Worldwide Sports News

Worcester: L, 1-4 (BOX SCORE)

Patrick Sandoval had another short rehab outing, giving up a couple runs to Toledo (Tigers AAA) while also botching a pickoff attempt. The offense went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Romy Gonzalez, who hopes to return this week, had a knock, but it was one of just six on the day, and the only extra-base hit was Tsung-Che Cheng’s, who had a triple. The WooSox never held a lead despite Toledo not having a spectacular day themselves.

Portland: L, 5-7 (BOX SCORE)

Portland is probably the most consistent and intriguing offensive team relative to their level on the farm, and they showed it again Tuesday in Connecticut against the Yard Goats (Rockies AA). Franklin Arias had three hits and Johanfran Garcia chipped in a double, and even Brooks Brannon continues to get hits, but the team also had the stranding runners bug, leaving ten on the basepaths. In the end, Hartford puleed ahead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead for good.

Greenville: W. 2-0 (BOX SCORE)

Justin Gonzalez’s line drive in the third and Luke Heyman’s solo shot in the fourth were the only productive hits the team had in Asheville. (Astros High-A) But the offense isn’t the story, because Devin Futrell was absolutely nails in his six innings. Futrell is an overpowering lefty who has the size the team typically looks for (6’5″, 217) Although he lacks high-end velocity, he had total command Tuesday. He struck out 12 in six innings and threw 84 pitches; this was his second consecutive awesome start. Tyler Davis and Steven Brooks finished off a masterful night on the mound. Here are all of Futrell’s K’s throughout the night.

Salem: L, 2-7 (BOX SCORE)

Salem had just four hits against Myrtle Beach (Cubs A) and took until the sixth inning to get on the board. At the top of the lineup, Skylar King had a home run, and Andrews Opata had a knock and his 30th stolen base of the season, but the offense was mostly stagnant otherwise, wasting two hits from Avinson Pinto in the middle of the lineup as everyone otherwise got sat down on strikes at least once.

Happy day game Wednesday!

The Los Angeles Dodgers, ranked first in the NL West with a 51-29 record, face the Minnesota Twins, who are third in the AL Central with a 38-43 record. The Los Angeles Dodgers are favored with a -175 moneyline compared to the Minnesota Twins' +145. Starting pitchers are Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers, with a 1.47 ERA, and Joe Ryan for the Twins, with a 2.99 ERA.

How to Watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs Minnesota Twins

• Date: Wednesday, June 24

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET / 4:40 p.m. PT

• Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN

• TV Channels: Twins.TV Presented by Progressive, SportsNet LA

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 51-29 (first in NL West)

• Minnesota Twins: 38-43 (third in AL Central)

Odds

• Spread: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5

• Moneyline: Minnesota Twins +145 / Los Angeles Dodgers -175

• Over/Under: 8.0

Starting pitchers

Los Angeles Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani (7-2, ERA: 1.47, K: 78, WHIP: 0.88)

Minnesota Twins: Joe Ryan (5-3, ERA: 2.99, K: 99, WHIP: 1.00)

Series: Game 3 of 3

Weather: 74°F at first pitch

The Texas Rangers have recalled pitcher Winston Santos, the team announced today. To make room for Santos on the active roster, the Rangers have optioned pitcher Jose Corniell to AAA Round Rock.

This is part of the domino effect resulting from Jack Leiter going on the injured list (and then having ankle surgery yesterday). Corniell was called up to take the place of Leiter on the active roster, with Cal Quantrill, the team’s long man, starting in Leiter’s place yesterday. Corniell threw 69 pitches yesterday, and thus would not be available to pitch again until, most likely, this weekend. Not wanting to be left without someone who can give them length out of the pen, Corniell is now sent down and Santos is up.

Santos, a 24 year old righthander who was added to the 40 man roster after the 2024 season, has spent 2026 at AA Frisco, and has not performed in such a way that you would expect him to get a call up. He has a 7.44 ERA on the year in 42.1 innings over 11 starts, though with an impressive 12.3 Ks per 9 (and a less impressive 2.1 HRs and 4.5 walks per 9). Interestingly, has allowed exactly three runs in each of his last six games, in which he has faced exactly 21 batters four times (and 25 and 18 batters the other two times).

So why is Santos the guy called up? The only other pitchers on the 40 man roster who are not short relievers are Leandro Lopez, currently on the injured list, and David Davalillo, who was assigned to the ACL Rangers where, I would assume, he’s working on things. Davalillo had started the season at Frisco and was pitching for Round Rock before he got sent to the desert. And there’s no one in the system who is not on the 40 man roster who is making a compelling case to be added to the 40 man roster (which would mean DFA’ing, say, Blaine Crim, or pre-emptively putting Jack Leiter on the 60 day injured list under the assumption he won’t be available until mid-August) and sit in the bullpen as the emergency long man.

The New York Yankees, ranked first in the AL East with a 47-31 record, face the Detroit Tigers, who are fourth in the AL Central with a 34-45 record. The Detroit Tigers are favored with a -145 moneyline compared to the New York Yankees' +120. Starting pitchers are Ryan Weathers for the Yankees, with a 4.13 ERA, and Tarik Skubal for the Tigers, with a 3.02 ERA.

How to watch New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers

• Date: Wednesday, June 24

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET / 3:40 p.m. PT

• Where: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI

• TV Channels: Detroit SportsNet, Amazon Prime Video

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• New York Yankees: 47-31 (first in AL East)

• Detroit Tigers: 34-45 (fourth in AL Central)

Odds

• Spread: Detroit Tigers -1.5

• Moneyline: Detroit Tigers -145 (56.6%) / New York Yankees +120 (43.4%)

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

New York Yankees: Ryan Weathers (2-5, ERA: 4.13, K: 89, WHIP: 1.13)

Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal (3-3, ERA: 3.02, K: 57, WHIP: 1.02)

Series: Game 3 of 3 (series tied)

Weather: 72°F at first pitch

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How about a double-dinger Tuesday?

Things have been very profitable here over the last three weeks with a solid 7-14 SU run for +17 units. Let's smack some four-baggers and hit the MLB player props.

Daulton Varsho has come back from injury in great form and has an elite home run matchup today, while Luis Garcia is trying to go yard in every game vs. the Phillies, and might have his best chance today vs. Aaron Nola.

Brandon Marsh has also gone deep in back-to-back games and has a matchup vs. the worst HR/FB rate in all of baseball. 

These are my favorite home run props for Wednesday, June 24.

Best MLB home run props today

Home run pick: Daulton Varsho (+494)

All Daulton Varsho has done since returning to the lineup is hit two home runs and a pair of doubles in three games.

He racked up three extra-base hits against Houston yesterday, and while it's a small sample, his BlastContact numbers rank among the Top 20 in baseball over the last two weeks.

His matchup today might be the best he's had since returning.

He gets right-hander Mike Burrows, who has allowed 18 home runs this season, was recently moved back into the rotation, and has been crushed by left-handed hitters to the tune of a .320 batting average. Twelve of those 18 home runs allowed have come against lefties.

Burrows owns the 21st-worst HR/FB rate in baseball over the last 30 days and doesn't generate many groundballs, carrying just a 38% groundball rate.

I'd play this down to +420.

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, Space City Home Network

Home run pick: Luis Garcia (+550)

Luis Garcia has gone deep in each game of this series against the Phillies, which has already produced five homers last night and three more in the opener.

Home runs have accounted for 15 total runs through the first two games. Three of Garcia's last four hits have left the yard. He is locked in right now and gets another great matchup and setting today.

There is a slight wind blowing out to right field again, which has helped the left-handed bats throughout this series.

Aaron Nola still looks like he's searching for answers. He owns the 28th-worst HR/FB rate among MLB starters over the last 30 days and has allowed multiple home runs in back-to-back starts. His HR/9 is worse on the road, and left-handed hitters have tagged him for a .909 OPS.

Everything lines up for Garcia to stay hot.

• Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Nationals.TV, NBCSP

Home run pick: Brandon Marsh (+640)

I don't think I can leave Brandon Marsh off the card today after he helped spark the ninth-inning comeback last night with a homer off Washington closer Brad Lord. He has gone deep in each game of this series and might have an even better chance to leave the yard tonight despite being priced only slightly shorter than yesterday.

Miles Mikolas gets the ball today, and he owns the worst HR/FB rate in baseball while also carrying the 10th-worst Blast Contact percentage allowed. His HR/9 at home sits at a hefty 2.5, and Washington has been protecting him lately by using an opener ahead of him. Not today.

As a traditional starter this season, Mikolas has posted an 8.80 ERA with an .861 OPS allowed.

After last night's wild game, it wouldn't be surprising to see both teams leave the yard multiple times again.

• Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Nationals.TV, NBCSP

Today’s HR parlay

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.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (33-42) won 12-5 (BOX SCORE)

After El Paso got a run in the first, Sugar Land got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Spence sac fly. They got another run in the third inning on a Whitcomb solo home run. The offense added 5 runs in the 4th inning on a Biggio RBI double, Whitcomb 2 run single, Brooks RBI single and a run on a wild pitch. Biggio added a solo home run in the 5th and Brooks added an RBI double. Mancini got the start and went 4.2 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned. The Woodpeckers added some insurance in the 8th inning on a Whitcomb walk, a passed ball and a wild pitch. The pen was great tossing 4.1 scoreless innings as they closed out the 12-5 win.

Note: Biggio has a .839 OPS this season.

• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 2-for-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• Shay Whitcomb, SS: 2-for-4, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB
• Collin Price, C: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 BB
• Trenton Brooks, 1B: 3-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Zach Dezenzo, LF: 2-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Lucas Spence, CF: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI

• Joey Mancini, RHP: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (WIN)
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Tom Cosgrove, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Sam Carlson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

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AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (32-38) won 10-1 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got the scoring started in the 2nd inning on a Whitaker RBI double and Holy 2 run inside-the-park home run. They blew it open in the 3rd inning scoring 6 runs on a Schiavone solo home run, Sullivan 2 run double, Bush 2 run home run and Whitaker solo home run. They got another run in the 4th on a double play. Nezuh started for the Hooks and went 5 innings allowing 1 run with 9 strikeouts. Santos tossed 2 perfect innings in relief and Torres tossed 2 scoreless innings as they closed out the 10-1 win.

Note: Schiavone has a .863 OPS in Double-A.

• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI, BB
• Drew Brutcher, LF: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 2-for-5, 2 R
• Joseph Sullivan, CF: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, SB
• Will Bush, 1B: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Tyler Whitaker, RF: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
• Max Holy, SS: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 0-for-2, 3 BB, SB

• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K (WIN)
• Alex Santos, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

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A+: Asheville Tourists (18-51) lost 2-0 (BOX SCORE)

Rodriguez started for Asheville and turned in a nice outing allowing 2 runs over 6 innings while striking out 3 batters. The offense struggled all game collecting just 4 hits as they were shutout in the 2-0 loss.

Note: Rodriguez has a 2.74 ERA in June

• Nehomar Ochoa, RF: 1-for-4, 2B
• Alejandro Nunez, 3B: 1-for-4, SB
• Jack Moss, 1B: 1-for-3, BB
• John Garcia, C: 1-for-3, 2B

• Luis Rodriguez, RHP: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Jackson Wells, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

---

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (34-35) won 9-1 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning scoring 3 runs on an error and RBI singles from Flores and Cauro. They got another run in the 4th on a groundout. Beck started for the Woodpeckers and tossed 3 scoreless innings. He was relieved by Fraide who allowed 1 unearned run over 4 innings while striking out 6. The Woodpeckers blew it open in the 6th inning getting back to back to back home runs from Huezo, Neyens and Alvarez. Salas added a sac fly as well. Saunier tossed 2 scoreless innings to close out the 9-1 win.

Note: Huezo has a .909 OPS this season.

• Anthony Huezo, LF: 2-for-2, 3 R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB
• Xavier Neyens, DH: 1-for-2, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, SB
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI, BB
• Arturo Flores, C: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI
• Kenni Gomez, RF: 1-for-3, R, 2 BB, SB
• Waner Luciano, DH: 1-for-4, BB
• Carlos Cauro, 1B: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB
• Hector Salas, 2B: 1-for-4, RBI

• Jagger Beck, RHP: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• Juan Fraide, RHP: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (WIN)
• Grayson Saunier, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

---

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Ethan Pecko – 11:05 CT

CC: Bryce Mayer – 7:00 CT

AV: Yeriel Santos – 5:45 CT

FV: TBD – 5:35 CT

A quick perusal of some niche MLB stats yields this quirky nugget – Brett Baty of the Mets sits in excellent company when it comes to results on the first pitch of an at-bat. 

Baty is 15-for-28 when he hits the first pitch, a .536 batting average. In this slice of baseball life, Baty ranks fourth in the majors behind Kyle Schwarber (.583) and CJ Abrams and Nick Kurtz (.556 each). Old pal Brandon Nimmo is fifth at .513. 

To get a window into the craft of hitting, we asked Baty why he thought he’s had such success on the first pitch: 

“I think it’s just being aggressive to stuff that I’m looking for and, if it shows up early, then hunt it,” Baty said. “Obviously, we do our homework and we know what the pitcher’s got, but I think it’s just about being aggressive on pitches in the zone and trying to hit the ball hard.” 

On the first pitch this season, Baty also has a 1.355 OPS. He’s got two doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBI. Entering Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cubs at Citi Field, Baty is batting .220 with a .606 OPS overall. 

In his career, Baty is a .417 hitter on the first pitch with eight home runs in 123 plate appearances that have ended on the first pitch.

Asked if there were any of his first-pitch hits this year that were particularly memorable, Baty pointed to an at-bat early in the Mets’ 16-7 victory in 12 innings in Washington on May 18 where he “sold out” for a fastball. He was leading off the fourth inning with the Mets trailing, 3-1, against Nationals righty Jake Irvin. 

“I was gonna look really silly if it was a curveball or changeup or anything,” Baty said. “I just completely sold out to the heater and it showed up in the window I was looking for and I hit it pretty hard. I was hunting in a certain area.” 

Irvin threw a 92.7 mile-per-hour fastball and Baty hit the second-longest home run of his career, a 451-foot shot to center field that landed near a dumpster beyond the wall. It was clocked at 111.2 mph off the bat. Not surprisingly, the ball had an expected batting average of 1.000 and would have been a homer in all 30 MLB parks, according to Statcast. 

On the television broadcast that day, Gary Cohen noted that Baty had hit the first 35 home runs of his career against 35 different pitchers. When Baty hit No. 36, Irvin became the first pitcher to give up multiple homers to Baty.

Baty did not realize he was among baseball’s leaders in average on the first pitch. But he was curious about some of the other names on the list. When told that Schwarber, the Phillies’ slugger who leads MLB with 29 home runs, was atop the category, Baty smiled and said, “Of course he is – he’s raking.”

Baty’s former Met teammate, Nimmo, hit a ninth-inning triple on the first pitch of an at-bat on Tuesday, bringing him to 20-for-39 on the first pitch. Nimmo has eight doubles, two triples and two homers on the first pitch this year. 

“What’s interesting about Nimmo is that he’s normally viewed as a kind of work-the-count, patient guy, right?” Baty said. “It’d be interesting to ask him if he’s doing anything differently.”

Whatever the case, connecting on the initial offering can be good business for hitters, even in this work-the-count age. So far this season, MLB hitters are batting .334 with a .912 OPS on the first pitch.

Morning, all!

Right handed pitcher AJ Russell, who the Rangers drafted in the second round last year, has been promoted to Hub City.

Jack Leiter has undergone surgery to remove the os trigonometry bone and the Rangers are confident he will return to the mound this year. The Rangers’ previous experiences with this surgery haven’t had such speedy recoveries, though.

The Rangers don’t really have a clear replacement to step into Leiter’s spot in the rotation.

Cody Bradford and Jordan Montgomery are still several weeks away from returning to the rotation.

The three starting pitching prospects on the 40 man roster have not had particularly good starts to the 2026 season.

Corey Seager’s return from the concussion protocol is unlikely before Thursday due to today’s early game against the Marlins.