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Six in a row, and what a stupid way to get there. The losing streak now stands at six. These last two series were important, as Houston and Texas are significant rivals for the third wildcard spot. It’s hard not to conclude that the Jays have shown that they can’t hang with even badly scuffling teams like that. The rotation remains a tire fire, they were 0-for with runners in scoring position, and Vladimir Guerrero jr.’s OPS now starts with a 6.

Other than that, though, things are fine.

It looked like it was going to be another disaster outing for Shane Bieber. Joc Pederson deposited his first pitch of the afternoon into the right field bleachers, digging the Jays into the earliest possible hole. A single and a pair of walks loaded the bases with just one out. He escaped the jam with the help of some nifty fielding by Kazuma Okamoto, who went home after fielding an Ezequiel Duran grounder to get the runner at the plate and prevent the Rangers from scoring. He got more help in the second. Elias Diaz hit a hard line single to lead off. Alejandro Osune cracked a liner of his own, 101mph off the bat, but Vladmir Guerrero jr. made a great catch and dove back to the bag for the unassisted double play. Yet another gold star play by Okamoto, diving to catch a Pederson liner that would have been into the gap, got him out of the inning. The Biebs settled down at that point, working around one base runner each in the third and fourth and striking out the side in the fifth. He struggled again early in the fifth, allowing a walk and a single while recording one out, and was pulled from the game at that point. It wasn’t a good outing, but the three inning stretch in the middle was at least proof that he can still get it done at times, and he left the game within range.

Adam Macko took over. He walked the bases loaded, and then gave up a line single that scored an inherited runner, but stopped the damage at 2-0 with a double play ball. He got the first two outs of the seventh as well, issuing a walk and having Brandon Nimmo reach on a fielding error by Ernie Clement. Jeff Hoffman took over to strike out Jake Burger to preserve the 2-0 score.

Meanwhile, the offence was anemic early again. George Springer and Nathan Lukes both singled to lead off the bottom of the first, but a fly out, a fielder’s choice that got Springer at home, and a strike out prevented them from capitalizing. They went in order in the second, while in the third an Andres Gimenez walk was erased by a double play. A Daulton Varsho single was stranded in the fourth, while a Gimenez single and Springer reach-on-error were left on in the fifth. Kumar Rocker retired the side again in the sixth. In total, he scattered five hits and a walk over 6.0 scoreless innings, striking out five. Given two errors behind him, it was an especially impressive outing.

Cole Winn worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh for Texas. They finally got on the board off of him in the bottom of the eighth, following a scoreless top half by Hoffman. George Springer reached with a one out ground ball single, and Nathan Lukes tied the game with a two run shot to deep right field.

The tie would prove short lived, though. Louis Varland struck out his first two batters in the top of the ninth, but then Josh Jung lined a double. He was replaced with pinch runner Jared Kelenic. Varland spiked a ball in the dirt that popped up, deflected off Alejandro Kirk’s mask, and all the way up into the netting above the Jays dugout. Kirk had no idea where it was, and Kelenic was able to cruise around and score pretty easily on the rare two base wild pitch. They’ve done a lot of losing lately, but I have to respect their commitment to innovating in the space.

Tyler Alexander came on to lock down the save for the Rangers, retiring the Jays in order to secure the four game sweep.

Jays of the Day: Lukes (0.35), Bieber (0.10, but realistically this is a shared award for his infield)

Less so: Guerrero (-0.13), Okamoto (-0.15, although the defence arguably earns him a pass), Varsho (-0.13), Clement (-0.16), Kirk (-0.12), Varland (-0.30)

We’re mercifully done with the Rangers for now. Next up we have an ineptitude-off between the Jays and the Mets. Game one goes tomorrow at 7:07pm ET. Sean Manaea (1-2, 4.87) represents the visitors, while Trey Yesavage (3-3, 3.56) goes for the home team.

Sunday’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins on the hottest day of the year so far was as much about survival as it was winning the game as Kyle Leahy and Bryan Torres helped the Cardinals beat the Marlins and the Heat Sunday if only barely.

The official game temperature was 92 degrees at the start of Sunday’s game in St. Louis, but the heat index said 106. The Cardinals scored first in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Masyn Winn led off with a single. He didn’t have to wait long to return to the dugout as Bryan Torres turned on a 95 mph sinker and sent it screaming over the right field wall giving St. Louis a quick 2-0 lead.

All things considered, Kyle Leahy gave the St. Louis Cardinals one of his best starts of the season as he endured 5 full innings striking out 5 and walking 3. He held the Marlins scoreless until the top of the 5th inning when Owen Caissie doubled to lead off the inning and he scored 2 pitches later when Graham Pauley hit a ground rule double cutting the Cardinals lead in half at 2-1.

The Cardinals bullpen did its job with JoJo Romero tossing 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Ryne Stanek closed out the top of the 7th inning as he was able to get a ground ball from Mack that Masyn Winn turned into an easy double play. George Soriano entered the game in the top of the 8th inning to try and help the Cardinals hang on to their narrow 2-1 lead. He was successful as his stuff was nasty in the best possible way as the Marlins never even got close to anything he was throwing.

One of the best performances Sunday was Marlins pitcher Tyler Phillips who pitched into the 8th inning amidst the soaring heat index. He would be taken out when the Cardinals strung together one-out hits from Nathan Church and Pedro Pagés bringing up JJ Wetherholt with runners on first and third. In a pivotal rally-killing play, Nathan Church was picked off by Marlins catcher Mack. That sound you heard was the deflation of a great Cardinals scoring opportunity. JJ ended up striking out to end the inning, but he did have 2 hits on the day to begin to break out of his most recent 0-15 slump.

Riley O’Brien was brought in to close out this way-too-close Sunday battle with the Marlins. He was fortunately up to the task as he coaxed a fly ball out of Edwards and struck out Hernandez and got Sanoja to ground out to Alec Burleson. Game over, man.

The St. Louis Cardinals have Monday off as a travel day, but will then begin a difficult road trip as they’ll visit the NL East division-leading Atlanta Braves starting Tuesday night. Matthew Liberatore will try again as he is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals. The Atlanta Braves starter is unannounced as of now. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15pm central time at Truist Park in Atlanta. Game TV broadcast available on Cardinals.tv.

It was always going to be a rough outing for the Diamondbacks today. The Rays were going for the series sweep that would keep them in possession of first place in the AL East. Tampa sent Drew Rasmussen to the mound, he of the 2.62 ERA. Rasmussen wasted no time in the first inning, getting three outs on only eight pitches. That brought Merrill Kelly in to face the Rays with the goal of going deep and keeping the team in the game while doing so. Kelly started things off going single, walk, single, allowing Caminero to drive in the first run of the game. Kelly finally got the first out by striking out Victor Mesa, Jr. Kelly then induced a 1-6-3 double play to get out of the inning without further damage.

Four more pitches from Rasmussen led to two more outs by the Snakes. That brought Pavin Smith to the plate. The first-ever draft pick by Mike Hazen broke up the no-hitter by lacing a liner into left that Tampa’s Chandler Simpson misplayed into a double, setting the stage for Nolan Arenado. Alas, Arenado was unable to push Smith across to score, ending the inning with Rasmussen on 20 pitches after two innings where Kelly threw 21 in the first. The game did not get more promising as the Rays came up in the bottom half of the inning. Adrian Del Castillo was catching and was unable to track a high pop-up behind the plate on a 1-2 count to Cedric Mullins. Given a second life, Mullins took Kelly deep and put the Rays up by a pair. A quick out by Ben Williamson was followed by a Tyler Walls single. Then, a perfectly executed hit-and-run put runners on the corners. Yandy Diaz brought in Walls from third with a long fly to Corbin Carroll in right. Carroll then had to get on his horse to track down a flyball by Jonathan Aranda to get Kelly and the Diamondbacks out of the second inning.

Drew Rasmussen made quick work of Arizona’s first two hitters before Ketel Marte managed to reach via the most phantom of HBP, one that required replay review in order to award Marte first. That brought up Perdomo with the opportunity to lift the Diamondbacks back into the game. Perdomo extended the at-bat into a full count. That got Ketel Marte running with the pitch and Perdomo lined the pitch into right. The liner was hard enough that Marte was still forced to stop at second. This set the table for Corbin Carroll to do something big. Carroll got ahead in the count 2-0. He then worked the count full before fouling off four pitches. Rasmussen then came and got a strike three call on the bottom inside corner that Carroll felt was ball four. While taking off his shinguard, Brian Walsh rang him up. Walsh then informed Carroll that he took too long to appeal in order to overturn the call. Review during the commercial break showed that he would have lost the challenge if it had been allowed. So, while the Diamondbacks did not score, they did at least finally make Rasmussen put in some work, as he was forced to throw 34 pitches in that inning.

Kelly started the third off with a leadoff walk. He then made relatively quick and quiet work of the next three batters to toss his first scoreless frame of the day. Adrian Del Castillo led things off for the Diamondbacks in the fourth. The backup catcher promptly dumped a single into left. That brought up Lourdes Gurriel Jr. This was an odd plate appearance. On a 1-1 pitch, Rasmussen threw a cutter that backed up on Gurriel, who swung right through it. However, the ball was so far in on him that after swinging, he took the pitch of his back (right) shoulder, right around the collar bone. The first base umpire, Chad Whitson indicated that Gurriel was hit trying to get out of the way and did not commit a swing. As far as bad calls go, this was a doozy, but it gave the Snakes some life, putting runners at first and second with nobody out and Pavin Smith coming to the plate. Smith drove Mullins back to the edge of the track in center, allowing Del Castillo to tag up to third. With runners on the corners, only one out, and Rasmussen starting to look shaky, Nolan Arenado stepped in and turned in one of his more forgettable plate appearances. He was followed by early-season star, Ildemaro Vargas, who flew out meekly to left, ending Arizona’s threat and sending Kelly back to the mound with a three-run deficit. A three pitch strikeout of Ben Williamson was followed by getting two groundouts on three pitches. Merrill Kelly finally looked settled in. Now, if only the offence could figure out how to string together some hits.

The Diamondbacks continued to struggle to put anything together. The only thing of note was that Geraldo Perdomo managed to draw a two-out walk, only the 16th walk issued by Rasmussen this season. Thus it was that we moved on to the bottom of the fifth inning. With Merrill Kelly trying to keep the quality start in-tact. The Rays sent Yandy Diaz to the plate to lead off their half the inning. Diaz appeared to hurt himself on a big 0-2 swing but remained in the game after being looked at by trainers. As the count worked itself full, Diaz continued to foul off pitches, looking like he was in serious pain after every swing. On the 10th pitch, he meekly grounded out to Perdomo. Granted, as the DH, there are rules that apply if he is lifted from the game. But the Rays leaving him out there when he was obviously not right is not a good look. Kelly made quick work of Aranda, which brought Caminero to the plate. Caminero wasted no time doing Caminero things, sending a 92 mph cutter 463 feet into left center. Thus ended Merrill Kelly’s bid for a quality start. Victor Mesa contributed a single and a stolen base, but Kelly managed to strand him there.

The Diamondbacks’ sixth inning barely out-lasted the hydration break in the South Africa/Canada Round of 32 game that dropped at the same time. A Ben Williamson home run tacked on another run to Kelly’s final line as he took the mound for the sixth. The Rays then had Rasmussen turn the ball over to Craig Kimbrel for the seventh inning. Despite Kimbrel no longer being the dominant closer he once was, the Diamondbacks were still unable to do anything against him. The Diamondbacks then turned to Jonathan Loáisiga. The Rays countered by lifting DH Yandy Diaz for pinch-hitter Richie Palacios. Palacios and Aranda both grounded out to Pavin Smith at first before Caminero came up and dropped a single into right center field, just out of the reach of a diving Tommy Troy.

The eighth inning saw Ketel Marte step in to get things started. And get things started he did, as he took new relief pitcher Garrett Cleavinger 415 feet to straight away center, breaking up the shutout. A strikeout by Perdomo and a weak groundout by Corbin Carroll brought up Adrian Del Castillo’s spot in the lineup. Torey Lovullo went to his bench and had Gabriel Moreno pinch hit for the backup catcher. Five pitches later, Moreno struck out, bringing an end to the Diamondbacks’ eighth inning and also bringing to a close a scoreless first-half draw in Los Angeles between South Africa and Canada.

Drey Jameson came out for the eighth inning. Chandler Simpsson greeted him by clobbering a double. Cedric Mullins then struck out. Gabriel Moreno gunned down Simpson trying to steal third, and Ben Williamson popped out to Carroll in shallow right to bring the eighth inning to a quiet end.

The Rays turned to Trevor Martin to close the game. Lourdes Gyrriel Jr, lifted a pitch just over the reach of the shortstop, Walls for a leadoff single. Pavin Smith then lifted a flyball to Williamson in foul ground in left. Arenado struck out. Ildemaro Vargas popped p to second. The game ended 5-1 in favour of the Rays, dropping the Diamondbacks back to a game below .500. About the only highlight from the final nine outs of the game is that they went by fast enough that the World Cup game was only 70 seconds out of the half as the Diamondbacks went back to lick their wounds after getting swept in Tampa and dropping six of the last eight.

Comment of the Day

The gameday thread was rather depressing today, filled with plenty of understandable frustrations and predictions of doom and gloom. As such, the levity here was appreciated.

The Diamondbacks need to make their way to the airport with a quickness now, as they are slated to take on the Giants tomorrow, at home in Phoenix. First pitch is slated for 6:40 MST with the Giants sending Tyler Mahle to the mound to face off against Eduardo Rodriguez. Here’s to hoping that the Diamondbacks can get as right as they did last time they faced the Giants.

Emmet Sheehan faces Michael King as the Dodgers wrap things up in San Diego.

SUNDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Padres
• Stadium: Petco Park
• Time: 1:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)

It’s series finale time, and it’s rubber match time, as the San Francisco Giants host the Atlanta Braves.

It’s a battle of Cy Young southpaws. For the Giants, it’s Robbie Ray, who won the award in 2021 in the American League. Ray, a 34-year old two-time All-Star, is making his 17th appearance of the year, and is 6-6 with a 3.70 ERA, a 4.80 FIP, and 80 strikeouts to 42 walks in 87.2 innings. After a rough patch, he’s been exceptional in his last two games, including allowing just an unearned run in eight innings against the Athletics his last time out.

For the Braves, it’s Chris Sale, who won the prestigious pitching award in 2024. Sale, a 37-year old nine-time All-Star, has made 14 starts, and is 8-5 with a 2.14 ERA, a 2.71 FIP, and 99 strikeouts to 21 walks in 84 innings. He allowed two unearned runs in 5.2 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in his last start.

Enjoy the game, everyone.

Lineups

Giants

1. Matt Chapman – 3B
2. Luis Arráez – 2B
3. Heliot Ramos – DH
4. Rafael Devers – 1B
5. Willy Adames – SS
6. Victor Bericoto – LF
7. Jung Hoo Lee – RF
8. Eric Haase – C
9. Jonah Cox – CF

LHP. Robbie Ray

Braves

1. Mauricio Dubón – LF
2. Michael Harris II – CF
3. Ozzie Albies – 2B
4. Matt Olson – 1B
5. Drake Baldwin – DH
6. Austin Riley – 3B
7. Joey Bart – C
8. Eli White – RF
9. Ha-Seong Kim – SS

LHP. Chris Sale

Game #83

Who: San Francisco Giants (34-48) vs. Atlanta Braves (49-32)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 1:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

First pitch for today’s series finale in San Francisco is at 4:05 pm ET.

Game Notes

Pitching matchup

Lineups

ICYMI

Carlos² news:Carlos Santana and Carlos Carrasco signed to MiLB deals

Hartman hype train: Grant McAuley’s conversation with Rome Emperor and Braves top prospecct Eric Hartman, who homered again this afternoon

All-Star voting: Five Braves advanced to round 2 voting, which starts tomorrow

There appears to be no game thread, so here’s one…

New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.

One of baseball’s most historic rivalries has completely belonged to the home team this weekend, as the Boston Red Sox welcome the New York Yankees to Fenway Park tonight, June 28, for the fourth and final game of the series

Looking to secure a rare four-game sweep over their bitter rivals, the Red Sox have relied on stellar pitching and timely hitting to completely stifle New York’s offense over the first three contests.

The series kicked off on June 25 with Boston setting the tone in a 6-3 victory, capitalizing on early mistakes by the Bronx Bombers. The momentum continued on June 26 as the Red Sox cruised to a dominant 6-1 win.

Yesterday, Boston rookie left-hander Jake Bennett held onto a no-hitter into the fifth inning, and was backed by a leadoff home run from Masataka Yoshida and a solo shot from Anthony Seigler. The Red Sox locked up a 4–1 victory, making the Yankees the first team to drop three consecutive games at Fenway Park this season.

Yankees vs. Red Sox start time

Tonight’s nationally broadcast Yankees vs. Red Sox game on Sunday Night Baseball is scheduled to start at 7:20 p.m. ET.

How to watch Yankees vs. Red Sox for free

DIRECTV is our top pick for watching sports live for free — the five-day free trial of both its its MySports and MyNews genre packs includes NBC. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $.99/month for your first two months and gain access to 20+ live sports or news channels, depending on the pack you choose.

You can also stream Sunday Night Baseball with a subscription to Peacock, which costs $16.99/month after a seven-day free trial.

Yankees vs. Red Sox pitchers

Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.70 ERA) starts for the Yankees. Former Yankee Sonny Gray (9-1, 2.95 ERA) will be on the mound for the Red Sox.

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.