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Mike Burrows is the only Astros starter to make every turn in the rotation through the first 67 games of the season, but after another rough outing Sunday against the A’s, and with Hunter Brown due back later this month, Burrows’ spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy.

Burrows allowed five runs, four earned, over five innings in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the Athletics. He has a 5.77 ERA through his first 13 starts with the Astros, who are 3-10 when he takes the mound. It’s hardly what the team envisioned when it acquired the right-hander in December.

The 26-year-old was the victim of the Crawford Boxes, poor defense, and a .378 opponent BABIP through his first five starts, which led to his FIP being almost two runs lower than his 6.75 ERA. Burrows got his ERA down to 5.04 after throwing seven scoreless innings in Cincinnati on May 8, but he has posted a 6.91 ERA in his last five starts, to go with a 7.50 FIP and .289 BABIP against, suggesting his underlying performance has actually been worse than his results during that stretch.

Keeping the ball in the ballpark has been Burrows’ biggest issue this season. He allowed two more home runs on Sunday, bringing his total to 17. Only Jameson Taillon has allowed more this season. Eleven of those homers have come against Burrows’ four-seam fastball, including both he allowed against the A’s on Sunday.

Burrows arrived in Houston with one of baseball’s best changeups, but his other pitches needed refining, most notably his four-seam fastball, which opponents batted .326 against last season with a .529 slugging percentage. That pitch has been worse this season.

After Sunday’s start, opponents are batting .315 against Burrows’ four-seam this season, with a .781 slugging percentage. Baseball Savant has assigned that pitch a -9 run value, the sixth-worst mark among 300 qualified pitchers.

The Astros acquired Burrows with the hope he could build on the 111 ERA+ he posted last season in his first taste of Major League action, and that he could be a “pillar” of their rotation for the next half decade. That possibility can’t be ruled out after just 13 starts, but the Astros are sure to be experiencing some buyer’s remorse at the moment.

Burrows will make his next turn in the Astros rotation this weekend in Kansas City, but things could get complicated after that. If all goes well Wednesday in Sugar Land, Hunter Brown will rejoin the Astros rotation next week. A stretch of 13 games in 13 days will allow the Astros to utilize a six-man rotation, but that won’t be the case when the calendar flips to July.

Brown, Spencer Arrighetti, and Tatsuya Imai are rotation locks, while Peter Lambert and Kai-Wei Teng are performing at a much higher level than Burrows. Teng could slot back to the bullpen where he was excellent at the start of the season, but would that be best for the team if Burrows continues to struggle over the next couple of weeks? Also, Cristian Javier could be back by that point as well.

He has pitched out of the bullpen before, but a trip down to Sugar Land could be more beneficial. It would allow him to work out some of his issues while keeping him on a starter’s routine. The Astros took a similar approach with Arrighetti at the start of the season, and he has since authored an All-Star-caliber first half.

Burrows has flashed the upside that appealed to the Astros over the winter, and there’s no reason to think he’s a lost cause at this point. But the Astros are just 4.5 games back of Seattle for first place in the AL West and three games back of Texas for the American League’s final wild-card spot. The 2026 season is not a lost cause despite a 30-37 record.

Every game matters, and the Astros cannot afford to keep running Burrows out there if better options are available.

Thirteen Years Ago

The Blue Jays and Rangers played 18 innings; best of all, the good guys won. I miss these kinds of games.

It was one of those games that felt like it would never end.

Early on, we scored three runs in the third inning. Edwin Encarnacion singled. Adam Lind walked, moving Edwin to second. Then Colby Rasmus hit a line drive to right-center field. Edwin ran home and scored easily. Lind also tried to score, but the relay throw from Jurickson Profar, the Rangers’ second baseman, was wide of home, so both Lind and Colby scored.

After that initial burst, we put up zeros for the next 14 innings.

Mark Buehrle started strong. Just a month earlier, he allowed a seven-run inning against the Rays, but his season turned around after that. In the five starts between then and this game, Mark posted a 3.38 ERA.

On this day, he pitched 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 earned run (a Jeff Baker home run in the seventh), 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts, with 92 pitches thrown. He deserved a win for that outing.

Though I don’t remember much about Baker, he had a solid season at the plate, hitting .279/.360/.545 with 11 home runs. Despite playing 11 seasons, he only appeared in over 100 games once, with 104 for the Rockies in 2008.

Buehrle should have secured the win, but after Steve Delabar pitched a scoreless eighth, Casey Jansen gave up 2 runs in the ninth for his first blown save of the season. Since he finished with 34 saves and just 2 blown, we can give him a pass.

After that, our bullpen pitched nine scoreless innings. From the recap:

Dustin McGowan entered in extras for his first appearance since 2011, walking the leadoff batter. After getting a double-play ball that Mark DeRosa booted, a hit batter loaded the bases, but Dustin grabbed a strikeout to escape.

Juan Perez replaced him and allowed a medium fly to right, but Jose Bautista’s strong throw cut down the runner at the plate. Perez pitched 2 innings, giving up 1 hit, 1 walk, and recording 1 strikeout.

Neil Wagner followed, getting 2 outs to close the 12th.

Next up, Brett Cecil pitched a clean 12th with one strikeout.

Brad Lincoln then pitched four strong innings: he allowed 1 hit, walked 1, hit 2 batters, and struck out 3. I figured Gibby would stick with him until the game ended or his arm fell off. But instead…

Aaron Loup came in, gave up a hit and hit a batter, but escaped the 18th without allowing a run.

Brad Lincoln was terrific. Despite pitching four excellent innings, he was sent to the minors the next day. It felt unfair.

On the Rangers’ side:

• Yu Darvish threw 7 innings, giving up 2 earned and 1 unearned run. We had 6 hits against him.
• Neal Cotts went 1.1, allowing just a hit.
• Jason Frasor, a former Blue Jays reliever, went 1 inning, allowing a hit.
• Robbie Ross: 1.2, with a hit and a walk.
• Ross Wolf threw 6.2 innings, constantly working himself in and out of trouble. And then, in the 18th:

With one out, Maicer Izturis lined out, then Emilio Bonifacio singled—one of his 47 singles out of 57 hits that year. After Josh Thole popped out (he hit .175/.256/.242 that season, but pinch-hit for DeRosa in the 16th), Wolf threw wide on a pickoff, and Bonifacio took third. Rajai Davis then singled him home for the walk-off win.

From the recap:

Jays of the Day: Lincoln (.570 WPA), Perez (.499), Buehrle (.297), Cecil (.143), Loup (.143 and the win), Wagner (.142), Davis (.223) and Rasmus (.141).

Suckage: Janssen (-.280), Izturis (-.367), DeRosa (-.183, plus the error), Thole (-.132)

Three guys had the number for possible Suckage Awards, but I’m not giving them out: McGowan (-.213), though the error was DeRosa’s fault; Bautista (-.155), but his throw from right redeemed him; and Bonifacio (-.147), but he drew the wild pickoff and scored the winner.

Home sweet home. After going .500 on their six-game road trip, the O’s return to Baltimore, where their most recent homestand resulted in a 7-3 record and some of their most inspired baseball of the season. This time it’s going to be a tougher task, with all seven games coming against winning teams, starting with the AL West-leading Mariners.

The M’s have been red hot of late. They were four games under .500 as recently as May 24, but then they rattled off an eight-game winning streak to take control of their underwhelming division. They were the preseason favorites to win the West and, after a sluggish start, they’re now on track to do so.

The Mariners always seem to have a quality pitching staff, and this season is no exception. Seattle’s 3.50 team ERA is second only to the Yankees among American League teams. That includes their usual stable of quality starters as we’ll discuss below, but their bullpen has been particularly effective with a 3.15 mark that leads the AL. That’s even despite a rocky performance from All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz, who has given up 15 runs in 23.1 innings and has blown five of his 14 save opportunities. The latest one came just yesterday, when Muñoz coughed up two runs in a walkoff loss in Detroit.

But the crew setting up Muñoz has been stellar. Right-hander Matt Brash has allowed only one earned run in 16 innings. Offseason acquisition Jose A. Ferrer — the A is for Awesome, I guess — has a 1.55 mark in 32 games, teaming with Gabe Speier (2.16) to form a potent lefty duo. And former O’s washout Eduard Bazardo, who made three terrible appearances with the Birds in 2023, is now one of Seattle’s most reliable relievers. Go figure.

On offense, the Mariners have been steady but unspectacular. They were surely expecting more from Cal Raleigh, last year’s 60-homer-hitting AL MVP runner-up. Raleigh has a miserable .560 OPS this season and is currently on the injured list with a right oblique strain. The M’s also haven’t gotten much from first baseman Josh Naylor (.682 OPS), whom they re-signed to a five-year, $92.5 million extension this past offseason.

But the Mariners’ outfield has picked up the slack. Luke Raley and Julio Rodríguez lead the team with 13 homers apiece, and Randy Arozarena leads all M’s position players with a 2.6 WAR. Designated hitter Dominic Canzone (144 OPS+) and shortstop J.P. Crawford (10 homers) have also been big contributors offensively. The Mariners also called up top prospect Colt Emerson to play third base, and he’s performed well so far. The Mariners’ lineup skews very left-handed, with all of their regulars except Rodríguez and Arozarena swinging from the left side. That could be a problem for the Orioles, who have three right-handed pitchers starting in this series.

Game 1: Monday, 6:35 PM, MASN

RHP Emerson Hancock (4-2, 2.80) vs. TBD

The Mariners’ rotation features five above-average, homegrown hurlers under the age of 30. Not gonna lie, I’m a little jealous. They’ll start the series with Hancock, who’s been the best of them all so far. The 27-year-old, who’d had only middling results in three seasons since debuting in 2023, has put it all together in 2026. In addition to his impressive ERA, he’s carrying a sub-1.00 WHIP and is striking out a batter per inning. Hancock faced the Orioles once last season, holding them to one run in 5.2 innings, with an Adley Rutschman dinger his only blemish.

As of this writing, the Orioles still don’t have a starter listed for the opening game. It’s Chris Bassitt’s turn, but he left his last outing early with lower back tightness and his status for tonight is unclear. If Bassitt can’t go, the O’s presumably will call up Trey Gibson, who last started June 3 for Triple-A Norfolk and would be on regular rest.

Game 2: Tuesday, 6:35 PM, MASN

RHP Logan Gilbert (4-4, 3.79) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (3-6, 6.29)

At 29, Gilbert is the graybeard of the Mariners’ rotation (not counting veteran Luis Castillo, who’s been moved to long relief). The 2024 All-Star is continuing to limit walks and rack up strikeouts, though he’s among the lowest percentile of pitchers for hard-hit %, barrel %, and average exit velocity, so batters have been squaring him up a decent amount. The O’s offense will need to be aggressive and attack pitches in the zone. The only Orioles who have faced Gilbert frequently are his former AL West opponents Taylor Ward and Leody Taveras. Ward is 6-for-22 with a homer against him, while Taveras is just 2-for-17, but both hits are home runs.

Meanwhile, Rogers might be creeping his way back to being a solid pitcher, if not his dynamite 2025 self. In each of his last two starts, he’s begun the game with 5+ scoreless innings, only to hit the wall and lose effectiveness around the 70-pitch mark. It’s progress, for sure. This is a good matchup for Rogers, as the lefty-heavy Mariners are batting just .209/.290/.336 against southpaws this year.

Game 3: Wednesday, 6:35 PM, MASN

RHP George Kirby (5-5, 4.04) vs. RHP Brandon Young (4-1, 3.47)

Could Brandon Young be the first successful Mike Elias-signed and developed Orioles pitcher? It’s shaping up that way. The 27-year-old has rattled off three straight quality starts and now has the best ERA of any Orioles starter. Young has been a huge boost to an O’s rotation that’s been wracked by injuries, and his spot seems more than secure right now. This will be his first career start against Seattle.

Kirby, a former first round pick, began his career with three strong seasons from 2022-24 before slipping a bit last year. This season he hasn’t quite returned to form, with a career-worst K/9 of 7.4 and the highest WHIP and H/9 rate of his career. Still, that could just be small-sample-size noise. For whatever reason, he’s seen the Orioles a lot; his eight career starts against them are his most against any non-division opponent, though he’s just 2-5 with a 3.26 ERA. Ward, the former Angel, has tagged Kirby for three career homers.

Game 4: Thursday, 7:05, ESPN

RHP Bryan Woo (5-4, 3.74) vs. RHP Kyle Bradish (3-7, 3.89)

Bradish seemed to have reclaimed his ace status after a stellar May, but he got roughed up by the Blue Jays in his first start of June. Hopefully it was just a one-off. Overall he’s pitching with the same kind of stuff and swagger that he displayed in his great 2023 season, looking fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2024. Bradish will need to be careful with Arozarena, who has homered twice against him in his career.

Woo, 26, is the youngest Mariners starter and the one coming off the best 2025 season, when he was an All-Star and finished fifth in the AL Cy Young vote after posting a 2.94 ERA in 30 starts. Woo worked six or more innings in his first 25 starts of that year, which seems like a herculean task in this day and age of baseball. He hasn’t quite matched that durability this year, already with three starts in which he failed to last six innings. Woo has had four outings of six or more shutout innings, but also four outings in which he allowed four or more runs, including his most recent start in Detroit. This might be a good time to give Taylor Ward a day off; he’s 0-for-13 with five strikeouts lifetime against Woo.

How many games do you think the Orioles will win in this series, Camden Chatters? Let us know in the comments.

Worcester: W, 5-3 (BOX SCORE)

If Triple-A baseball borrowed hockey’s “three stars of the game”, the WooSox’s pick for first star in the finale against Buffalo (Blue Jays AAA) would be easy. They had two extra-base hits; both came from lead-off guy Braiden Ward, and one of those doubles drove Tsung-Che Cheng in to make it a 5-2 ball game. The bullpen was then pretty nails following Michael Sansone’s five innings of work where he allowed just two runs. Worcester now has four consecutive wins.

It’s pretty clear that Ward, the return for Brennan Bernardino, sees the ball well more often than not and is a strong backstop for the depth of the outfield in the minor league organization, and while primarily an outfielder, he’s also logged time at second base since being drafted by the Rockies in 2021. Ward finished off that series with a .522 slugging percentage in the month so far and his OBP is nearing .400 on the season. He’s a step below the rest of the outfield options currently in Boston for sure, but the last person trusted with the distinction of Worcester’s regularly leadoff guy (Nick Sogard) ended up on the Major League roster before his new stint on the injured list.

Now, while we’re discussing trends Worcester buys into… anyone care to explain this e-mail I got from them?

Portland: W, 3-1 (BOX SCORE)

Gage Ziehl, who started his 2026 campaign in a rough spot, again looked awesome after initially giving up a run in the first, going five scoreless after that giving the Sea Dogs a really good chance to put Hartford (Rockies AA) away with his six total innings of one-run, eight strikeout ball. The offense wasn’t too pretty, as, through seven, the Sea Dogs were clinging on to a 2-1 lead. It was then that Franklin Arias’ team OPS crown, which was thought to be untouchable as he ran through May with it hovering around 1.3, was relinquished when Brooks Brannon had a solo shot over the “Maine Monster” in left in the eighth inning, and that sealed it for Portland. Oh, silly me, I’m forgetting the important part. That mammoth ball travelled 464 feet with an exit velocity of 115 miles per hour. Brannon, ironically enough, is pictured above with David Sandlin, who we know as the prospect in “fine, damn, here’s a prospect too, just get Jordan Hicks off of this baseball team” trade, in which the Sox acquired Ziehl. He now has nine home runs on the season. Here that absolute rocket is.

Look, I’m going to be honest: amidst people wondering why the 20-year-old Arias isn’t getting a call up to Triple-A, I’m actually pretty confounded on why Brannon, who plays first as well as catcher, isn’t getting a shot at playing first base in Worcester. (Brannon has been DH’ing the majority of games this season as Ronald Rosario and Johanfran Garcia have been splitting time on the bump.) I’m a Matt Lloyd fan, sure, but the upside is limited there. Brannon is 22, has a few years in the minors now having been drafted in 2022, put on 25 pounds over the winter and has really established his power tool in the process. Now that his OPS has eclipsed 1.000, time to make the call.

Greenville: Cancelled, Rain

The finale with Rome (Braves High-A) is scrapped entirely.

Salem: L, 9-11 (F/11) (BOX SCORE)

The finale in Wilson (Brewers A) was over almost before it began as Salem ends the series having won just 1 of 6. Any night you commit four defensive errors, you don’t stand a good chance at winning, but the offense kept up with the defensive shortcomings. Shortstop Avinson Pinto celebrated his 19th birthday (it was on May 29th…. close enough) with a triple and a home run. Unfortunately, though, the triple and Kleyvar Salazar’s grand slam happened in the midst of Salem being scored on in four consecutive innings; the game was 11-5 at its worst and even the 4-spot from Salazar couldn’t draw the game any closer than a two-run deficit. It’s nice, though, to see catchers slugging up and down the organization.

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Gavin Williams has pitched lights out this season, especially on home soil.

My Yankees vs. Guardians predictions are backing Williams to have another quality performance en route to a win. Let's dive into my MLB picks for Monday, June 8. 

Who will win Yankees vs Guardians today: Guardians moneyline (-125)

Gavin Williams and Will Warren have similar counting stats, but the underlyings indicate the Cleveland Guardians have an edge on the mound.

Williams enters in great form, sporting a 2.80 xFIP, 27.2 K%, and 3.2 BB% over the last 30 days. He's played his best at home, where he has allowed more than two runs only once through six starts.

New York Yankees starter Will Warren has shown some red flags of late, posting an xFIP (5.01) nearly double his ERA (2.78) the past 30 days. Back the Guardians to -135.

COVERS INTEL:Gavin Williams ranks in the 84th percentile or higher in chase rate, whiff rate, and strikeout rate.

Yankees vs Guardians Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-115)

The Yankees have predictably slowed down offensively without Aaron Judge in the lineup. They’ve scored 20 runs over five games, and were held to four or fewer in four of them.

Williams is allowing an average of just 1.70 runs per start in Cleveland, so this is not a spot we should see a spike.

While Warren is not pitching as well as Williams right now, the Guardians rank 29th in average and 26th in OPS vs. righties at home. They're not a team that should blow the doors off anyone. I'd play this to -130.

Yankees vs Guardians odds

• Moneyline: Yankees +105 | Guardians -125
• Run line: Yankees +1.5 (-200) | Guardians -1.5 (+165)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-105) | Under 8 (-115)

Yankees vs Guardians trend

The Guardians have cashed the moneyline in 16 of their last 25 games for +6.6 units and a 21% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Guardians.

How to watch Yankees vs Guardians and game info

Yankees vs Guardians latest injuries

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Paul Toboni and the Nationals front office must have been in a giving mood last night because they made all sorts of promotions. Several prospects, including some of the biggest names in the organization rose up the ranks. Eli Willits, Devin Fitz-Gerald and Ethan Petry were among the players to be promoted.

This is a monster day for the organization. Willits and Fitz-Gerald are two of the Nats top five prospects, and now they are moving up. Fitz-Gerald is headed to Double-A, while Willits takes his place in the High-A infield. None of these promotions were overly surprising, just all of them happening at once was a bit of a shock to the system.

The biggest promotion of the day was Eli Willits, the former number one overall pick. Willits got off to a slower start, but has picked it up in a huge way. After a monster series this week, Willits is now hitting .300 with a .918 OPS in Low-A. Of course, Willits also brings elite defense and base running to this quality offensive game. 

So far this season, Willits has been a slightly different hitter than expected. His 23.3% strikeout rate is a little bit higher than anticipated. However, he has shown more power than evaluators were expecting, especially this early in his career. Willits already has 6 homers and 14 extra base hits on the season. He is also one of just ten 18 year olds to have at least a 150 wRC+ at Low-A, with some impressive names on that list.

Having seen Willits, he just looks like such a safe bet to be at least a solid big leaguer, which is a crazy thing to say about an 18 year old. Everything he does on the field is so smooth and natural. He is an incredibly sure handed fielder, with just one error all season. Willits could probably play a quality big league shortstop tomorrow. He is also like the energizer bunny on the bases. The youngster is always looking to make plays, as shown by his 29 steals.

He will be in for a fun matchup to start his High-A career though. The Blue Rocks head to Greensboro, where an elite pitching prospect resides. Seth Hernandez was the 6th overall pick in last year’s draft and has established himself as an elite pitching prospect already. He absolutely tore through Low-A before his promotion. Now the two blue chip prospects will likely face off sometime this week.

Willits is the biggest name to be promoted in this spree, but there are plenty of other movements on the farm. Talk Nats was all over this, so a major shoutout to him. One promotion that was a long time coming was Ethan Petry’s move to Double-A. 

As a productive SEC hitter, it just felt like High-A was too easy for Petry. Now, he will be tested at the Double-A level. I will be looking to see if his contact rates stay strong. Petry was making in zone contact at an above average clip in High-A despite being known as a power over hit guy. If those contact skills translate to AA, he could be a potential top 100 prospect.

Speaking of top 100 prospects, Devin Fitz-Gerald got called up to Double-A as well. The timing on this one is intriguing because DFG was in the midst of a major slump. He just snapped an 0 for 22 skid in his most recent game. However, before this cold streak, Fitz-Gerald was one of the hottest bats in all of minor league baseball. There was a time last month where it felt like he was homering every game.

While Fitz-Gerald has cooled off, his season OPS is still above .900. That is highly impressive for a 20 year old who plays his home games in pitcher friendly park. There is also a chance that his slump may have actually led to his promotion. That home run frenzy may have led to some bad habits forming. By getting to a new level, Fitz-Gerald is going to have to focus on making contact rather than swinging for the fences on every swing.

Those home runs might have made Fitz-Gerald’s swing a little too big. He has a great ability to pull the ball in the air, which leads to homers, but DFG should not be trying to be a home run hitter. Fitz-Gerald is at his best when he is trying to hit line drives to right field and then swinging for the fences when he gets the right pitch. Once he remembers that he is a pure hitter with power and not a slugger, the results will come.

One other promotion I wanted to shout out is Jack Moroknek, who dominated in Low-A. He was a joy to talk to when I chatted to him for my story when I went down to Fredericksburg. Moroknek is a self aware guy, who knows he is not some mega prospect. He is just really happy to be playing professional baseball and being teammates with guys like Eli Willits. The 11th rounder still has a long way to go, but I am keeping my eye on him.

These are the only promotions we know for now, but there could be more coming. With Petry and Fitz-Gerald coming to Double-A, a Cayden Wallace promotion would make a lot of sense. Wallace is 24 and has been performing in Double-A. The Triple-A infield is crowded, but his versatility makes it easy to find him a spot in a lineup. Sam Petersen has also been hitting the ball well lately, but the AAA outfield is even more crowded.

This is a big day for the organization, especially with Willits being called up. After he was drafted, Eli Willits said his goal was to be in the big leagues by the time he is 20 years old. He will be 18 for all of this season, and has already made it to High-A. Willits is on track to be in the big leagues as a 20 year old, and could even get a cup of coffee as a teenager if he has a monster year next season.

While the big league team is making more noise than expected, the farm system is still a massive priority for the new regime. The farm has more depth than I can ever remember, and these promotions are a good example of that. In the past, a lot of players got promoted too quickly, with Seaver King being a good example. However, it is tough to say that any of these guys did not earn these promotions. I am excited to watch these guys perform at the next level and march to the big leagues.

It was a day of completing series for the minor league teams. How did the team’s youngsters do?

Rochester 7, Lehigh Valley 6

Part of a looming issue facing the big league team right now is depth. What if there was a major injury of some kind, particularly to the pitching staff? Is there someone there that you would feel good about bringing to the major leagues? While the pitching staff would be a problem, what about the outfield? We know that Gabriel Rincones would likely be the initial choice, but outside of that? Keaton Anthony (2-5, RBI)? Dylan Carlson (2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI)? Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Binghamton 4, Reading 2

Speaking of looming things, the trade deadline is coming. The team has a good amount of prospect capital playing in Reading right now, some of it performing quite well. Aroon Escobar (0-3, K) is one of those prospects that might attract attention, as is maybe Bryan Rincon (1-4) and Raylin Heredia (2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI). The pitching prospects? Maybe not so much.

Brooklyn 5, Jersey Shore 3

Pedro Leon (2-3, R, 3B, HR, 3 RBI) is an interesting player. Originally signed to give them some outfield depth at the major league level, he got hurt in spring training and has had to rehab and various parts of the minor leagues. Now in High-A, he’s been mashing the ball….but why isn’t he moving up the ladder? They have Dante Nori at Reading, which is who they’d like to get regular at bats at that level, but what about Lehigh Valley? Why not go there and see if he can be an option in centerfield there? Is Dylan Carlson too much to overcome? Do they like Leon enough to just let him hit the ball hard in Lakewood? I have questions.

Clearwater 11, St. Lucie 8

Nathan Humphreys, have a day. The young DH went 4-4 with two home runs and five RBI, leading the Threshers to victory. He wasn’t alone in the offensive explosion either. Juan Villavicencio and Jonathan Hogart each had three hits on the day, both hitting a home run. Sean Youngerman was pretty bad on the mound, allowing six runs in two innings, but when offenses are doing things like that, you can look past the mound struggles.

The Royals have spent much of the season looking like a team destined to sell at the trade deadline. At 27-39, they own one of the American League’s worst records and remain on pace for nearly 100 losses. The starting pitching staff is likely to be targeted by several contenders.

USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale wrote an early preview of the trade deadline, focused largely on Tigers pitching star Tarik Skubal. He reports that Royals pitcher Kris Bubic is drawing interest from the upstart Athletics. But he adds, theRoyals may not be ready to dump their roster despite their record.

The Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins, two more teams going nowhere, say they aren’t ready to sell considering the AL absolutely stinks, and they are somehow still alive in the wild-card race.

Despite all their struggles, the Royals are only 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, and a recent stretch of five wins in seven games has offered a glimpse of the club many expected to contend this year.

Bubic has been out since mid-May with elbow soreness and had a bullpen session this week, but has no timetable to return. The 28-year-old Northern California native was an All-Star last year, and had a 4.11 ERA in nine starts this year, his final year before he is eligible for free agency.

If the Royals decide to become sellers, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha could also draw significant interest, although both are in the middle of multi-year contract extensions. Cole Ragans could be attractive if he can establish his health – he has also been since May and was shut down after he experienced discomfort in a rehab start. Relievers Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, and Alex Lange could also be targeted by teams needing bullpen help.