaukee had stayed intact much longer. Vitello said he planned to pull his ace, also in his second game back from the injured list, despite Webb’s (light-hearted) insistence that he would have gone all the way to 200 to finish the job.

Wires got crossed in Webb’s next start, resulting in him coming out after 99 pitches and Keaton Winn blowing a save and injuring his elbow in the process, pitching in his third straight game.

Now more than halfway into the first season of his unprecedented endeavor as the first college coach to take over a big-league club, Vitello has been asked a few times lately about lessons he’s learned.

A common theme in his answers has been how rare it is to get the entire team together in one room.

“Everybody’s on a different schedule,” he said the other day. “Getting the team on the same page is one of our responsibilities. I don’t want to say it’s tricky, but it’s definitely different than what it was from my prior experience.”

The issues go both ways: When a group of Giants pitchers decided they were going to protest the team’s Pride Night, Vitello said he had “no idea” that they were planning to write Bible verses on their caps, in violation of MLB’s uniform code, stirring a national controversy that has become a three-week distraction.

And it’s not like Mahle was the only player who didn’t have his head in the game Monday night. Victor Bericoto forgot the count and got caught meandering between first and second base, though there’s not much first base coach Shane Robinson could do about that one.

Does that communication sound “inadequate” or “not clear”?

After all, those were adjectives straight from Rob Manfred that the commissioner used to describe the Giants’ organization under Vitello and their equally green president of baseball operations who hired him straight from the college ranks, Buster Posey.

Remember the qualities Posey said he was looking for in Bob Melvin’s replacement? He wanted a manager who was “obsessive about the details.” Does this look like that?

You don’t even have to look that far into the past to find another example of a player expressing surprise at the manager’s decision to pull him from a ballgame.

Rafael Devers, for one reason or another, didn’t think he was about to be lifted for a pinch-runner in last Sunday’s loss in Miami, despite representing the tying run after reaching to lead off the ninth inning.

The star first baseman (and slow runner) publicly upstaged his rookie manager.

At least Mahle had the grace to put the blame on himself.

“Looking back, it was probably obvious that I wasn’t going to throw more than 15 pitches more than my last start after not starting for a few weeks,” Mahle said. “I didn’t even really think about it. It’s pretty normal to progress by 10, 15 pitches, so I should’ve realized that. And I didn’t realize where my pitch count was in that inning. I guess I did throw a lot in that inning.”

Mahle didn’t exactly do himself any favors when he walked the leadoff batter and gave No. 9 hitter Tommy Troy a two-strike fastball that was hittable enough for him to lift it into right field.

Before the fifth, he had been cruising since allowing a leadoff home run to Marte.

The pocket of the order starting with Perdomo was predetermined to be a target for Hentges, Vitello said, especially given Mahle’s pitch count. They were only expecting five innings from him in his last start against the Braves but needed only 70 pitches to make it through 5 ⅔.

“We were gonna go to 85 pitches with him, and I think he landed literally right there on the dot,” Vitello said. “That was the spot we were going to Sam, regardless. If [Mahle] would’ve rolled 1-2-3, he would’ve just started the [next] inning. It didn’t work out. He didn’t throw the ball as well as he did against the Braves.”

Whether or not that feedback was communicated to Mahle, however, was not clear.

And, as he learned, it’s not same to assume on this team.

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The Mets are signing infielder/outfielder Christopher Morel to a minor league deal that includes multiple opt-out dates, per multiple reports.

Morel, 27, struggled badly for the Marlins this season before being released.

In 73 plate appearances over 22 games, Morel slashed .162/.219/.206 (.425 OPS, 22 OPS+) with zero home runs.

He had a .684 OPS in 105 games for the Rays in 2025 after posting a .634 OPS in 152 games with the Rays and Cubs in 2024.

Morel's best season came for the Cubs in 2023, when he had an .821 OPS and 26 homers in 107 games.

The versatile Morel has experience at every defensive position except catcher, but is a below average fielder at nearly all of them.

Season Record: 42-42

Week Record: 5-2

Series Record: 13–13, 1 split

GAME 78: 4-3 Win @ Miami Marlins

GAME 79: 4-6 Loss @ Miami Marlins

GAME 80: 2-4 Loss @ Miami Marlins

GAME 81: 6-5 Win @ Toronto Blue Jays

GAME 82: 5-4 Win @ Toronto Blue Jays

GAME 83: 7-3 Win @ Toronto Blue Jays

GAME 84: 3-2 Win @ Toronto Blue Jays

The Rangers had a great week even though the Miami series didn’t really inspire hope for it. 

They lost the series against the Marlins but then swept the four game series in Toronto in pretty spectacular fashion. 

Going back to their one win in Miami, Alejandro Osuna had a great use of ABS challenge. he challenged a called strike three to end the inning and ended up getting himself a walk to continue the inning. 

And that’s where the good luck ended that inning because no one seems to know what the actual rule is for blocking the plate. 

They faired much better north of the border. Texas scored in the first inning of all four games and the of the four wins were by one run. Their largest win was actually a bullpen game. 

Ezequiel Duran also had an amazing steal of second that needs to be remembered in Texas Rangers history.

I feel like I say this every good week they have, but I hope they latch on to this and ride the momentum. Should be easier to do since they’re not going into an off day and continuing the road trip in Cleveland.

The Rangers are now first in the division with a .500 record which I’ll celebrate while really that’s kind of crazy to finally be at .500 and that’s what brings you to first place? This division has turned abysmal, but first is first so.

Texas also has the best record in the American League since May 29th.