Willson Contreras is making a habit of this ejection thing.
The Red Sox and Nationals got into a heated scrap at Fenway Park on Tuesday night after Contreras — who got tossed on Monday — got into it with Washington starter Cade Cavalli during an 8-1 Boston loss.
Cavalli, already with one strikeout in the bottom of the fourth inning, got Contreras looking on a full-count sweeper. After the punchout, NESN’s microphones near the field picked up audio from Cavalli, where he appeared to say, “Sit down, boy.”
You’re never gonna believe this, but Willson Contreras is at the forefront of a fight on a baseball field. Not his fault, by the way.
Willson Contreras of the Red Sox shouts toward Nationals statrer Cade Cavalli (not in photo) during the fourth inning at Fenway Park on June 30, 2026 in Boston. Getty Images
Contreras looked back toward the Washington starter and pointed at himself, seemingly asking if the pitcher was talking about him.
After being held back by Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz, Contreras than tried to bolt — unsuccessfully — toward Cavalli as he tried — also unsuccessfully — to chuck his batting helmet at the pitcher.
A lot of pushing and shoving near the first base line occurred as the Red Sox tried with all their power to hold Contreras from going after Cavalli. Eventually, even as both teams’ bullpens emptied, Contreras was restrained and tossed from the game, along with interim Boston manager Chad Tracy, third baseman/outfielder Nate Eaton and Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas.
When asked after the game what he said to Contreras, Cavalli said he did not remember.
“I don’t know. I just lose my head in it. I’m competitive. I just told him to sit down,” Cavalli, who finished with 13 strikeouts, told reporters, according to the Associated Press. “[Contreras has] just been doing stuff. In the first inning, he just runs past me and brushes me. It’s just something you don’t do in baseball. I think he knows that. I didn’t say anything. I just looked at him. And a few words were said after the strikeout. It’s part of the game. And he’s going to let everybody run out there and try and do whatever he does, throw a helmet and get himself tossed.”
Contreras said he Cavalli was “instigating,” leading to things getting heated.
“He struck me on a good pitch, I was walking back to the dugout, and then he did what did, and the rest was history,” Contreras said. “He was like, instigating, and I snapped.”
Contreras is no stranger to fiery incidents these days, as he jawed at Yankees starter Will Warren on Friday after taking a pitch up and in before eventually walking and emphatically flipping his bat while jawing at Warren, causing a benches-clearing incident that was relatively tame and did not lead to any ejections.
Nationals starter Cade Cavalli (front right) is held back as tempers flare during the fourth inning of a game against the Red Sox on June 30, 2026, in Boston. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
On Monday, Contreras was ejected from the series opener against Washington after he struck out on a check swing and then tapped his helmet in disagreement with the call.
Unlike the automated ball strike system, where batters can tap their helmets to challenge a strike call, check swings cannot yet be challenged in MLB.
Contreras said after the game he was not directing his frutstration toward first base umpire Nic Lentz, who made the check swing decision.
Red Sox’s Willson Contreras is held back as tempers flare during the fourth inning of a game against the Nationals. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
“It wasn’t directed at him,” Contreras said. “He told me, ‘Because you tapped your helmet.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I didn’t make eye contact with you.’ I didn’t argue. I didn’t yell. I didn’t do anything wrong. And he told me, ‘Yeah, but I have to throw you out.’
“I was like, ‘You didn’t have to, but you made that choice. That’s it.’”
The native of Venezuela also homered Monday and said everything that’s happened in his home country after the devastating earthquakes that have killed over 1,700 people has been difficult to deal with.
“The homer just represents something that I prayed to God for it to happen, because that’s the only thing that I can do for Venezuela right now, physically, and that’s when my emotions showed,” Contreras said.
“I was thinking of so many kids that have died, so many people that have died, and it’s not easy to deal with it.”
Jun 29, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Athletics in the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 14: Connelly Early #71 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park on June 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The news you never want to hear about a young, blossoming pitcher has struck Connelly Early, who left tonight’s start against the Nationals after four shutout innings. Here’s Chris Cotillo with the post:
Connelly Early left the game with "left elbow discomfort," the Red Sox announce.
Good updates almost never follow a pitcher leaving a start with “elbow discomfort,” and given the way Red Sox injury news almost always gets worse, I’m bracing for impact with this one.
Adding salt to the wound, this comes right as the Red Sox rotation was turning into the engine driving their five game winning streak. Early was well on his way to posting the 13th consecutive quality start for Red Sox pitching when his departure abruptly ended it.
That’s all we’ve got for now, so let’s hope for good news from here, but I’m not optimistic.
Since the news broke that James and his agent, Rich Paul, informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he would not be returning to the team next season, James made his first social media post as a free agent.
James was seen hanging poolside as free agency begins to unfold.
LeBron James was seen hanging out poolside at his home.
Through the series of videos on his Instagram story, James appeared to be hanging around his family while NBA fans across the world are wondering where he will play next season.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, will turn 42 next season and will play in his 24th season.
Just before James announced his departure from the Lakers, he helped ignite rumors of him joining Curry and the Warriors on his podcast, “Mind The Game,” released a clip of James talking about how much he enjoyed playing with Curry during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
A potential reunion with the Cavaliers could also be in the works for James, as he was recently seen driving through his hometown of Cleveland/Akron.
The Cavaliers were just one series away from being in the NBA Finals for the first time since James led them to it in 2018. But after getting swept by the New York Knicks, the Cavaliers’ season came to an end.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 18: Bryan Woo #22 of the Seattle Mariners prepares to deliver a pitch during the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park on June 18, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the off day tomorrow, the Mariners are using today as an opportunity to get a few dinged-up players some back-to-back days of rest: Dominic Canzone (hamstring) and Luke Raley (elbow) are both out of the lineup, and Canzone, at least, won’t be available off the bench. Randy Arozarena is also getting a breather. Not getting a breather: Cole Young, who continues to be the Mariners’ iron man.
Lineups:
Cool lineup graphic, at-Angels. Former Mariner Donovan Walton deserves better (in many senses).
Roster move:
RHP Cole Wilcox is up in place of LHP Josh Simpson; read more here.
Game information:
Game time: 6:40 PT
TV: Mariners TV with Aaron Goldsmith and Ryan Rowland-Smith, with Angie Mentink as field analyst
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. For those wondering where Shannon Drayer has been, she sustained a broken pinky finger on the roadtrip in Baltimore (road trip! from! hell!) and is having surgery on it this week, so she’s been off for a few days.
Programming note/reminder: Because of the World Cup, tomorrow is an off day. The series will conclude with its normal day game on Thursday before the Blue Jays come to town this weekend.
Inglewood, CA - April 15: Forward Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers drives to the basket against guard Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in the first half of a NBA play-in tournament basketball game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
After seven years, 329 games, $294M in salary, 35 playoff games, three series wins, nearly 200 words spoken aloud, and $48M in endorsement money that led to zero trees planted, the Kawhi Leonard Era is over for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The team sent Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, where he gave Canada their lone major professional title in the last 33 years by defeating the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon, and Klay Thompson’s ACL in a hard-fought 2019 NBA Finals. “The Claw” heads back to the Great White North in exchange for Brandon Ingram, two first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and Gradey Dick, to the delight of Clippers fans who want a naughty word on their team jerseys.
This officially closes the door on the once-promising Clippers era that started in 2019. After the “Lob City” Clippers won the hearts of Southern California fans and very few big playoff games, the Clips and owner Steve Ballmer said goodbye to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan over two seasons to build around Leonard.
The Clippers clinched their recruitment of Leonard with massive under-the-table payments a trade for Paul George, a deal that cost them future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and six first-round picks, one which turned into All-NBA forward Jalen Williams. That team looked like title favorites in 2019-20, but unfortunately, they still had Doc Rivers as their coach. Which meant they blew a 3-1 lead in the playoffs.
Leonard tore his ACL during the 2021 playoffs, while the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference Finals with him on the bench. He missed the next season, got hurt in the Clippers’ first-round losses in 2023 and 2024, then lost in the first round while healthy in 2025. The last game of his Clippers career saw Draymond Green shut down Leonard in an epic Warriors comeback that was arguably the greatest 9-10 play-in game win in franchise history.
Now the Clippers have nearly moved on completely. George is frustrating the fans of Philadelphia. James Harden is revitalizing the gentlemen’s club economy of Northeast Ohio as a Cleveland Cavalier. Patrick Beverley is somewhere bragging on a podcast or punching a relative. And Doc Rivers has retired from coaching, until the Shanghai Sharks decide to shake up their team some time in 2028.
They’re left with Brandon Ingram and the somewhat-regrettable $82M left on his contract for two years, plus Dick, the No. 13 pick from the 2023 draft and a three-point specialist who can’t actually shoot. The real prizes are the Raptors’ unprotected first-rounders in 2031 and 2033, while the pick swap for next season effectively gives the Clippers the Raptors first-round pick instead of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s.
Now the Clippers team is centered around Ingram, 26-year-old point guard Darius Garland, and 19-year-old rookie guard Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 pick in last week’s draft. That indicates the Clippers may no longer being going for it hard every season, not that it generally got them out of the first round anyway.
As for Leonard, Canada has universal health care, which should be great for his injury history, and plenty of trees. Whatever happens with the NBA’s investigation of Leonard’s seemingly-illegal deal with Aspiration, he’s already fled the country! Plus, with Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and young big man Collin Murray-Boyles, the Raptors have a potentially-terrifying defense and a real window to contend — along with some scary risk on the 2031 and 2033 picks.
As for the Warriors, their biggest nemeses in Southern California — Leonard and LeBron James — are both splitting town. Time for Dubs fans to develop a healthy dislike for Ingram and, I dunno, Deandre Ayton? It’s just not the same.
The NBA Cup championship has a new home next season.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday that the next NBA Cup championship on Dec. 11 will be held at Butler University’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Hinkle is one of the oldest arenas in the country, opening in 1928. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has previously expressed a desire for the league to hold the NBA Cup final in historic college arenas.
The 2026-27 title game will be the first held outside of Las Vegas.
Butler’s head coach Thad Matta speaks after he was introduced during an NCAA college basketball news conference at Hinkle Fieldhouse, April 6, 2022, in Indianapolis. AP Photo/Darron Cummings
The NBA had a contract with Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena on a year-by-year basis, leaving open the possibility of finding a new home. Now, that locale has been determined for this winter.
Hinkle has a capacity of just over 9,000 and has played host to several U.S. presidents, alongside the first U.S. vs. Soviet Union basketball games, circuses, tennis matches, and ice shows, among other events. It was also used as a barracks for American soldiers during World War II.
“Hinkle Fieldhouse offers a special setting to capture the excitement and drama of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship,” the league’s head of global events, Kelly Flatow, said in a statement. “Playing the championship in an iconic basketball environment like this will further establish it as a signature moment on the NBA calendar.”
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks holds up the trophy with his teammates after winning the NBA Cup. Charles Wenzelberg for The New York Post
The arena has been described as “as loud as loud gets” by Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who coached at Butler from 2001-13.
The Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament in 2023, with the Bucks winning in 2024 and the Knicks winning in 2025 over the Spurs, a preview of the 2026 NBA Finals.
LeBron James’ blockbuster split with the Los Angeles Lakers has sparked fierce debate across Southern California, with veteran sports radio host Fred Roggin delivering one of the harshest assessments yet of the NBA superstar’s eight-year stint in the purple and gold.
Roggin, who co-hosts an afternoon sports show on KLAC and anchors “The Roggin Report” on NBC Palm Springs, argued that while James wore a Lakers uniform, he never truly embodied what the franchise has traditionally represented.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it now: he wore a Laker uniform, but he wasn’t a Laker. I always felt that way,” Roggin said.
The comments came just hours after James confirmed he would leave Los Angeles fot free agency, ending a lengthy run with the franchise after informing the team they could move forward without him.
LeBron James’ blockbuster split with the Los Angeles Lakers has sparked fierce debate across Southern California Getty ImagesVeteran sports radio host Fred Roggin delivers one of the harshest assessments yet of the NBA superstar’s eight-year stint in the purple and gold. am570lasportsInstagram
Team owner Jeanie Buss thanked James for his contributions, including helping deliver the franchise’s 2020 NBA championship, while James responded on X by thanking the organization and saying it had been “truly an honor” to wear the purple and gold.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it now: he wore a Laker uniform, but he wasn’t a Laker. I always felt that way,” Roggin said. am570lasportsInstagram
“Truly a honor to wear the [purple and gold] while trying to continuing the greatness & legacies that came before me! Hope I made a few proud during my stint. ”
James joined the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 and made the All-Star team in each of his eight seasons in Los Angeles. During that span, he averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game while leading the franchise to its first championship in a decade during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
But Roggin questioned whether James’ legacy in Los Angeles was ever about the Lakers as much as it was about himself.
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“I think with LeBron, it’s about LeBron,” Roggin said. “Even as this era comes to an end… the Lakers thanked LeBron for what he had done after LeBron decided and it was announced that he would not return. So, LeBron got to make that announcement.”
The longtime broadcaster also suggested the split ultimately boiled down to money, saying he believes contract negotiations played a larger role than basketball considerations.
“If the best offer out there was $15 million, you’d give them $16 million. Well, you have to take care of them, right?” Roggin said. “I think it simply came down to money, quite frankly.”
“I think with LeBron, it’s about LeBron,” Roggin said. “Even as this era comes to an end… the Lakers thanked LeBron for what he had done after LeBron decided and it was announced that he would not return. So, LeBron got to make that announcement.” Getty Images
James exercised his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, but reports indicated he and agent Rich Paul were expected to seek another maximum contract from the Lakers before the two sides went their separate ways. With Los Angeles now out of the picture, the 41-year-old is expected to command significantly less if he joins a championship contender.
The Golden State Warriors have emerged as the betting favorites to land James, although they are currently projected to have only a mid-level exception worth roughly $15 million available unless additional roster moves are made.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat have also been linked to the four-time NBA champion, while teams with significant salary cap space could offer larger contracts but may not provide the same championship opportunity.
Roggin said he believed the Lakers were right not to feel pressured into paying James simply because of his stature.
“If they used the Dodgers’ philosophy instead of conventional wisdom — which was, ‘Well, you’ve got to give him $30 million because he’s LeBron’ — I kept saying, ‘Why would you bet against yourself?'” he said.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MAY 21: A general view as Eduardo Rodriguez #57 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches during the fourth inning of the MLB game against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field on May 21, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be Landen Roupp. He enters tonight’s game with a 4.07 ERA, 2.94 FIP, with 95 strikeouts to 34 walks in 86.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants 9-6 loss to the Athletics last Thursday, in which he allowed two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk in six innings.
As of the time this is being written, the Diamondbacks have not yet announced a starting pitcher. So check down in the comments for more up to date information.
Willson Contreras struck out, but did not go down quietly.
The Red Sox first baseman did not care for Cade Cavalli celebrating the punchout. Contreras confronted the Nationals pitcher, threw his helmet at him and within seconds both dugouts at Fenway had emptied Tuesday night.
Four ended up ejected, including Contreras, Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton and interim Boston manager Chad Tracy. Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas was tossed, but Cavalli remained in the game.
Willson Contreras throws his helmet during a benches clearing incident after Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli told him to “sit down boy” pic.twitter.com/IBEyYXKReN
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 1, 2026
It was the second straight night that Contreras got the boot. Monday, it was for tapping his helmet after a check-swing strikeout, a gesture the umpire took as a dig. Three days before that, he was in the middle of a benches-clearing scrum with the Yankees, chirping over a pitch that came in too high and tight.
Contreras has been openly emotional about his native Venezuela this week. Two earthquakes have killed more than 1,700 people. He has been raising money and pushing out word for relief efforts. Contreras, who is one of five Venezuelan-born players on the Red Sox roster, sat in the Boston dugout Monday night and bawled after hitting a home run.
When he signed with Boston over the winter, Contreras said he would "play with fire." He has shown he also has a short fuse. The Red Sox, however, have not complained about his emotions, which have carried them through a hot close to June, including a four-game sweep on the Yankees.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 30: Kyle Manzardo #9 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a fly ball to center field for a two-run home run, scoring Chase DeLauter in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field on June 30, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland leads 2-0. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jacob deGrom and Tanner Bibee faced off in game two of the three game series. Both pitchers had great outings, with Bibee going a full seven innings of work. Bibee allowed five hits and struck out two batters. He did not walk a single batter. Bibee gave up three runs, two earned. Rookie Cooper Ingle lost track of the outs and gave up a costly two base error to account for the unearned run. Bibee fell to 2-9 on the season. Shawn Armstrong worked an inning, giving up a run on a solo homer. Daniel Espino had a clean inning of work, striking out two of the three batters faced. In the top of the ninth, Bazzana made a great stop to record the out.
The Guardians offense only recorded five hits on the night with Daniel Schneemann going 2-for-3 with a stolen base. The runs for Cleveland came early in the bottom of the first. Chase DeLauter hit a one-out double to center. Kyle Manzardo followed up with his tenth home run of the season.
A victory against deGrom will always be difficult and hard fought. It is, regrettably, unsurprising that the offense couldn’t get on and get home when they needed to. The unfortunate error and a solo shot were the nails in the coffin that is this series, and the season series, against the Rangers. Texas and Cleveland will play one more game tomorrow with a 1:10 PM EDT first pitch.
Jun 30, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) celebrates with second baseman Nicky Lopez (33) after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored four runs while the Cleveland Guardians scored two runs.
The first couple of handfuls of minutes of tonight’s game was enough to make one wonder if maybe the wheels were finally coming off. Despite piling up some wins here in the final days of June, parts have been falling off the vessel even as Texas continues to barrel forward at full throttle.
In the top of the first, after a couple of outs, Corey Seager was due up to face right-hander Tanner Bibee, but instead, Cam Cauley arrived in the box on his second day as a big leaguer. Seager never entered the game as he appears to once again be dealing with a balky back, an issue that sidelined him several weeks. That was before a concussion knocked him out for several series.
With Brandon Nimmo out and Wyatt Langford on the IL, Seager became yet another top-of-the-lineup regular not participating in this one.
Things didn’t get much better in the bottom of the inning for tonight’s other superstar Jacob deGrom as after three Cleveland batters, it was 2-0 Guardians following a one-out Chase DeLauter double that was followed by a Kyle Manzardo two-run home run.
deGrom has been among the more prominent perpetrators of first inning misery for Texas this season, but the Rangers had been better about getting out to leads during this road trip. Tonight they would have to battle back from an early deficit, which isn’t something they’ve been adept at all season.
Nevertheless, deGrom allowed a leadoff single in the next inning but then didn’t allow another hit until two outs in the seventh. With deGrom settled in, the Rangers were given a golden opportunity to enjoy a comeback. Joc Pederson made that more of a reality by smacking a two-run home run of his own in the the top of the third to tie the game.
The scored stayed tied with deGrom battling Bibee until the top of the seventh when the Rangers were given a gift.
With one out, and Ezequiel Duran on second base representing the go-ahead run, Alejandro Osuna popped a lazy flyball to medium distance in left field where Cleveland left fielder Cooper Ingle easily fielded the ball before jogging in a few steps and tossing the ball into the stands, completely forgetting the number of outs.
By rule Duran was allowed to advance two bases, which means he scored the go-ahead and eventual winning run on the ultimate brain fart.
Ingle likely wished the Cuyahoga River would swallow him up. Maybe he felt a tad better when Josh Jung hit a solo home run in the eighth to make it a 4-2 game. At least then he could tell himself it wasn’t a one-run loss in which his blunder contributed the one run.
With the lead, the Rangers went to Peyton Gray for a scoreless inning before handing the ball to Jacob Latz for a scoreless ninth and his 18th save of the year. Almost cruelly, Ingle was the last batter for Cleveland. He struck out looking.
The victory is Texas’ sixth in a row, their best winning streak of the year.
Player of the Game: Despite that danged first inning bugaboo providing a jump scare again tonight, deGrom settled in and gave the Rangers seven innings of two-run ball. deGrom allowed the two runs on four hits and zero walks and nine strikeouts.
deGrom also picked up his seventh win of the season as he continues to make a case for an All-Star nod.
Up Next: The Rangers open July with an opportunity for a second consecutive sweep as LHP MacKenzie Gore will take the mound for Texas in the road trip finale opposite LHP Joey Cantillo for Cleveland.
Wednesday’s early first pitch from Progressive Field is scheduled for 12:10 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 25: Bryce Eldridge #8 and Landen Roupp #65 of the San Francisco Giants prepare for the game at Oracle Park on June 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
GIANTS
DIAMONDBACKS
Luis Arraez – 2B
Ketel Marte – 2B
Bryce Eldridge – DH
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Casey Schmitt – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Rafael Devers – 1B
Gabriel Moreno – C
Jung Hoo Lee – RF
Lourdes Gurriel – DH
Heliot Ramos – LF
Max Kepler – LF
Matt Chapman – 3B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Drew Gilbert – CF
Pavin Smith – 1B
Drew Cavanaugh – C
Jorge Barrosa – CF
Landen Roupp – RHP
Brandon Pfaadt – RHP
Arizona managed to provide more than ample excitement last night, capping off a solid win with a near-meltdown by Paul Sewald. Eduardo Rodriguez was once again his reliable self, pitching seven complete innings of one-run ball> While he only struck out one Giant, he also avoided issuing any free passes. Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo were big contributors last night. And, as is often the case when those two have a good night, the offense managed to put up some runs on the board, enough to survive a mini-stumble by the bullpen. Nolan Arenado piling on was good to see. The veteran third baseman is becoming a polarizing figure in the fandom.
As expected in the series preview, Brandon Pfaadt has been recalled to be today’s starter. It remains to be seen if tis is a one and done situation, or if he’ll stay put for a bit while the team tries to weather this rash of injuries they have sustained of late. All eyes will be on the former Reno standout as the Diamondbacks attempt to remain perfect against the Giants in 2025. One other player to watch will be Max Kepler. Will he finally notch his first base hit as a Diamondback? Tune in to see!
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 07: LeBron James speaks with Stephen Curry following a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on February 07, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LeBron James gave Los Angeles an unforgettable eight years.
Not eight years of playoff dominance, rings, or the league bowing at his feet in terror the way it did in Cleveland or Miami. We’re talking eight years of being exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers needed, exactly when they needed it, at every stage of a tenure most people still haven’t properly appreciated.
When LeBron signed with the Lakers on July 1, 2018, this franchise hadn’t made the playoffs since 2013. Five straight lottery seasons. The Dwight Howard experiment failed and the D’Angelo Russell experiment stalled. The Lakers had become punchline material, a franchise coasting on historical cachet while fielding rosters that had no business wearing those colors.
LeBron James saved that HORRIBLY run franchise in 2018 and the Lakers fans were NEVER fully appreciative of the absolute LIFELINE LeBron threw the Buss family.
The Lakers never deserved LeBron James. Some of us remember the summer of 2018. When LeBron James, the best player in the world, chose to sign with a franchise that was the laughing stock of the league. They hadn’t sniffed the playoffs in five years. And they welcomed the best…
Then, five months into his second Lakers season, Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles on January 26, 2020, and the city broke in half. LeBron had spent his entire career being measured against Kobe’s standard, watching Kobe’s fans use that name like a weapon every time the GOAT debate got heated. Now he was the face of the franchise Kobe built, carrying a city’s grief on top of a championship chase that had no roadmap for any of this. Then he took his team to a bubble in Orlando during Covid and won the whole thing against his ex-team Miami Heat.
The 2020 NBA Championship was won inside a sealed Disney World campus during a global pandemic, with social justice protests reshaping the country outside those walls. LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to their first title in a decade. Anthony Davis was the engine, Rajon Rondo was the closer, and LeBron was the orchestrator who held every moving part together when pressure threatened to crack the whole operation. His playoff averages that postseason: 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists. He secured his fourth Finals MVP at 35 years old, winning a championship for a city still in mourning.
Anyone clowning the LeBron-Lakers era is out of their mind. There is a reason 8 separate teams have won the title over the last 8 years. We live in an era of parity across the NBA largely due to the CBA. For the Lakers to have gotten one of those is what ultimately matters.
Now here’s where the story gets specifically, historically brutal for Golden State, because LeBron didn’t just survive his Lakers years. He spent eight of them making the Warriors’ life annoying in ways that don’t always get assembled into one coherent argument.
Christmas 2018, his first December in Los Angeles. He tears his groin in the third quarter against Golden State and the Lakers win by 26 anyway. The injury derails his entire first season as a Laker and it still wasn’t enough to save the Warriors on that floor.
Play-In 2021. LeBron pulls up from the logo with the game on the line and drains it over Curry to effectively end Golden State’s season before the real playoffs even started. “I saw three rims,” he said afterward, “so I just aimed for the middle one.” That’s not a quote from a man who’s afraid of the moment.
March 2022. The Lakers are cooked, missing the playoffs entirely, but LeBron shows up and scores 56 points against the team that will go on to win the NBA championship that June. It was the highest-scoring game of his entire Lakers career. One of only a handful of 55-plus games ever put up against a Steve Kerr Warriors team.
Then 2023, which is the one Warriors fans are going to need a minute to revisit. Golden State entered that second-round series as defending champions, having never lost a Western Conference playoff series in the entire Steve Kerr era (19-0). Truly one of the most ridiculous sustained stretches of playoff dominance the modern game had seen. LeBron and the Lakers ended the conference invincibility in six games, halting GSW’s title defense in stunning fashion. This besmirched the Kerr-era mystique on the Western side of the bracket, burying it alive with LeBron was holding the shovel. He won his 41st career playoff series that night, breaking Derek Fisher’s all-time record, specifically by eliminating the franchise that had spent a decade being the measuring stick for everyone else.
And then February 2025. LeBron dropped 42 points on the Warriors at 40 years old! What makes this genuinely one of the more absurd facts in NBA history is that LeBron James is both the youngest player ever to score 40 points in a game and the oldest.
Across 27 games against Golden State over eight seasons (playoffs included), LeBron went 18-9 while averaging 27 points, 9 rebounds, and nearly 8 assists on 51% shooting from the field and 41% from three. That’s pretty damn ridiculous.
This past April I wrote a piece called “This season robbed us of Stephen Curry vs LeBron James” because Curry sat out the final Warriors-Lakers regular season game to manage a back-to-back and we got zero Steph-LeBron matchups all year. I was genuinely frustrated writing it. But looking back now I understand it differently. The 2018 piece I wrote about Boogie Cousins joining the Warriors barely acknowledged LeBron’s arrival in Los Angeles, because the Warriors were the sun and everyone else was caught in their orbit. By 2026, I was writing eulogies for a rivalry because its absence felt like an actual loss to the sport. That’s what eight years of this man in purple and gold did to the conversation.
The overall record will give skeptics ammunition: one championship and several unceremonious playoff exits during the Bron tenure in La La Land. But don’t forget that the Lakers were a zombie franchise when he arrived. He won them a title, steered them through the worst grief Los Angeles sports had felt in a generation, and won a championship in the most bizarre environment we’ve seen in modern sports history.
When LeBron arrived in LA, the Warriors were coming off four straight Finals appearances. When LeBron left LA, the Warriors were trying to sign him. That’s the ultimate sign of respect from a rival who made their championship throne off of the bones of LeBron’s Cavaliers.
For eight years, Warriors fans spent every Lakers game asking the same question: what does LeBron have tonight? Now they may spend the next two years asking the exact same question, only with very different expectations.
AKRON, OHIO - MAY 26, 2026: Bo Davidson #5 of the Richmond Flying Squirrels bats during the third inning against the Akron RubberDucks at 7 17 Credit Union Park on May 26, 2026 in Akron, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
For various reasons, I haven’t been able to do a Minor League Baseball roundup in a while, but hopefully we can get things back on track starting today. So here’s everything that happened for the San Francisco Giants affiliates between Friday and Monday. I’ll try to speed run it so we don’t end up with 5,000 words!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Not sure what happened to AAA Sacramento LHP Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, but today he was listed as being sent to the ACL for a rehab assignment. Also heading to the ACL for a rehab assignment is LHP Hayden Wynja, whom we haven’t seen since 2024.
In exciting news, High-A Eugene middle infielder Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) was named Player of the Week in the Northwest League.
AAA Sacramento (43-35)
Friday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators 13-6 [box score] Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators 1-0 [box score] Sunday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators 6-2 [box score]
Not the most interesting weekend for a Sacramento team that has been leaking oil for a little while, but at least for the right reasons: many of their top players from earlier in the season are in the Majors!
It was a better weekend for the pitchers than for the hitters, most notably the starters. The best start began to RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 9 CPL), who took the mound on Saturday and had a phenomenal showing, striking out 7 batters in 6 innings, while allowing just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run. Unfortunately, due to the team’s anemic offense, Tidwell was saddled with the loss, as he is still in search of his first win this year.
It hasn’t been the smoothest season for Tidwell, who has just a 4.86 ERA and a 4.68 FIP with Sacramento (though his numbers in the Majors are better, albeit in a small sample). The biggest issue has been walks, as he’s allowed 4.7 per 9 innings, so it was great seeing him stay in the strike zone in this game. 1 walk in 6 innings is a tonic after his last outing, when he walked 7 in just 4.2 frames.
RHP Carson Seymour pitched on Friday following an opener, and he had a strong game, tossing 4.1 shutout innings with 3 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. It’s been a strange and not very encouraging season for the 27-year old, whose strikeouts have really fallen off (7.8 per 9 innings), yet through it all he’s managed to have a very tidy 3.75 ERA (albeit with a 4.53 FIP).
LHP Seth Lonsway was Sunday’s starter, and while he wasn’t the sharpest, he was effective, allowing just 1 run in 4 innings with 0 walks … though he allowed 6 hits and struck out just 2. Lonsway, a 27-year old taken in the 6th round in 2021, has fluctuated between pitching roles this year, filling in wherever Sacramento needs him. He has just a 4.86 ERA and a 5.27 FIP with Sacramento, and has only struck out 23 batters in 37 innings … but there’s a lot of value in being in AAA able to fill in wherever.
As for the bullpen, RHP Jason Foley pitched a scoreless inning as he continues his rehab, though he gave up a hit and plunked a batter, and didn’t strike out any. Foley has been up-and-down during his rehab stint, including having it hit the pause button due to some soreness. It wouldn’t shock me if he ends up being traded before ever making his Giants debut.
RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) had another great showing on Sunday, retiring all 4 batters he faced, with a strikeout. It was a very tough start to the year for the 27-year old UDFA, but he’s been exceptional as of late: Harris has had 13 scoreless appearances in his last 14 outings, and hasn’t allowed a run in 7.1 June innings.
Tough performances for a trio of arms who could be in the San Francisco bullpen later this year: RHP Gregory Santos, in his first game back with Sacramento following an injury, gave up 6 baserunners and 3 runs in just 0.2 innings; LHP Juan Sánchez (No. 41 CPL) allowed 3 hits and 2 runs in an inning of work; and RHP Spencer Bivens gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 runs, and 2 earned runs in only 1.2 innings.
On offense, almost everything occurred on Friday, as the River Cats had just 10 hits, 9 of which were singles, over the course of Saturday and Sunday. The best weekend belonged to second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL), who continues to push towards an MLB debut. Furman was the biggest bright spot in the lineup, as he went 3-10 with a home run, 4 walks, 2 stolen bases, and 2 strikeouts. The 24-year old lefty is now up to a .780 OPS and a 109 wRC+ in his debut AAA season (after just 22 games in AA), and has a tiny 12.8% strikeout rate and 12 stolen bases in 16 attempts. There’s certainly a good chance he winds up in the Majors later this year if and when the Giants trade Luis Arráez.
Center fielder/left fielder Turner Hill also played fairly well, hitting just 2-11 but having a triple, a double, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts, and an error. With the Giants seemingly happy with Drew Gilbert and Jonah Cox in the MLB utility outfielder roles, and with Harrison Bader presumably returning at some point (though he could also be a trade candidate), it’s hard to see how Hill will make it to the Majors without some injuries (though these things tend to work themselves out). But he’s certainly stayed ready: the 27-year old UDFA has an .832 OPS and a 120 wRC+ since getting promoted, with just an 8.8% strikeout rate, 13 stolen bases in 14 attempts, and strong defense across the grass.
Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Akron RubberDucks 10-1 [box score] Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron RubberDucks 8-7 [box score] Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron RubberDucks 7-6 [box score]
It’s been a good year for almost all of the Giants top prospects, but that wasn’t always the case. Earlier in the year, while the cavalry of young shortstops was dominating, Richmond center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) was struggling. The struggles were understandable: he was not only still adapting to a level he was promoted to late last year, but had his season paused twice, first by the birth of his child, and then by an injury. After a decent April, he really was working through it in May, posting a .664 OPS and just 1 home run in 22 May games.
And now he is back in every sense of the word. Davidson had another divine weekend as he begins to cap off a superb month: across the 3 games, he hit 3-11 with 2 home runs, 3 walks, 1 stolen base, and 4 strikeouts. Davidson is now hitting an obscene .322/.406/.711 in the month.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 28, 2026
Just how dominant is that? Davidson would be tied for the organizational lead in home runs if you only included his June. Yes, that’s right, while Davidson leads the farm with 17 dingers, his 11 June bombs are as many as the second-place trio of Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), and Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL).
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 28, 2026
Pure dominance. And despite spending a good chunk of the season below the average line, Davidson is now up to a .867 OPS and a 123 wRC+ on the year, with 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
He wasn’t the only player to homer twice over the weekend, as third baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL) also went deep a pair of times, finishing the weekend 4-13 with a walk and a strikeout. Like Davidson, Ceballos is turning on the power after a severe lack of it … only instead of that being a month-by-month think like with his teammate, it’s a year-by year thing. Ceballos, a 23-year old who came to the Giants in the Jorge Soler trade, is repeating AA after an odd 2025. In that year, Ceballos — who has some pop — had just 6 home runs in 420 plate appearances. This year? He’s already up to 10 big flies, in just 275 plate appearances.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 26, 2026
That said, the rest of the offensive profile is quite similar this year, most concerningly the batting average, which sits at just .234, which has given him just a .768 OPS and a 108 wRC+, despite all the homers. Still, he’s quite young and it’s a step in the right direction. And with Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) almost exclusively playing outfield these days, Ceballos is finally able to regularly show off his strong D at the hot corner.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 28, 2026
Not a very good weekend for the pitchers, especially the starters. LHPs Greg Farone and Charlie McDaniel struggled on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Farone gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 5 runs while only getting through 3 innings, with 4 strikeouts. The 2024 7th-rounder now has a 6.79 ERA and a 6.49 FIP, and isn’t doing particularly well with strikeouts (8.8 per 9), walks (5.4 per 9), or home runs allowed (2.1 per 9). That said, he’s only 24 and this is just his second season in the pros. McDaniel also gave up 5 earned runs in just 3 innings, while allowing 6 hits and 2 walks, with 3 strikeouts. The undrafted free agent, who turns 25 on July 4, has just a 5.25 ERA, albeit with a 3.87 FIP in 5 starts since getting promoted.
Friday’s starter was more encouraging, if not great, as LHP Cesar Perdomo struck out 8 batters in 5.2 innings. He did give up 7 hits though, including 2 home runs, and a walk, resulting in 3 earned runs … and 2 unearned runs courtesy of his own pair of errors. While it wasn’t a great game, the 24-year old continues to impress in his AA debut, and is up to 11.1 strikeouts per 9 innings, despite having just 2.7 walks. That’s a profile that suggests his numbers should improve, though they’re pretty darn solid as is, as the Venezuelan has a 3.88 ERA and a 3.64 FIP.
Some good and some bad in the bullpen, but the star was RHP Christian Alvarado, who struck out the side in an inning on Saturday, with 1 hit allowed. A 31-year old who is pitching in affiliated ball for the first time since 2019, Alvarado has fit right in with Richmond: through 3 games and 3 innings, he’s given up just 2 hits, 0 walks, and 0 runs, with 6 strikeouts. Could a AAA debut be in his future?
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 28, 2026
High-A Eugene (46-29)
Friday Game 1: Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett AquaSox 9-8 (8 innings) [box score] Friday Game 2: Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett AquaSox 4-3 (7 innings) [box score] Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Everett AquaSox 9-1 [box score]
Bit of a funny weekend for the Emeralds. They had a doubleheader on Thursday, but were unable to complete the second game, so completed it on Friday, creating back-to-back doubleheaders! And for that, they were rewarded with a Saturday off-day before concluding the series on Sunday.
But the oddities — and the short games — didn’t keep the Ems from hitting the heck out of the baseball … and mostly hitting it out of the park. Among the many stars, the brightest was second baseman/shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL), who was an extra-base machine, hitting 6-11 with 2 home runs, 1 triple, 2 doubles, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout. My goodness what a showing!
It’s been an up-and-down first full season for Kilen, a left-handed hitter taken in the 1st round last year. His June, however, was quite divine, as he hit for a great average (.295), showed off a ton of power (14 extra-base hits), and had as many walks (13) as strikeouts, en route to a .943 OPS in the month. That’s pushed the 22-year old up to an .832 OPS and a 122 wRC+, with a 13.9% strikeout rate that surely has the Giants ecstatic. So far he does appear to match his pre-draft report, for better and for worse: despite weekends like this, Kilen feels more like a player with a very high floor than a very high ceiling. But that floor is looking mighty scrumptious!
Also bashing a pair of moonshots for Eugene was left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL), who hit 2-6 with a pair of solo shots, a walk, and a stolen base. Gutierrez had been slumping a little bit lately, so nice to see him break out and continue his shocking power burst, which gives him .780 OPS and a 110 wRC+ in his High-A debut season. It’s still shocking seeing him have just a .241 batting average after sitting at .351 a year ago … but it’s also shocking seeing him have 9 home runs in 60 games, after having 2 in the same number of games last season.
Great weekends for a pair of top outfield prospects, Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL). The former hit 5-11 with 1 home run, 1 double, 1 hit by pitch, 2 stolen bases, and, critically, 0 strikeouts, bringing his OPS up to .792 and his wRC+ to 109, with 15 swiped bags. Cohen was a hit machine, going 6-12 with 2 doubles, a walk, a stolen base, and, like Jordan, no strikeouts. He’s up to an .821 OPS and a 124 wRC+, with 23 stolen bases. Interestingly, Jordan, who has played almost exclusively in center field, played right field during the doubleheader, while Cohen played center. On Sunday, Jordan played center and Cohen was the designated hitter.
Dakota Jordan just hit the furthest home run we’ve seen in a LONG TIME!
A pair of players who have had up-and-down seasons had some big moments, as corner outfielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) hit 3-10 with a solo home run, 2 stolen bases, and 0 strikeouts, while third baseman Walker Martin went 3-11 with a 2-run blast, 2 doubles, and 3 strikeouts. Diaz, who turns 21 in July, has a .746 OPS and a 91 wRC+; Martin, a 22-year old, has a .737 OPS and a 93 wRC+.
Walker Martin called game!@Walkerm2023 brought the fireworks early tonight with a leadoff, walk-off, 2-run home run
There were a pair of standout games on the mound, courtesy of LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) and RHP Niko Mazza. Bresnahan, who has really been showing signs of life lately, struck out 7 batters in 6 phenomenal innings, ceding just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run. The 21-year old, who came over in the Alex Cobb trade, had a slow start as he missed the beginning of the year with an injury, and took a while to work off some rust. This was his second straight game in which he had 7 strikeouts to 1 walk in 6 innings, and it’s brought his K/9 up to 10.5, and his BB/9 down to 4.4, as those numbers are getting closer to resembling his 2025, which won him Pitcher of the Year honors in the Cal League.
As for Mazza, he handled 5 shutout frames on Sunday, giving up 3 singles, 2 walks, and 1 hit batter, while striking out 7. The 2024 8th-rounder continues to do a phenomenal job limiting runs despite high walk totals … a year after walking 5.0 batters per 9 innings but maintaining a 2.22 ERA (with a 4.36 FIP thanks to the walks), Mazza has bumped it up to 6.0 walks per 9 … but still has just a 2.75 ERA (but, again, with a 4.07 FIP). Encouragingly, the 24-year old has really cranked up the strikeouts, from 8.7 per 9 a year ago (his debut season, in Low-A) to 11.6 this season. There’s a lot of work to be done, but a lot of excitement in his arm.
Really nice relief outings from RHPs Cole Hillier and Ryan Slater. The former threw 2.1 scoreless innings with a hit and 3 strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 4.78 and his FIP to 5.79; the latter struck out the side in a no-hit inning with a walk allowed, dropping his ERA to 3.45 and his FIP to 2.42.
Low-A San Jose (43-32)
Friday: San Jose Giants lost to the Inland Empire 66ers 13-1 [box score] Saturday: San Jose Giants lost to the Inland Empire 66ers 3-1 [box score] Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Inland Empire 66ers 5-4 (10 innings) [box score]
Not the most interesting weekend for the Baby Giants, who are finally slowing down after a sensational first half of the season. But, like so many of the other affiliates, the day was marked by a pair of strong pitching performances from starters.
On Saturday, it was LHP Ricardo Estrada, who took down 5 innings with ease, allowing just 2 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, while striking out 3. Estrada, a 24-year old from Mexico, has put in his time making it here: he spent 4 years in the DSL, then came stateside last year in the ACL, before a late-season promotion to San Jose. This is the first time he’s played a full year of full-season ball.
After opening the year in relief, Estrada has started to find his rhythm as a starter. In April he was working out of the bullpen and as an opener, as he pitched 5 times but just 10 innings … and gave up 13 earned runs. But in May, his 5 games resulted in 22 innings, and he allowed only 7 earned runs. And June? He needed just 4 games to reach 21.1 innings, and allowed just 6 earned runs.
Perhaps most impressively is that his strikeout and walk numbers have started to take off. He had 16 strikeouts to 13 walks in both April and May, but finished June with 20 strikeouts, and only 6 walks. The overall numbers are still poor — he has just a 4.39 ERA and a 5.69 FIP — but he’s strongly trending in the right direction.
But the star was on Sunday, when RHP Sam Bower took the mound. It’s already been a hugely successful year for the 25-year old, simply because he’s pitched. The St. Mary’s alum was an 11th-round pick back in 2022, but entered the year still looking for his professional debut due to injuries. He made that debut in April, and ever since has been working on catching up. Sunday was his best game yet, as he dominated through 5 shutout innings, giving up just 3 hits and 0 walks, while striking out 6. That’s got to feel good! Like Estrada, Bower’s numbers aren’t very good, as he has a 5.04 ERA and a 5.11 FIP, but these things take time!
There were limited good days on offense, but left fielder Jose Astudillo continues to rake. He racked up 3 multi-hit games over the weekend, finishing 6-13 with a double. The 22-year old doesn’t draw walks, but he has some of the most remarkable contact skills in the system, as evidenced by his microscopic 4.8% strikeout rate and 6.7% swinging strike rate, marks that rank 1st and 5th, respectively, out of the 97 Cal League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year. That, combined with some power that we’d never seen from him before, gives him an .899 OPS and a 124 wRC+. A great year!
Utility player Jose Ramos and first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins both had quiet weekends save for leaving the yard, which is always a good thing to do. Left fielder Oliver Tejada (who went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts) and second baseman Yosneiker Rivas (who hit 3-4) made their Low-A debuts.
Arizona Complex League (22-20)
Friday: ACL Giants lost to the ACL Mariners 9-8 (7 innings) [box score] Saturday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Cubs 12-9 (8 innings) [box score] Monday: ACL Giants lost to the ACL Rockies 13-9 [box score]
Saturday’s game sure was fun, as the Giants trailed the Cubs 9-3 entering the 7th and final inning, before scoring 6 runs to force extras, and then adding 3 more in the 8th inning. That’s dramatic!
The biggest news on the complex is that shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) appears fully healthy, and is playing regularly again. He played on Friday and Monday and kept the good times rolling, going 3-8 with a walk, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and 3 strikeouts. Not a superb weekend, but not a bad one, either!
A player as young as González who has lost so much time due to injury (he’s only appeared in 18 of the team’s 42 games) would normally not be a candidate to head to San Jose after the ACL season ends in July, but González is almost surely an exception. The 18-year old switch-hitter has a 1.129 OPS and a 178 wRC+, has a decent strikeout rate (21.7%), has stolen 5 bases without getting caught, and has defense every bit as good as advertised. He’s not always in class, but when he’s there, he’s acing the test.
As is his even younger teammate, third baseman Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL). Hernández, who also plays a mean shortstop when not deferring to the (admittedly better on that end) González, has been sensational for anyone, let alone a 17-year old who skipped the DSL. He went 4-7 over the weekend, with 2 doubles, a sacrifice fly, a walk, a strikeout, and an error. The right-hander has a .940 OPS, a 117 wRC+, and just a 16.8% strikeout rate … and won’t turn 18 until the Christmas tree is being decorated. There aren’t enough good words to say about him, so let’s just move on!
Well since I put up a Josuar triple the other day, how about a Luis double tonight pic.twitter.com/mOfA6tWpRH
While that pair justifiably earns the headlines, the big performance of the weekend belonged to second baseman/third baseman Anthony Marquez, who had a dynamic showing, going 7-13 with a home run, a triple, a double, 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, and 2 strikeouts. Marquez, a 19-year old from Venezuela who spent 2 years in the DSL before coming to the states this year, had been struggling, so great to see him break out. He has so much potential with both his bat and his glove, though he needs a few more big days to get ahead of the curve, as he has a .767 OPS and a 94 wRC+, with 9 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
Speaking of players in their first year stateside who had been struggling until this weekend, first baseman/right fielder Carlos Concepcion hit very well, going 4-13 with a home run, a walk, and 3 strikeouts, bringing his OPS up to .652 and his wRC+ to 60. And, interestingly, catcher Broedy Poppell made his ACL debut, and went 1-9 with a double and 3 strikeouts. Poppell had been playing his debut season with Low-A San Jose, where he had a .734 OPS and an 88 wRC+, but was just sent down to the Complex League. Reading between the lines, it might be to get him some catching experience … last year’s 13th-round pick was a catcher in college, but with Junior Barajas and Fernando Gonzalez ahead of him in San Jose, had played exclusively in the outfield for the Baby Giants. Now he’s getting a chance to work behind the dish, even if it means a demotion of sorts.
A very uninteresting weekend on the mound, though there was a very interesting moment: RHP Melvin Pineda, who got roughed up on Friday, had the ultra-rare 4-strikeout inning on Monday, thanks to a wild pitch. It’s been an odd season for the recently-turned 22-year old, who has pitched in the ACL and Low-A this year … basically no one puts the ball in play against him at either level, for better and for worse. Across 27 innings at the 2 levels, Pineda has an absurd 52 strikeouts … and an outrageous 28 walks, plus 7 hit batters. He’s faced 142 batters this year, and only 55 have put the ball in play!
The Giants barely had any pitchers keep runs off the board although, hilariously, one of the few who did was position player Ryan Reckley, who threw a no-hit frame on Friday (with a walk and a hit batter, but still). It’s not entirely clear why Reckley was pitching in a close game that didn’t go to extra innings. On Saturday, AA RHP Logan Martin began a rehab assignment, and threw a scoreless inning to open the game.
Dominican Summer League Black (11-10)
Friday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Pirates Gold 10-3 (7 innings) [box score] Saturday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Blue Jays Red 11-8 (9 innings) [box score] Monday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Angels 8-7 [box score]
A few nice days to highlight on offense, though not much on the mound. Center fielder/left fielder Franco Willias had the best days in the batter’s box, going 5-10 with a solo home run, 2 walks, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice bunt, and 3 stolen bases. What a weekend! The 21-year old from the DR has a .907 OPS and a 113 wRC+ in his third pass through the DSL, and is hoping to impress enough to head to Papago next spring.
Recently-signed second baseman Nelson Lopez, an 18-year old from Nicaragua, hit 2-6 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, a sacrifice bunt, 2 strikeouts, and an error. The righty has a .914 OPS and a 120 wRC+ through the first 7 games of his career, though he also has been striking out a lot.
The bright spot on the pitching front belonged to RHP Brayan Cabello, a 22-year old from Venezuela, who allowed just 2 baserunners in 3.1 scoreless innings, with a strikeout. The good news is that Cabello has a minuscule 0.55 ERA, and has allowed just 6 hits in 16.1 innings … the bad news is that he only has 7 strikeouts in those 16.1 innings, has a 4.74 FIP, and is in his 5th season.
Dominican Summer League Orange (12-9)
Friday: DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Nationals 6-5 [box score] Saturday: DSL Giants Orange lost to the DSL Blue Jays Blue 8-4 (7 innings) [box score] Monday: DSL Giants Orange lost to DSL Arizona Red 7-3 (7 innings) [box score]
Mostly just offense to cover here, per the usual. First baseman/catcher Fernando Pena had a nice weekend, hitting 2-8 with a home run, 4 walks, and a stolen base, though he committed 2 errors. The 19-year old is in the DSL for his third season despite playing well in the first two … but he’s playing even better now, with a 1.051 OPS and a 155 wRC+.
Center fielder Jose Valdez, a 17-year old in his debut season, had a brutal Friday, going 0-5 with 4 strikeouts … but in the other pair of games he recovered to hit 4-8 with a home run, a triple, a double, 2 strikeouts, and a caught stealing. Despite the strikeouts, his K rate is just 20.5% this year, and he has a .893 OPS and a 110 wRC+.
Also homering was designated hitter Jesus Hernandez, who went 1-2 with a walk and a solo blast. The Venezuelan has been slow-played, as this was only the 7th game of his career … and the 2nd hit.
RHP Jose D. Gonzalez continued his strong season, throwing 3 innings with 4 hits, 0 walks, 1 unearned run, and 4 strikeouts. The 20-year old had a 2.40 ERA in his debut season last year, but just 30 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. This year, his ERA is down to 1.13, and he has 8 strikeouts in as many innings. Hopefully he can keep up those improvements.
That’s more than enough words for today!
Home run tracker
17 — Bo Davidson x2 — [AA] 11 — Dakota Jordan — [High-A] 10 — Sabin Ceballos x2 — [AA] 10 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA] 10 — Lisbel Diaz — [High-A] 10 — Walker Martin — [High-A] 9 — Carlos Gutierrez x2 — [High-A] 8 — Gavin Kilen x2 — [High-A] 8 — Jeremiah Jenkins — [Low-A] 6 — Nate Furman — [AAA] 5 — Ty Hanchey — [3 in AA; 2 in High-A] 4 — Jose Valdez — [DSL] 3 — Franco Willias — [DSL] 3 — Fernando Pena — [DSL] 2 — Anthony Marquez — [ACL] 2 — Carlos Concepcion — [ACL] 1 — Jose Ramos — [Low-A] 1 — Jesus Hernandez — [DSL]
