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2026 MLB Draft Preview: Gio Rojas scouting report.

The 2026 is less than two weeks away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at Florida high school pitcher lefthanded pitcher Gio Rojas.

Gio Rojas is a 6’4″, 190 lb. lefthanded pitcher out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Rojas turns 19 today. He is committed to the University of Miami, though it appears unlikely he will actually hit campus.

Rojas has a quality fastball that sits in the mid-90s and has touched 98 with high spin. BA says his size and athleticism are such that he has the potential to reach triple digit with his fastball as he matures. He has a slider as his primary secondary, with big movement and high spin that gives high school batters fits and results in a lot of swings and misses. His third pitch is a changeup that, as is the case with most high school pitchers, he’s rarely had to use, and which will need work.

Rojas is tall and athletic, with what is describe as a clean three-quarters delivery and very good arm action. He has good control for a pitcher of his age and with his stuff, and per MLB Pipeline, he commands his fastball well to both sides of the plate. The total package gives him top of the rotation potential.

Baseball America has Rojas at #17 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Rojas at #8 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Rojas at #14 on his top 150 list. Keith Law has Rojas at #25 on his board. Fangraphs has Rojas at #9 on their board. Baseball Prospectus has Rojas at #22 on their top 30 draft board.

In the June 8 Baseball America mock draft, Carlos Collazo has Rojas going to the Royals at #6. The BA staff draft on June 15 has Rojas going to the Cubs at #23. The BA mock draft 5.0 of June 29 has Rojas going to the Braves at #9, but also mentions the Rangers as a possible landing spot for him. Jim Callis’s June 4 mock draft has Rojas to the Braves at #9. Jonathan Mayo’s June 11 mock draft has Rojas going to the D-Backs at #15. Jim Callis’s June 18 mock draft has Rojas mocked to the Braves at #9. The June 25 Callis/Mayo mock has Reese going to the Braves at #9. Keith Law’s May mock draft has Rojas going to the Padres at #21. Law’s June 10 mock draft has Rojas going to the Angels at #12. Kiley McDaniel’s May 29 mock draft has Rojas going to the Royals at #6. Kiley McDaniel’s June 18 mock draft has Rojas going to the Padres at #21.

I was debating whether to include Rojas, given that he’s generally expected to be off the board when the Rangers pick at #16. BA mentioning him as a possibility for Texas in this latest mock draft led me to decide to write him up.

When I read the reports on Rojas, I think he won’t get out of the top 10. However, teams have gotten much more leery about taking high school pitchers in recent years — Keith Law mentions that only six different teams have taken a high school pitcher in the first round in the last four years. The Rangers haven’t taken a high school pitcher in the first two rounds since 2018, when they took Cole Winn and Owen White in the first two rounds.

Previously:

Liam Peterson

Tyler Bell

Aiden Robbins

Jared Grindlinger

Logan Reddemann

Cooper Harris

Justin Lebron

Cameron Flukey

Derek Curiel

Hunter Dietz

Logan Hughes

Carson Wiggins

Peyton Bonds

Ace Reese

Sawyer Strosnider

The Padres’ journey this year has been somewhat similar to the Cubs’.

On May 23, they defeated the A’s and were 31-20, in second place in the NL West, just half a game behind the Dodgers.

Since then, they’re 12-19, the worst record in MLB. They have played a bit better recently, winning four straight before dropping the last two of a series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. But their Sunday loss put them 10 games out of first place.

This is the first time the Padres will visit Wrigley Field since last year’s Wild Card Series.

For more on the Padres, please visit our SB Nation Padres site Gaslamp Ball.

Fun facts

There will be 75 games to go for the Cubs after this series ends, but they will be done for the year with the Padres, as they already are with two of the four other NL West teams, the Giants and Rockies. They will play three final games at home vs. the Dodgers on Aug. 3-5, then wrap things up at Arizona on Aug. 24-26.

The Cubs lost their season debut vs. the Padres at San Diego on April 27 by a score of 9-7, then won, 8-3 and 5-4, to start their first 10-game winning streak.

They have dominated the Padres at Wrigley Field all time, winning 152 games and losing only 110, for a winning percentage of .580. But they are 4-8 the past four years, in order: 0-4, 2-1, 1-2 and 2-1. The sweep in 2022 was only the Padres’ sixth at Wrigley Field. The Cubs have swept the Padres in 17 series, but in only three of 26 series since 2000: three games each in 2009, 2012 and 2021.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (5-6, 4.40 ERA, 1.054 WHIP, 4.87 FIP) vs. Griffin Canning, RHP (1-5, 7.38 ERA, 1.664 WHIP, 5.42 FIP)

Tuesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (2-1, 5.02 ERA, 1.360 WHIP, 2.62 FIP) vs. JP Sears, LHP (1-0, 3.18 ERA, 1.235 WHIP, 4.70 FIP)

Wednesday: Colin Rea, RHP (5-5, 4.80 ERA, 1.411 WHIP, 4.74 FIP) vs. Walker Buehler, RHP (5-5, 3.81 ERA, 1.308 WHIP, 3.43 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Monday: 7:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 7:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Wednesday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

The Cubs are on a 12-4 run, which means they’ve won three of four over their last 16 games. That should be good enough to take two of three here.

Up next

The Cubs have Thursday off, then host the St. Louis Cardinals for a three-game series at Wrigley Field beginning Friday afternoon.

You’d think there’d be more demand from top players for the number 1 on the back of the jersey, especially since it was worn by some notable players. However, it has largely been the designation of contact first, defensively solid infielders over the years and the Jays are no exception. When the Yankees and Indians first added numbers to the jerseys at the start of the 1929, they did so based on the starting lineup first, which meant that Indian’s shortstop Jackie Tavener and Yankee’s centerfielder Earl Combs, each club’s respective lead off man, earned the number. Since then, 1 has been mostly allotted to contact hitters and defense first players throughout the last 77 years.

Tavener, who didn’t last out the season, had always been a weak hitter and was at the end of his career at age 31. Combs, on the other hand, was a tremendous fielder and an excellent hitter, sporting a career wRC+ of 126. Other than his lack of home runs, he was a perfect leadoff hitter, with a career line of .325/.397/.459, excelling hitting into the gaps at Yankee Stadium’s cavernous outfield and leading the league in triples 3 times.  

Hall of Fame players to wear no 1 include Richie Ashburn, Bobby Doerr, Pee Wee Reese, and Ozzie Smith; three infielders and a centerfielder, all excellent defenders.

The first Jay to wear 1 was also, ironically, the first player they chose in the 1976 Expansion Draft; Bob Bailor. Selected from Baltimore, Bailor was primarily an outfielder but saw time at short and third during his four years with the Jays.

Who is the most successful player to wear 1 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays?

WWIB: Tony Fernandez 1983-1990, 1993, 1998-1999, 2001 (37.5 bWAR)

Fernandez was one of legendary scout Epy Guerrero’s signings in 1979 and first came up in 1983 as a September callup. By 1985, he had seized the role of starting shortstop, winning four Gold Gloves, known for his ability to get balls deep in the zone and rainbow throws back to first half a second ahead of the runner. He was a five-time All-Star, all of them while playing for the Jays. He was part of the blockbuster trade between San Diego and Toronto, which sent him and Fred McGriff to the Padres in exchange for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. Fernandez was a tremendous patient hitter, walking almost as much as he struck out, and used his speed to take extra bases and steal. Interestingly, his second last run with the Jays – 1998 and 1999 – were the two best offensive years of his career, getting onbase at the best clip of his career and hitting 15 of his 94 career home runs. Fernandez was part of the World Series winning team in 1993, going 7-21 in the series, driving in 9 runs as a key part of the lineup.

Fernandez was a deeply religious man, to the point that the Jays Front Office was occasionally unsure whether he might retire during the offseason to start his ministry during the height of his career.  Fernandez received just 4 votes for Cooperstown, falling off the ballot in 2008, but he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. Fernandez passed away in 2020 following complications stemming from polycystic kidney disease.

Other Jays to wear number Orlando Hudson 2002-2005 (12.6 bWAR), Bob Bailor 1977-1980 (3.5 bWAR), Joe Inglett 2007-2009 (3.0 bWAR), and Aledmys Díaz 2018 (2.1 bWAR).

The Texas Rangers are calling up Cam Cauley from AAA Round Rock, per multiple reports. Or, I guess I should say, have already called him up, as the beats say that he is on the field with the team right now. He is not on the 40 man roster currently. There’s an open 40 man roster spot right now, though with the Rangers also signing Chris Paddack, per reports, there will need to be a second 40 man roster spot opened up once that signing happens.

Cauley, 23, was the Rangers’ 3rd round pick out of Mont Belvieu, Texas, in 2021. He was not really getting much attention until last season, when he slashed .253/.325/.448 in 490 plate appearances for Frisco while playing the up-the-middle positions (other than catcher). His performance had him discussed as a possible candidate to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, and then a possible candidate to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft when he was not added to the 40 man roster. He ultimately was not picked, and thus stayed with the Rangers.

Cauley had an impressive spring training, and has been at Round Rock all year. He’s slashed .262/.363/.407 in 343 plate appearances over 74 games for the Express while splitting his time between second base, third base, shortstop, and center field. He is presumably coming up to give the Rangers a versatile right handed bench bat who can fill in at numerous positions and get some starts against lefties. He’s also a late game pinch running option, having gone 29 for 29 on the basepaths this season, and 168 for 190 on stolen base attempts as a professional.

I think Cauley is going to be filling the role the team anticipated Cody Freeman might fill this year, as a high-energy versatile young guy off the bench, at least for the time being.

In regards to who goes to make room for Cauley, the possibilities would seem to be either Jarred Kelenic being designated for assignment or Brandon Nimmo going on the injured list. Kelenic has gotten limited playing time this year, and doesn’t really have a path to much playing time, though his pinch running appearance yesterday which ended in his scoring from second on a wild pitch was quite memorable. Nimmo, meanwhile, crashed into the wall in right field when making a catch on what was the final play of the game, and was shaken up a little bit. He was being reevaluated today.

UPDATE — Per the DMN, Jarred Kelenic is expected to be designated for assignment to make room for Cauley.

The Dodgers’ first visit to West Sacramento puts forward the battle between one of the greatest left-handed sluggers in baseball and Shohei Ohtani. Obviously, we’re kidding, but the numbers that Nick Kurtz is currently putting up are no joke, nearly single-handedly carrying the Athletics’ offense into a fight for the AL West, whose current leader has a.500 record, easily the worst among all first-place teams. Kurtz’s efforts with the A’s are even more important with Brent Rooker currently sidelined on the IL, not that he’s been particularly productive when on the field this season.

The American League’s leader in both runs scored (59) and runs batted in (56)—the type of achievement usually reserved for the likes of Ohtani and Aaron Judge—Kurtz is not fazed by facing a left-handed starter such as he’ll tonight in Eric Lauer. Although the production for the A’s star first baseman naturally takes a hit against lefties, he has hit six of his 19 home runs against them, good enough for an .836 OPS. Ohtani has a similar OPS against left-handed pitchers, coming in at .826, and will also face one tonight in Gage Jump, who has been magnificent since joining the A’s rotation a little over a month ago.

It is quite reasonable that the Dodgers will find an A’s team with lowered morale, given their recent inability to take advantage of a soft schedule and really cement their case to at least fight for the AL West crown. Across their last 10 games, the A’s played strictly against last-place teams and only achieved a 4-6 record against the Angels and Giants, failing to win any of the three series they were involved in. Meanwhile, the Dodgers defend their undefeated record in Lauer’s outings, having won each of the five games this veteran lefty has pitched in.

Monday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Athletics
• Ballpark: Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento
• Start time: 6:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Arizona is just 10-15 here in June and have lost 6 of 8. But they’re 6-0 against the Giants this season with a +22 run differential. It hasn’t been a fair matchup, but if the Giants really are on a minor upswing (12-12 in June), then this should be a competitive series.

The Diamondbacks were 31-24 after sweeping the Giants in Arizona just about a month ago, and were 10th in runs scored and 16th in team ERA (far lower in both categories if you go to the analytics). Corbin Carroll (158 wRC+), Nolan Arenado (123), Ildemaro Vargas (122), and Ketel Marte (120) led the charge with the bats while they got by on the pitching side thanks to Michael Soroka (1.6 fWAR, 2.87 FIP) and Eduardo Rodriguez (1.1 fWAR, 3.73 FIP). But that sweep is when the seasons started to reverse for both teams.

Arizona is 10-18 since the sweep while the Giants are 13-14. While Michael Soroka’s great Comeback Player of the Year-type season was continuing apace (4 starts, 2.57 ERA/3.10 FIP, +0.5 fWAR) until 10 days ago when he found himself on the IL. Eduardo Rodriguez has sort of soft-landed from being above average to average with a 2.20 ERA over his last 5 starts (28.2 IP) betrayed by a 4.81 FIP (5.33 xERA). Meanwhile, Ryne Nelson, Merrill Kelly, and Zac Gallen are a combined -1.5 fWAR over this stretch with a combined 7.08 ERA in 89 innings (16 starts combined). Simply put: three of the worst starters in the sport, making Arizona’s rotation one of the worst since they last swept the Giants.

But it’s not just the pitching that has lost its rattle. The Diamondbacks’ lineup has scored the second-fewest runs in MLB over the past 30 days (95), trailing only the Guards (91). Their offensive leaders through May 27th have all declined: Corbin Carroll (117 wRC+) and Ketel Marte (106) are still above average, but certainly not hitting at elite levels. Nolan Arenado (36) and Ildemaro Vargas (1 wRC+) have fallen off a cliff.

The Giants were looking like a lineup that had finally gotten on a roll, but for all their big wins, their 133 runs scored since May 28th is just 15th in MLB. Analytically, they’ve still been the best offense (126 wRC+ — 1st) and compared to Arizona’s putrid performance (80 wRC+), an absolute juggernaut. The only Giants (min 5 PA) who haven’t been better than league average over the last 30 days: Willy Adames (93 wRC+), Daniel Susac (47), Drew Cavanaugh (42), Eric Haase (28), and Buddy Kennedy (-53 and who was traded to the Mariners).

So, the Giants have this series locked up, right?

Well, you know, as dominant as Logan Webb and Robbie Ray have been, the rest of the Giants are still really easy to hit. Over the past 30 days, they’re 13-14 with a 4.51 team ERA. That’s 21st in MLB. Their +1.7 fWAR is 20th. Remarkably, the Giants have been one of the worst groundball teams in the sport, with a 40.2% groundball rate (19th). Now, on the season ,they’re holding firm at 44.4% (5th in MLB), and that’s where they want to be. It’s just interesting to note that they haven’t been getting as many groundballs this past month. To show you just how much of a groundball franchise they’ve been: the groundball/flyball data started being recorded in 2002, but since that time, the Giants have had a pitching staff with a groundball rate below 42% just twice: 2020 (38.8%) and 2008 (39.2%). So, hopefully, this is just a blip created by Logan Webb being on the IL.

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Who: San Francisco Giants (35-48) at Arizona Diamondbacks (41-42)
Where: Chase Field | Phoenix, Arizona
When: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 6:40pm PT
National broadcasts: None

Projected starters
Monday: Tyler Mahle (RHP 1-7, 5.49 ERA) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (LHP 6-2, 2.27 ERA)
Tuesday: Landen Roupp (RHP 5-7, 4.07 ERA) vs. TBD
Wednesday: Trevor McDonald (RHP 2-6, 4.94 ERA) vs. Zac Gallen (RHP 3-7, 6.15 ERA)

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Players to watch

Diamondbacks

Geraldo Perdomo: Last year’s breakout (7.1 fWAR) had a .672 OPS through the last sweep of the Giants, but since then, he’s hit .286/.397/.408 (.805 OPS) in 28 games. He and his teammates spent the weekend being swept by the Rays, but he had a great series, going 6-for-11 with a double and a homer. He’s been sluggish at home, though (.659 OPS) and he’s just 5-for-22 against the Giants in 2026.

Paul Sewald & Kevin Ginkel: Arizona’s bullpen has been bad here in June (5.00 ERA in 81 IP, +0.1 fWAR), though not nearly as bad as the Giants’ has been (5.95 ERA in 78.2 IP, -0.4 fWAR). And that’s because their closer and primary setup dude have performed as well as any pitcher in either role possibly could. Ginkel is 2-0 with a pair of holds this month, but his 2.16 ERA is exposed by a 5.98 FIP. Still, he’s managed to perform in leverage spots, with a +0.34 Win Probability Added. Sewald picked up two saves in that sweep of the Giants but he was a little rickety: a 3.72 ERA / 3.93 FIP; but, in June, he’s 1-0 with 4 saves and, despite a 4.70 ERA, a solid 3.23 FIP and +0.35 WPA. These guys are get-to-able if the Giants’ hitters are on their game, but right now they’re both pitching very well.

LuJames Groover: He was drafted in 2023 and is known for his plate discipline (.392 OBP in the minors), but look, all I care about is that his name is LuJames Groover, because that’s a cool name, but it also makes me think of MacGruber.

Giants

Bryce Eldridge: A potentially great hitter against a bad pitching staff? Yes, please.

Heliot Ramos: A middle of the order slugger combing back from injury against a bad pitching staff? Thank you!

Landen Roupp: He’s 0-6 with a 5.12 ERA (3.08 FIP) in his last 10 starts (51 IP). The Giants are 0-10 in those starts.

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Prediction time

Since I haven’t mentioned them yet, I will predict that Pavin Smith and Tommy Troy will annoy the Giants at least once in this three game series.

We are nearing an inflection point for the Guardians and David Fry.

Since June 1st, 2024, David Fry has an 81 wRC+ with a .266 xwOBA in 544 plate appearances. He has a 28.7/8.8 K/BB% and a .158 ISO. He has also not been particularly better against LHP with an 84 wRC+ againast southpaws during that time period. Primarily, he swings and misses WAY too often in the zone with a 77% contact rate in zone (he had been running zone-contact north of 85% during his breakout in 2024). His hard-hit rate is only in the 35% range during that time. He simply looks like a solidly below average hitter who can be put in a corner outfield spot, at first base, or as an emergency catcher or third baseman, but not offer any plus defensive value in any of those spots.

In a day of frustration the other day, I wrote that the Guardians should give Kody Huff a chance over Gabriel Arias at third base in Jose’s absence. I don’t think I was correct on this idea. Huff may or may not be able to play third base at an acceptable level, but it’s probably not worth losing Arias’s steady defensive value there while Jose is out. But, it’s in Fry’s case where I think we can see Huff coming into play. With the ability to play third if needed, first whenever wanted, and catcher any time, Huff could bring his .947 OPS against LHP in the minors to bear on major league games and give the Guardians a shot at improving on what Fry has done.

The biggest issue with moving on from Fry, of course, is that the outfield is, now, entirely left-handed. The Guardians will hate that. But, again, Fry is not doing anything against lefties. Going with Ingle, Kwan, Watson, DeLauter and Schneemann out there for a while is doable, then Angel Martinez should return in August and the team can be opportunistic in looking for a right-handed outfield bat.

The Rangers will be throwing some left-handed arms at Cleveland this weekend. It feels like a make or break moment for David Fry to do something as he is 2-35 over his last month of games. He needs to find a way to crush pitches in the zone and show there’s reason to keep him as a short-side of the platoon outfielder. He seems like a great guy and we know he has plenty of raw power… I’m rooting hard for him to turn it around.

It’s official: the Yankees offense is in a slump. They have hit a new low this season, getting swept in four putrid games at Fenway by the last place Red Sox. The bats got no-hit through five innings in each of the final three games, not managing a hit until the eighth in the finale. As such, we have to go back to the last time they won a game to find a worthy candidate for At-Bat of the Week. It was certainly a deserving nominee, as Jasson Domínguez hit a home run from the right side off none other than Tarik Skubal.

We join Domínguez with two outs in the sixth inning last Wednesday at Comerica Park. The score is tied, 2-2, a pair of Paul Goldschmidt home runs in the first and third negated by the Tigers scoring in the second and fourth. Skubal has struck out the first two batters in the frame, but a Ben Rice single keeps the inning alive.

Skubal has already struck Domínguez out twice in his previous two ABs, both times throwing one high fastball and three changeups low and away. As such, you have to imagine that Domínguez is hunting the changeup in this encounter. He doesn’t get it from Skubal first pitch, who starts this AB with a 97 mph four-seamer up and in.

This is probably the best pitch Jasson has gotten to hit to this point, and it almost seems like it surprises him, the bat never leaving his shoulder on a very hittable pitch.

When Skubal is at his best, he establishes that fastball up and in to righties, which makes the low and away changeup all the more deadly.

This is such an unfair sequence from Skubal for the first two pitches of an AB. Look at the way he tunnels the changeup off the first-pitch four-seamer that landed for a called strike. Out of the hand, the change looks exactly like the pitch Domínguez just took, so it is no surprise to see him fooled into chasing and whiffing early over the top of the off-speed.

Tarik Skubal four-seamer, changeup overlay pic.twitter.com/J3cLuWKCEa

— Peter Brody (@PBrods7) June 29, 2026

Just like that, Jasson finds him self in the hole, 0-2, facing one of the best strikeout artists of his generation. Now that Skubal has gotten Jasson to swing over the top of a changeup down and away, setting the hitter’s eye level down, he has the situation perfectly set up for a fastball above the zone.

Jasson fires an impressive swing to foul this pitch away. It’s excellent execution from Skubal, the 98 mph four-seamer close enough to the zone that the hitter has to swing but elevated in a spot that makes it really hard for Jasson to put it in play.

Now that Skubal has seen a willingness from Jasson to expand against the elevated heater, the obvious pitch here is another fastball just a little higher than the previous one.

It’s classic climbing the ladder from Skubal, this four-seamer in the same spot laterally over the plate but elevated a few inches higher than the one that preceded it. Therefore, it is a good take from Jasson, who we can see initially starts his swing before recognizing that this pitch is too high.

Skubal likely senses that Domínguez can still be tempted into chasing a high fastball with a little better execution, because he throws his third straight four-seamer up and away.

This one catches a lot more of the plate than the last two. Domínguez has clearly adapted a two-strike approach by this point, letting the ball travel before fighting it off with a late but still well-balanced swing.

Now that Skubal has shown Domínguez three straight four-seamers up and away, he looks to steal a strikeout looking by attempting to front-door a sinker. To the hitter, it should look like four-seamer in off the plate. Many might give up early on that pitch, only for the sinker’s 10 inches more arm-side movement to carry it back to the corner.

Skubal can’t quite execute to his spot, sailing this sinker a bit high. This pitch starts as a ball out of Skubal’s hand and doesn’t drop enough on its path toward home, making for a pretty straightforward take from Domínguez.

Four straight heaters should have sufficiently sped up Domínguez’s bat to make the changeup a killer option.

Had Skubal executed to the corner, I think this AB would have ended here. However, this pitch catches a fat chunk of the zone, so despite being early with his swing, Domínguez is able to foul it off to stay alive. Jasson likely wishes he could have this pitch back – the first real mistake he has seen – but that is the effect of all the prior fastballs to speed up his bat.

Hanging that changeup scares Skubal off the pitch temporarily, and he goes back to the strategy of trying to throw the elevated heater by Domínguez.

Skubal doesn’t quite finish this pitch and it stays up and away for ball three. Good eye from Domínguez to halt his swing.

Jasson has done an admirable job grinding back from 0-2 to a full count. Four of the last five fastballs he has seen have been high and out of the zone, so he’s getting a good sense of where Skubal’s misses are. What’s more, I had the sense watching this entire AB unfold that Jasson never moved away from sitting on a changeup in a hittable zone just from the way he was fouling off those high fastballs. He knows that pitch is probably his best shot at doing damage as he’s just not catching up to the heater.

Domínguez’s patience is rewarded, Skubal throwing his second mistake changeup of the encounter. Unlike the one he fouled off two pitches ago, Jasson doesn’t miss this time. He wins the nine-pitch battle, barreling the pitch over the wall in left for the go-ahead two-run home run, an impressive place to go yard as a righty in Comerica Park.

Here’s the full AB:

This encounter was the epitome of a “good AB” as Aaron Boone is wont to say. Domínguez quickly fell behind 0-2 but didn’t panic, making sure to foul off close pitches to stay alive. He didn’t expand the zone when Skubal tried to get him to chase, eventually battling back to work the count full. And finally, when his hard work was paid off by a mistake in the zone, he did not miss it and punished it to the fullest, which is the only way you are going to beat a starter of Skubal’s quality.

Domínguez’s improvement batting from the right hand side is a serious developmental win for the 23-year-old. Last year, Domínguez batted .204 with a 32.7-percent strikeout rate and 63 wRC+ from the right side vs. a .274 average, 24.9-percent strikeout rate, and 116 wRC+ batting lefty. This year, those splits have flipped, with Domínguez now batting .270 with a 23.1-percent strikeout rate and 105 wRC+ from the right side vs. just a .182 average, 21.3-percent strikeout rate, and 69 wRC+ batting lefty. He has now experienced success from both sides of the plate in separate years, the question now is whether he can combine those on a consistent basis.

After a rough series in Tampa, Arizona comes home to hopefully get right again against the flailing Giants.

To say that Arizona had a rough go of things while in Tampa is putting things mildly. After a dreadful road trip, Arizona limps home with a record one game below .500 . They remain third in the NL West, but that doesn’t tell the story of their postseason aspirations, as even the Padres (the second place team) are now 10.5 games out of first as the Dodgers are finally putting the daylight between themselves and the division in the manner that most expected them to. No, their path to October baseball runs through the Wild Card, and they remain three games back in that race, trying to charge down the St. Louis Cardinals while also dealing with the four teams between them and the Red Birds from Missouri.

This series is going to force Mike Hazen and his advisors to make some difficult decisions. Continuing to kick the can down the road is not really much of an option anymore. The fallout from those upcoming decisions could go a very long way towards dictating Mike Hazen’s trade deadline strategy. If Arizona wants to have any realistic hope of achieving playoff baseball this year, they need to leave this series at or above .500. They also need to get there without losing any more players to injury.

Game 1

Tyler Mahle, RHP, 1-7, 5.49 ERA, 61 SO
vs.
Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP, 6-2, 2.27 ERA, 70 SO

Eduardo Rodriguez has been every bit the pitcher they thought they were signing back in 2024. Quite frankly, he has been Arizona’s best starting pitcher this season. Without his return to form, Arizona would likely already been sharing basement space with the Colorado Rockies in the standings. On the other side of things, Mahle is having himself a season to forget. Mahle’s win-loss record is not as indicative of his 12 starts as one might hope. In fact, it makes him look better than he has been. Sporting an ERA+ of 72, Mahle has never struggled this hard at any point in his professional career. The 31-year-old journeyman is coming to the point of pitching for his place on the 26-man roster. This would be an excellent game for the Diamondbacks to make a statement, having the lefty hitters pile on to put a dagger into the heart of the Giants from the outing. The sooner they can swat Mahle out of the game, the sooner thay can burn down the bullpen. Of course, that will mean Arizona will have to finally start having better performances hitting with RISP and taking walks, as Mahle still averages over five innings per outing, despite his struggles.

Game 2

Landen Roupp, RHP, 5-7, 4.07 ERA, 95 SO
vs.
TBD

Despite some very pedestrian, essentially league average, results, Roupp is averaging a bit over six innings per start. This ability to pitch later into games is another reason for Arizona to do their best to get into the bullpen early in the first game against Mahle. Roupp is 0-2 in his last five starts. In the two losses, he was blown up. In the three no decisions, he held the opposition to two runs or fewer. Roupp does a fair job of limiting the free passes, so Arizona is going to need to be patient. Attacking early plays into Roupp’s ability to go deep. Making him work increases the chances of Arizona finding a crack to exploit. It will also continue to put pressure on San Francisco’s beleaguered bullpen.

To counter, Arizona will be turning to the ageless wonder, TBD. In this case, TBD is looking more and more like Brandon Pfaadt. Jose Cabrera remains in the rotation already. Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake are ineligible to return to the 26-man roster unless another injury move is made. Brandon Pfaadt did not pitch during the series in Tampa. How long Pfaadt will be allowed to go (assuming it is him) remains to be seen, as he was only throwing around 50 pitches for a while there in Reno. It could be that Arizona tosses a bullpen game, or potentially uses Pfaadt as an opener before going to the bullpen. There are a lot of moving pieces involved here and the speculation is running rampant while Arizona is (at least currently) playing this decision close to their chest.

Game 3

Trevor McDonald, RHP, 2-6, 4.94 ERA, 45 SO
vs.
Zac Gallen, RHP, 3-7, 6.15 ERA, 52 SO

Trevor McDonald, like the recently faced Drew Rasmussen, is stingy with the free pass. He isn’t much of a strikeout pitcher, but he simply doesn’t give away at-bats. When he is hitting his spots, it makes him 2023 Merrill Kelly dangerous. When he is missing his spots, he looks like present-day Merrill Kelly. There is a reason McDonald is sporting an ERA+ of 80. Arizona needs to ambush McDonald and put their foot down on the gas. If they can get to him early, Zac Gallen might be nearly irrelevant. On that note, the Diamondbacks will be sending struggling former ace Zac Gallen to the mound. In his last outing, he was mostly adequate against the Rays. He gave up a terrible first inning before settling in and cruising through the next five, albeit without the strikeouts. If that version of Gallen shows up, Arizona should be in a good place for this game. If the Zac Gallen of many other outings this season shows up, this game could become ugly for both teams.

Players to Watch

At this point, there really is no primary player to watch. The questions greatly outweigh the answers right now. The players struggling, if they continue to struggle, will continue to weigh the team down. On the other hand, if Zac Gallen builds off his last outing and if the team can salvage the second game of the series, then this team continues to keep the playoff conversations alive. The Giants are having a terrible season and find themselves in much the same place as Arizona, needing to start looking at alternatives for future seasons.

The one exception to this might be Max Kepler. How long will the recently reinstated Kepler be given to make an impact. Even at his height, he was essentially an older version of Pavin Smith, who is already creating issues for Arizona. Kepler only has five plate appearances so far, so it is obviously early days. But it is hard to imagine that his leash is especially long. Look for him to either make an impact soon or to be sent to the DFA rejects heap.

Conclusion

This series presents Arizona with a great chance for a palate cleanser. They get to leave the AL East leading Rays in the rearview. They get to sleep in their own beds. They get to face one of the worst teams in the game right now. If Arizona takes two of three, they exit this series back at .500. If they can manage to dig deep and find their mojo in game two, they have a very good chance of sweeping this series, putting them back at two games over even as they prepare to host the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers. It will be important for Arizona to come out of this series on a high note as their next three series are against the Brewers in Phoenix and then the Padres and Dodgers, both in California.

As everyone expected, there was a sweep at Fenway Park across the four games between the Red Sox and Yankees. The Sox are now 36-46, 12.5 games out of first place in the AL East, 4.5 games out of a Wild Card, tied in the loss column with the Orioles, one behind in losses against the Blue Jays. Boston is just 3 wins behind the Orioles and Jays. Those Jays have also lost 6 straight. Yes, the Yankees and Rays are the class of the East right now, but it’s back to essentially a pack of three battling for third. Facing “Red Sox Front Office – South” in the Washington Nationals is the next test. These Nationals can hit. And the Red Sox can pitch.

The Nats have allowed 5.22 runs per game on average, third highest in baseball behind only the Rockies and Athletics. That’s a cumulative 4.69 ERA among their pitchers. The Sox have allowed just 3.94 runs per game, fifth best in MLB with an ERA of 3.70.

Miles Miklolas is having, probably, his worst season. Even his FIP is approaching five-and-a-half. His numbers are slightly inflated from an 11-run outing in April but he’s also allowed 6 runs twice and 5 runs once. In June he’s been erratic in both runs and innings: 6 runs (6.0 innings) against the Marlins, 0 runs (4.2 innings) against the Giants, 0 runs (7.0 innings) against the Mariners, 5 runs (6 innings after an opener), and 2 runs (3.1 innings) against the Phillies. Ranger Suarez is rolling again. The Sox should have won his start in Colorado. Over his last four starts he’s allowed just 4 earned runs.

Cade Cavalli has cut his home run rate and boosted his strike outs since 2025. A righty, he’s been…pretty ok for the Nationals? He’s been on a good run in June: three 5.0 inning starts and one 6.0 outing with a 2.2 innings, 2 run performance mixed in. He was hit around for 6 runs (3 earned) once and 4 earned runs twice. He missed almost all of 2022-2024 and was up for just 48 innings in 2025. But the Nationals might have something here in the 27-year-old. Connelly Early started the sweep of the Yankees with a 6.0 inning / 2 run outing. He struck out a season-high 9 batters.

Andrew Alvarez is a 27-year-old southpaw from Anaheim, home of the Los Angeles Angels. He hasn’t gone more than 4.2 innings this season but was operating out of the ‘pen through May, although in 3.0-4.0 inning outings. Alvarez has the hard matchup in several ways going against Payton Tolle. Tolle took a no-hitter deep enough to get many people thinking about it. He didn’t allow a run to the Yankees over 7.0 innings. This Nationals team has power bats and he’s not getting an extra day of rest. It’ll be the next chance for Tolle to prove he’s going to be really special.

Nasim Nuñez is leading baseball with 32 steals.

Shortstop CJ Abrams is hitting .275/.358/.507 with 17 homers and 13 steals of his own.

James Wood is leading MLB in runs with 72. And walks with 64. And strikeouts with 121.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Monday, June 29: Miles Mikolas (5.24 ERA / 5.31 FIP) vs. Ranger Suarez (2.83 ERA / 2.67 FIP)

Tuesday, June 30: Cade Cavalli (4.00 ERA / 3.53 FIP) vs. Connelly Early (3.59 ERA / 4.72 FIP)

Wednesday, July 1: Andrew Alvarez (3.44 ERA / 2.74 FIP) vs. Payton “72 Ounce” Tolle (2.78 ERA / 3.18 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Monday, June 29: 7:10 PM ET on NESN

Tuesday, June 30: 7:10 PM ET on NESN

Wednesday, July 1: 1:35 PM ET on NESN