Jun 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) behind the mound during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 19: Milwaukee second baseman Brice Turang (2) hits a line drive during the MLB game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves on June 19th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Despite having the tying runner on base twice in the top of the ninth inning, the Milwaukee Brewers came up short in the series opener against the Atlanta Braves, losing 3-2. The loss is Jacob Misiorowski’s first since April 19th against the Miami Marlins.
Tonight was one of those frustrating games for the Brewers, in which, in every inning except the first and second, they had a runner on base. Overall on the night, the offense left 11 runners on base. On the flip side, Misiorowski wasn’t as strikeout-heavy as he normally was, striking out just seven batters. Honestly, if it wasn’t for one poorly located pitch, the Brewers squeaked out a 2-1 victory.
The Brewers offense was able to crack the scoring column in the top of the third inning with an RBI single off the bat of Brice Turang to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. That would be it in terms of offensive production for the rest of the game until the Brewers got something cooking in the top of the eighth inning.
Huge credit goes out to Martín Pérez, who historically has never been able to find an answer to success against the Brewers. Tonight, he found that answer for the first time in his career as Pérez threw six innings, allowing just one run on six hits, two walks, and he struck out five batters.
Clinging onto a 1-0 lead, Misiorowski ran into trouble against the tough lineup that is the Braves. A pair of singles from Jorge Mateo and Ozzie Albies, followed by a walk from Dominic Smith, loaded the bases for the Braves. Then, Mauricio Dubón hit a single into left field to drive in two runners to give the Braves a 2-1 lead.
Abner Uribe replaced Misiorowski on the mound to begin the bottom of the seventh inning, and on the first pitch of his appearance, he gave up a no-doubt solo home run to Mike Yastrzemski to push the Braves’ lead to 3-1.
Arguably one of the more back-bending parts of the game for the Brewers came in the top of the eighth inning. Andrew Vaughn was able to get some sort of offensive production started with two outs before Jake Bauers followed with a pinch-hit walk. Sal Frelick pinch-hit for Cooper Pratt and worked a full count before hitting a groundball up the middle that got snagged by Braves pitcher Robert Suarez to end the inning, stranding the tying runner on base.
Perhaps the other part in this game that shows that baseball is a game of inches happened at the top of the ninth inning. Christian Yelich drew a one-out walk before Chourio ripped a first-pitch double down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Much like earlier in the game, Turang came through, driving in a run before Chourio was thrown out at the plate after a nice throw from Eli White. Then, Contreras went 1-2-3 in his at-bat to end the ballgame, handing the Brewers their second straight loss.
Already, tonight’s game is going to be one that you look back on and wish you had, especially because this series doesn’t get any better for the offense. Chris Sale will be on the bump for the Braves, and he will enter tomorrow’s game with a 2.30 ERA on the season with 92 strikeouts. Being handed the ball for the Brewers will be Kyle Harrison, who has a 2.47 ERA and 80 strikeouts on the season.
The Brewers will seek to even up the series tomorrow afternoon, with the first pitch coming at 3:10 p.m.
Next month, it may be the National League All-Stars that Cam Schlittler is starting against.
The Yankees’ budding ace turned in a downright dominant outing Friday, striking out a career-high 13 across six shutout innings on the way to a 5-0 win over the Reds in The Bronx.
Lowering his ERA to 1.71 — the lowest by a Yankee through his first 16 starts of a season since Whitey Ford in 1964 — Schlittler added another highlight to his crowded résumé to start the All-Star Game for the American League. His biggest opponent Friday was his pitch count, as he needed 96 pitches to get through the sixth or else he might have kept going.
“He was feeling it tonight,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Cam Schlittler reacts during his start against the Reds on June 19, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg
The Reds (35-39), who entered the night with the second-highest strikeout rate (24.5 percent) of any team, fell right into Schlittler’s hands as he became the first Yankee to record 13 strikeouts since Max Fried last September. The right-hander scattered just four hits (one of them a dropped fly ball by Jasson Domínguez in right field) while walking none as the Yankees (46-28) won for the 10th time in their last 13 games.
In the process, the 25-year-old Schlittler became the youngest pitcher in Yankees history to record 13 strikeouts and no walks in a game, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
“It’s been kind of tough the last couple starts, just been a grind, especially pitching in New York,” Schlittler said. “I haven’t done an excellent job over the past month or so pitching here. So it’s important to go out there and have a dominant start.”
Schlittler has spent the past few weeks working on his mechanics, getting down the mound without opening up his frame, and it finally clicked Friday. With a four-seam fastball that averaged 98 mph, a sinker that averaged 98.1 mph and a cutter that averaged 95.6 mph, his heat kept the Reds guessing all night long as he racked up 18 whiffs.
Cam Schlittler throws a pitch during the Yankees’ June 19 win. Charles Wenzelberg
“We always expect to watch him go out and do something special, so it wasn’t very surprising,” said Ben Rice, who provided most of the offense with a three-run shot in the second inning.
“That’s a good thing to hear, Josh is a great guy,” said Schlittler, who has gotten to know Hart. “I’m pumped for him and the city of New York, just being able to finish that off. It’s great to have his support.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. led off the second inning with a home run and Rice capped it off with his 21st blast of the season to make it 4-0, giving Schlittler all the support he needed before Anthony Volpe added an RBI single in the eighth.
Jake Bird, Brent Headrick and David Bednar each threw a scoreless inning of relief to finish off the shutout.
Entering Friday, Schlittler’s regular-season career high was nine strikeouts. He surpassed that by fanning Eugenio Suárez on a 99 mph sinker to end the fourth inning, when he struck out the side.
J.C. Escarra and Cam Schlittler react during the Yankees’ June 19 win. Charles Wenzelberg
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His overall career high was the 12 strikeouts he had in the AL wild-card series against his hometown Red Sox last October. But he beat that mark by the fifth inning, blowing a 98 mph heater past JJ Bleday for a three-pitch strikeout.
Schlittler’s night actually got off to an inauspicious start, when his first pitch was a sinker that ran in and hit Blake Dunn. But by the time he walked off the mound for the final time, he received a standing ovation from the crowd of 42,420 for his efforts.
“I think it would be pretty cool to see him out there pitching in the All-Star Game,” Chisholm said, “knowing he’s one of the best pitchers in the world.”
Jun 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It was a game of ones, as one outstanding pitching performance and one inning’s worth of scoring helped the Yankees easily handle the Reds in a 5-0 win at home, their first shutout win this month. If you went out searching for a worst-case-scenario matchup for an offense against a specific starter, it’d be a massive challenge to find one that would rival Cam Schlittler against the Reds. Cincinnati entered play tonight with the worst offensive numbers in baseball against pitches of 95 mph or higher: a .194 batting average and .305 slugging percentage—credit to the YES broadcast for displaying this in the fourth inning when Schlittler had already recorded seven of his eventual 13 punchouts, topping his dozen from the AL Wild Card Series clincher against Boston last October.
For a team that hits high velocity so poorly, facing a starter with not one, not two, but three separate high-velocity offerings, allowing him to basically shelve anything offspeed is a nightmare. The biggest question in anyone’s mind, watching Schlittler mow down the Reds inning after inning, was how long he’d last, considering he was racking up the strikeouts quite early. It was a giveaway for a high pitch count, but that, all things considered, it was never felt as high as his number of K’s would indicate.
Although the opponent allowed Schlittler to shelve a curve he already hardly uses, there were some interesting adjustments within those three primary pitches. Schlittler more than doubled his sinker usage from a 19-percent season average to 43 percent against the Reds, utilizing it as the primary offering against both lefties and righties, and then the four-seamer as the main complement against lefties and the cutter versus the righties. Through six scoreless innings, the right-hander tossed a virtually stress-free 96 pitches to earn an amazing 13 strikeouts with no walks, keeping the Reds 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and with a sense that a potential rally was always very far away.
Schlittler moved one K behind Toronto’s Dylan Cease for the AL lead in strikeouts at 109, and only Jacob Misiorowski has a lower ERA than Schlittler’s 1.71 among the 62 qualified MLB starters. The man is a marvel.
With Schlittler dominating in the manner in which he did, the Yankees didn’t need a whole lot of offense to take what would at least feel like a commanding lead. They did it in a manner that might be all too common for them, but not something that Rhett Lowder has experienced often, if ever, in his young major-league career.
The Reds starter came into this game having allowed three homers across 77.2 innings in his career as a big leaguer. In one inning, Lowder nearly doubled that mark, giving up first a solo shot to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and then a three-run bomb to Ben Rice, both in the bottom of the second inning. Rice’s homer would turn out to be the Yankees’ only hit with a runner in scoring position until the eighth, when Chisholm earned a walk, stole second, and came around to score on an Anthony Volpe RBI single.
While Schlittler was amazing and the offense did its part to give him a healthy lead early, it also stopped scoring after that second inning, thus putting at least some pressure on the bullpen to finish things off. A four-run lead may be comforting, but it is only a four-run lead. Luckily, Jake Bird, Brent Headrick, and David Bednar were all on their game, each pitching in with a scoreless frame. They might not have had the same zip on their fastball as Schlittler, but it was more than enough to overpower the struggling Reds.
The Yankees have their fourth consecutive series win in their crosshairs tomorrow afternoon, as they send righty Will Warren out to face southpaw Andrew Abbott. First pitch is at 1:35pm ET on YES.
Jun 5, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) delivers to the plate against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Dodgers (48-27) host the Orioles (35-41) for a three-game series over Father’s Day Weekend at Dodger Stadium.
Roki Sasaki (3-4, 4.76 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) takes the mound for the Dodgers in the series opener Friday night.
Rookie Trey Gibson (1-2, 5.91 ERA, 1.59 WHIP) makes his first career start against the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani is away from the team on paternity. He is expected to be back at some point this weekend.
Tarik Skubal’s mouth did better work than his arm on Friday, but the Tigers still came away with the W. | (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Even though this was a June game between two teams separated by over nine games in the standings, there was no lack of drama or fireworks in a gritty Detroit Tigers win over the Chicago White Sox. It felt like a division-rivalry showdown for the first time in a while — and the Tigers had the last laugh.
The fireworks started early when Randal Grichuk, who came into the game with a .364 average against Tarik Skubal, paid tribute to Snoop Dogg when he smashed a home run 420 feet to put the White Sox on the board. Not to be out done, Matt Vierling took advantage of a fastball a little too much in the zone, hitting it over the fence for a two-run homer as the third Detroit batter in the bottom of the first inning.
For the next few innings, it was your average White Sox gritty affair. Both teams had plenty of chances, but some nice defensive plays and missed opportunities kept the Tigers ahead until the top of the fifth inning. In the fifth, there were fireworks.
With runners on the corners, Tristan Peters brought in a run on what was originally called a double play on a badly-missed call by first bace umpire Stu Scheurwater. Scheurwater’s gaffe was reversed, and at some point over the next few batters, things got chippy. While the White Sox couldn’t take advantage and grab the lead, they clearly got under the skin of Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal. After striking out Colson Montgomery, Skubal and Mike Vasil had more than a few words for each other as Skubal walked to the dugout. While it was impossible to read their lips, I’m sure they weren’t congratulating each other on their solid seasons so far.
The cameras tried to catch some more fire between the two pitchers, but there were no more pleasantries exchanged between the two sides in the sixth inning. With that being said, the cameras caught a different explosion in the form of Junior Perez’s first big league homer, as he gave the South Siders the lead once again. Tigers manager AJ Hinch had seen enough out of Skubal and he departed in the middle of the sixth. This time, Skubal didn’t have any more fiery words for Vasil as he hung his head leaving toward the dugout, in line for the loss in his first start in Detroit since his IL stint.
Unfortunately, Chicago’s good vibes didn’t last long. The Tigers took back the lead in what resembled a sparkler more than a firework when a bloop single dropped just before Peters could get under it in the bottom of the sixth. With the runners going on contact with two outs, two runs came around to flip the lead back in favor of the Tigers.
The White Sox continued to scratch and claw their way through the game, but unfortunately, they ran out of firepower once Skubal departed. After the southpaw was pulled, the Tigers bullpen allowed just one hit and struck out four over the last 11 batters they faced.
While the loss is certainly disappointing, it was a solid showing against one of the best pitchers in baseball. With much more “gettable” pitchers on deck for Detroit, there is still a good chance the South Siders can take this series.
The Yankees extended their lead atop the AL East standings with a 5-0 win in their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds.
Cam Schlittler dazzled on this muggy summer night at Yankee Stadium, setting a new career high with 13 strikeouts.
Here are the takeaways....
-Schlittler's first pitch of the game got away from him and plunked Reds outfielder Blake Dunn. Schlittler immediately neutralized the situation, first with a "strike 'em out, throw 'em out" double play as catcher J.C. Escarra caught Dunn trying to swipe second before Schlittler struck out Sal Stewart with a nasty sinker to end the top of the first inning.
-The Yankees squandered a run-scoring opportunity in the bottom of the first frame, as a one-out ground-rule double into the right field stands off the bat of Jasson Dominguez was nullified by a Cody Bellinger groundout and a Paul Goldschmidt strikeout.
-Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. couldn't complete a potential groundout with nobody out in the top of the second inning, as Reds designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe reached first base on his throwing error. Thankfully for the Yankees, Schlittler brought his best stuff and recorded three strikeouts to get out of the inning.
-Chisholm more than made up for his error leading off the bottom of the second, sending a Rhett Lowder pitch to the second deck in right field for a 390-foot solo shot. It didn't get any easier for Cincinnati's righty starter, who issues back-to-back walks to Spencer Jones and Anthony Volpe before recording an out in the inning. Ben Rice took advantage with a two-out three-run home run which went a mammoth 433 feet to right-center field. Lowder struck out Dominguez to end the inning with the Yankees leading 4-0.
-Schlittler's signature three-fastball mix (sinker, four-seam, and cutter) was deadly tonight. Of his 96 pitches, just three were off-speed in the form of three curveballs. He struck out a career-high 13 batters through 6 scoreless innings. At this point, the 25-year-old is firmly in the mix -- if not the outright front-runner -- for the AL Cy Young Award.
-Jake Bird relieved Schlittler in the top of the seventh, the lead still 4-0 Yankees with neither offense having been able to generate any momentum throughout most of the game to this point. Bird engineered a flawless inning, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts.
-Brent Headrick kept the good vibes rolling for the Yankees bullpen, as the lefty reliever recorded a scoreless eighth inning despite issuing a two-out walk to JJ Bleday.
-Goldschmidt's 10-game hitting streak was halted, as the first baseman went 0-for-4. Meanwhile, Chisholm stole his 21st base of the season in the bottom of the eighth. Reds righty reliever Zach Maxwell then walked Jones before Volpe capitalized with runners on first and second, lining an RBI single to left field, the shortstop's third time reaching base on the night. The inning ended with New York leading 5-0.
-David Bednar took care of business in the top of the ninth, retiring the side and striking out two Reds batters in the process to seal the 5-0 win for the Yankees.
Game MVP: Cam Schlittler
Schlittler lowered his ERA to 1.71 and his WHIP to 0.89 in his dominant outing and didn't walk a single Reds batter.
Aug 11, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) and pitcher Bryce Miller (50) prior to a game against the Baltimore Orioles at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Mariners – Red Sox kick off a series today with two dueling pitching strategies. The Red Sox, knowing how left-handed heavy the Mariners are, will be starting a trio of lefties, causing the Mariners to make a roster move to get more right-handed (read more in the “roster move” section). Meanwhile, the Mariners will be utilizing the piggyback again, starting Bryce Miller. John wrote about the benefits of returning to the piggyback; read more here if you missed it.
This is the first time the Mariners will face the Red Sox this season. Get up to speed with the series preview here.
Lineups:
It’s Juneteenth, so the Mariners are wearing their Steelheads jerseys instead of the City Connects.
No nice graphic for the Red Sox, who made a last-minute lineup change. Isiash Kiner-Falefa is scratched with forearm soreness; Durbin moves up, and Marcelo Mayer – who missed yesterday with an illness but is apparently now well enough to play – enters the lineup.
UPDATED 6/19 at SEA: Gasper DH Rafaela CF Abreu RF Contreras 1B Duran LF Durbin 3B Mayer SS Narváez C Monasterio 2B Suarez P
If you’re wondering who Wilson is in the lineup, it’s not Will Wilson magically returned from the 60-day IL; it’s newly-signed Weston Wilson. He’s basically a right-handed Miles Mastrobuoni, who was DFA’d today. Read more here.
Game information:
Game time: 7:10 PT because * * * fireworks * * *
TV: Mariners.TV with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink, with Brad Adam on pre and postgame and Ryan Rowland-Smith as sideline analyst. This game will also be shown on KING 5 locally.
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
Jun 19, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda (8) celebrates a home run during the third inning against Washington Nationals at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | Pablo Robles-Imagn Images
The Rays hopefully hit reset, returning to Tropicana Field with a welll-played win.
Six of the runs scored by both teams came via the long ball. The Nationals managed two solo home runs in the second and third inning against Griffin Jax. Poor Brian Anderson and Dewayne Staats came with a ton of stats showing how well Jax has done as a starter, and each time they launched into that conversation, Jax would give up a home run (or in one case a very deep fly ball that would have been a home run in 22 ball parks, that was caught by Johnny DeLuca).
The Rays didn’t let that go unanswered, however. Hunter Feduccia walked, Yandy Diaz singled, and then Jonathan Aranda, who has been struggling, unleashed a far from overwhelming home run — 95 mph, 334 feet, hitting off the foul pole. But you don’t get fewer points just because your home run was a little wimpy, so the Rays took a 3-2 lead to close out the third inning.
After giving up the two solo homers, Jax kept the Nationals off the board, but he was nonetheless done after five innings. I had thought Jax has generally been limited to four or five innings as he ramps up to starter, but we learned from tonight’s broadcast that in fact he’s had problems with a chronic blister that apparently returns after an inning or two of pitching, and he tries to push through the discomfort. Hopefully that gets resolved soon, he’s been pitching well as a starter and it would be nice if his starts didn’t become a de facto half bullpen day.
Jax was replaced by Steven Matz, and I’ll admit my stomach lurched as he entered the game, because he’s been something of a disaster since returning from the IL. But tonight he did his job, pitching 1.2 innings and giving up just one hit.
Meanwhile, the Rays were adding to their lead. In the fourth inning, Richie Palacios doubled and then scored on a Taylor Walls single. And in the eighth, Jonny DeLuca, just off the IL, got all of a hanging breaking ball and homered to left field, to give us the final score of 5-2.
Overall, this game felt like a return to earlier season normal, with good pitching, mostly clean defense (Aranda was charged with an error as he dropped the ball while making a tag at first), and a mix of long ball and small ball. Chandler Simpson even laid down a lovely bunt and beat it out, just like in the old days (of May).
Let’s keep this going! Game 2 of this series is tomorrow afternoon, and the Rays will go with the ever impressive “TBD” on the mound.
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 13: Trey Gibson (43) of the Baltimore Orioles delivers a pitch during an MLB game against the San Diego Padres on June 13, 2026 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Orioles have struggled when facing winning teams this season. Here we are with them opening a three-game series, on the road where they’re also bad, against the team with the best record in all of baseball, the Dodgers. The on-paper stuff doesn’t point to an Orioles series victory, or perhaps to any Orioles victories at all.
All that the Orioles need to do is play better than they have been playing. The frustrating big picture thing about them this season is that doesn’t seem like it should be so hard, and yet, they keep on not playing better, or at least not playing better for long enough to really prove anything. The thing that I keep coming back to is how they’ve yet to win more than three games in a row. You know who else never won more than three games in a row? The 52-110 Orioles of 2021.
It would behoove the Orioles to play well tonight, because Yoshinobu Yamamoto lurks tomorrow and there’s probably not an “end the no-hitter in the ninth inning and still win” miracle waiting for them – certainly not as a walkoff win, since they’re on the road. Another Japanese pitcher is up for the Dodgers in this one: Roki Sasaki, a 24-year-old righty who’s veered between good and bad outings this year. His last one was bad and he has a 4.76 ERA for the season. Hit some homers against this guy.
Game recap note: This game will not be recapped until after your recap writer (that is, me) has gone to sleep and woken up on Saturday morning. I’m hoping to wake up and need to find things to say about an awesome game. Don’t wait up for the recap!
Orioles lineup
Taylor Ward – DH
Gunnar Henderson – SS
Pete Alonso – 1B
Samuel Basallo – C
Leody Taveras – RF
Colton Cowser – CF
Coby Mayo – 3B
Jackson Holliday – 2B
Jeremiah Jackson – LF
Trey Gibson is the starting pitcher tonight. He’ll have to make do with an infielder in the outfield.
Note the lack of Adley Rutschman in the starting lineup. Manager Craig Albernaz said the Orioles are giving Rutschman a full day off after he took a thrown baseball in his ear while running to first base in Sunday’s game against the Mariners. They will re-evaluate him tomorrow.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 16: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) waves to the crowd before the MLB game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 16, 2026 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Dodgers turn to their ace on Saturday night against the Baltimore Orioles, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto coming off two gems in a row.
Yamamoto retired his final 22 batters faced to beat the Angels on June 6 at Dodger Stadium, then retired his first 23 in a row against the White Sox in Chicago, taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning last Saturday. After pitching eight innings against the Angels and 8 1/3 frames against the White Sox, Yamamoto this Saturday will try to be the first Dodgers pitcher with three straight starts of eight or more innings since Hyun-jin Rui from May 1-12, 2019.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander works against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game Monday, March 30, 2026, in Phoenix.
Things just can’t seem to go right for Justin Verlander this season.
Verlander, 43, strained his left hamstring during a bullpen session on Wednesday, an injury that will likely cause him to miss “weeks,” Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch said, according to The Athletic.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander walks in the dugout during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“This is not a matter of days,” Hinch said. “It’s a matter of weeks. We’re going to need a full rehab process to get him back to throwing again.
“Obviously, frustrating news for him and for us, given the excitement that was building around his start on Sunday.”
Verlander told reporters that his hip is starting to feel good, and called his strained hamstring “unfortunate.”
“My hip actually feels fairly good,” Verlander told reporters, according to MLB.com. “All of a sudden, my hamstring was bugging me and I had to cut my bullpen short. Anytime I’m not able to get my work in, it means something’s definitely off, so we decided to get it looked at, and there’s a strain.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander works against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game Monday, March 30, 2026, in Phoenix. AP Photo/Darryl Webb
“Just really unfortunate, man. It just sucks. I don’t know how else to say it.”
In his only start this season, Verlander gave up five earned runs and walked two batters in 3⅔ innings pitched.
After being called up in 2005, Verlander spent 13 years with the Tigers, earning both a Cy Young and MVP award for his stellar 2011 season, which saw him win the pitching Triple Crown.
Verlander was then traded to the Astros midway through the 2017 season, where he won two more Cy Young awards in 2019 and 2022.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Verlander signed a historic two-year, $86.6 million contract with the Mets but made just 16 starts for the Amazin’s before being dealt back to Houston.
Jun 19, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) dives safely into home plate to score a run against the Chicago White Sox in the sixth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
After a less-than-stellar trip to Houston, the Tigers home and had an off day to sit there and think about what they’ve done, mister. But, since the sport rolls on, the American Central-leading Chicago White Sox came to town (and yes, that looks weird to me too) for the opener of a three-game weekend series on a windy Friday night which promised to make fly balls an adventure. After the lead changed hands a couple of times, a well-timed, well-placed, 2-run blooper was the difference in a 4-3 Tigers win.
Tarik Skubal made his second start since coming off the Injured List; his first one wasn’t great, but there must have been some rust that he had to shake off. When healthy this year he’s usually been the same ol’ Cy Skubal, with an ERA of 2.81 (154 ERA+), a WHIP of 0.979, and seven walks given-out in 48 innings coming into tonight’s game.
Brandon Eisert was an opener for Erick Fedde; Eisert’s in his second full season in the major leagues, after spending a bit of time with the Blue Jays in 2024. He’s opened a few times this year, so this wasn’t anything new for him. Fedde was drafted by the Nationals and spent several ho-hum years there; he then went to South Korea in 2023 and had an ERA of 2.00 with a 20-6 record. He came back to North America after that season and hasn’t been able to duplicate the success he had in Korea; maybe he can’t find any good japchae here.
Randal Grichuk, who is only in the major leagues because he hits lefties, hit a lefty: a solo home run in the top of the first put Chicago up 1-0.
Matt Vierling got that run back and added one with a two-run home run after a Dillon Dingler single, putting the Tigers up 2-1 in the bottom of the first.
In the top of the fourth Junior Pérez, in his fourth major-league at-bat, hit a single — his first major-league hit — to right field. Who fielded it? Trei Cruz, making his major-league debut tonight. That’s always nice to see. But then Pérez tried to steal second, forgot it was Dingler back there, and was thrown out stealing. Whoops! Pérez wasn’t done yet, though.
Skubal got into a little trouble in the fifth: a pair of singles to start the inning put runners on the corners. Tristan Peters then hit a ground ball to second base; an on-the-field call of a 4-6-3 double play would have traded two outs for the runner from third scoring, but upon review the out at first was overturned, tying the game with only one out instead. A single and a walk loaded the bases; a grounder was hit to Colt Keith at third who came home with the throw for the second out. Skubal had Colson Montgomery at a 1-2 count and he pulled the string on a low changeup for strike three. A fired-up Skubal — always a sight to see — was seen shouting at the White Sox dugout after the strikeout, and I don’t think he was exchanging chocolate-chip cookie recipes.
Pérez, in his fifth major-league at-bat in the sixth, took Skubal deep to the left-centrefield seats for a solo home run to put Chicago up 3-2, which was surprising. With two outs in the sixth Skubal gave way to Drew Anderson, who got Luisangel Acuña to strike out looking. Skubal’s final line: 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 8 K. Not bad, but not very Skuballish.
Meanwhile, Fedde was mowin’ ‘em down, retiring nine straight before a Dingler leadoff single in the sixth. A one-out Riley Greene walk put two runners on base for the first time all night for the Tigers; Spencer Torkelson popped up to second base for the second out. But Kerry Carpenter hit the bloopiest of bloopers to short centrefield, scoring both Dingler and Greene to put the Tigers up 4-3.
I mean, that was a really bad decision for Peters to dive for that ball, but I will absolutely take it ten times out of ten.
Anderson carried on and had a decently-uneventful seventh inning, and Will Vest came on for the eighth. He’s been shaky lately, and walking the leadoff batter in a one-run game isn’t quite what we all had in mind, but it happened (especially since Vest got ahead of him 0-2 first). Vest then got Edgar Quero to hit a perfect grounder to second base, and a crisp double play was turned to erase the baserunner. Another grounder to second base precipitated the third out of the inning, and whadda ya know, Vest got the job done.
After failing to get any insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, Kenley Jansen was brought in to try and nail down the save against the bottom of the order. He got a ground ball to first (and covered the bag himself), got a ground ball to second, and ended things with swinging strikeout of Peters. That’s how you do it, folks.
As you may have heard, Trei Cruz is a third-generation Major League Baseball player, following his grandfather José Cruz, and his father, José Cruz Jr. Welcome to The Show, young man!
Tarik Skubal’s left-right splits are truly bizarre this year. It may be SSS (Small Sample Size) at work, but check this out: coming into tonight, righties (146 plate appearances) have hit .190 with a .512 OPS. Lefties (41 PA): .359 average, .954 OPS.
You know that Family Guy scene in which Stewie (the baby) keeps irritatingly calling for his mom? Yeah, our kid is in that phase right now.
Today is Juneteenth, a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the end of slavery. On June 19, 1865, a major in the US Army in Texas ordered that the Emancipation Proclamation be enforced in that state, despite it being officially put into effect by the federal government on January 1, 1863. Since Texas was pretty far out west and there weren’t many Union troops out there during the Civil War, enforcement of Emancipation was pretty lacklustre, and it was on that date in 1865 that it was permanently enshrined in the state.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 14: Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics throws a pitch in the second inning during a regular season game against the Colorado Rockies at Las Vegas Ballpark on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The A’s came away with the first W in the first game of the series last night, riding a fantastic outing from their rookie starting pitcher to their 37th win of the season. They’ll have a chance to bump that number up a digit and get back to the .500 mark tonight. First they’ll have to take care of business against their division rival, the Los Angeles Angels.
The team will turn to lefty Jeffrey Springs this evening, hoping the veteran can turn things around. It’s been a rough June so far for Springs as he’s allowed 15 runs over his past three starts.
Why make major changes after yesterday? It’s the same batting order as last night, though with one change. Lawrence Butler returns to the starting nine, playing right field. That’ll send Carlos Cortes to the DH spot and send Jonah Heim to the bench. Other than that, same lineup as yesterday. Let’s hope for the same early result.
Los Angeles will counter with their ace in Jose Soriano. The right-hander, now in his fourth season, has dominated this year and will bring a 2.79 ERA into this contest. He’s already successfully faced the A’s once this year so they’ll be hoping for some revenge tonight.
And the Halo’s lineup this evening looks like this:
