Jun 19, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) check in with umpire Tom Hanahan (69) after the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
The Brewers will go for a rare four-game sweep this afternoon as they wrap up their series with the Reds, but that’s not the headline. This game will feature one of the most exciting pitching matchups of the season, when Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski faces off against Cincinnati’s Chase Burns.
Misiorowski and Burns are two of the most exciting young players in the game. They’re both flamethrowers; Misiorowski’s fastball is untouchable at an average of 100.3 mph, but Burns is in the 93rd percentile at 97.9. Miz, at 24 years old, is a year older than Burns. Both have some of the nastiest stuff in the league; in FanGraphs’ Stuff+ metric, Misiorowski and Burns rank first and fourth, respectively. They’re first and sixth in ERA. They’re both in the top eight in pitching WAR via Baseball Reference and the top six via FanGraphs. Simply, they are two of the most thrilling young pitchers the game has seen in some time, and given that they’re division rivals, this will likely be the first matchup in what could become a real rivalry.
The teams, though, are going in opposite directions. The Brewers, at 53-31 on the season, have won eight of their last 10 — a stretch that includes a 6-0 record against the Reds. Cincinnati, on the other hand, is floundering: they’ve won just two of their last nine games and are just 9-18 since June 1.
After a day off yesterday, Christian Yelich is back in the leadoff spot for the Brewers. Garrett Mitchell is also back in the lineup after his big day yesterday. Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio join Mitchell in the outfield, while David Hamilton, Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang, and Jake Bauers make up the infield. William Contreras is doing the catching.
First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network. The Brewers then jump on a plane to Phoenix, where they’ll start a series with the Diamondbacks tomorrow night.
Jun 17, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubon (14) in the dugout during the game against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
No snappy post-colon headline here. I can’t think of a better way to describe the Braves over the last two weeks, or in June as a whole, other than awful. While I’ll get to the actual horrendous stats in a bit, I do want to indicate that things aren’t awful because the Braves lost a bunch of games, or because they basically destroyed their division lead.
No, the reason why this is awful is because it’s the second year in a row that we’ve basically seen how the combination of not pushing full bore to win every game and an entirely self-inflicted adverse change in offensive approach can absolutely destroy a team.
If the Braves had hit a run of poor outcomes in one-run games (part of 2025), or a massive xwOBA underperformance (part of 2024), then you could say, “Yeah, but look at the first two months” and write it off as a correction (there’s that word again). But that’s not really what happened. This isn’t the space for it, and I’ll cover their self-inflicted gaping wound later, but fundamentally, the Braves did this to themselves. Again. So they’ll need to stop doing it to themselves, or else this is literally just going to be 2025-except-for-two-months-without-an-0-7-start-before-it. In case you forgot, the Braves started 2025 0-7, but then went on a bit of a tear afterwards, looking like the team they were earlier in terms of offensive approach, albeit with some inconsistency. Then, the offensive approach clearly shifted towards walking and slapping at the ball, and though maybe they couldn’t have overcome the injuries and one-run game stuff, the combination of all of those things destroyed the season.
The 2026 season isn’t destroyed yet, but the Braves can’t stay passive at the plate for much longer and continue to reap the withered fruit (and losses) from doing so. Whatever the rationale for changing how they approach plate appearances from April and much of May, it needs to be identified and crossed off, or else 2026 will just be 2025 compressed into four months and not six. It doesn’t matter what the pitching does, it doesn’t matter what they do or don’t do at the Trade Deadline, it doesn’t really even matter who is or isn’t healthy (within a reasonable level of injury): what matters is some collectively group of bats hitting akin to their talent level (a la, a top ten in baseball unit) and not something worse. If they can do that, this will be a good season, If they can’t, prepare for pain.
Awful. At 3-9 in June’s second half, the Braves were definitively the worst team in baseball in that span. That two of those three wins came in a single series against the Brewers, of all teams, makes it worse, not better, as it means they went 1-8 against the Giants, Padres, and Cardinals. Though none of the games were these super-gigantic mismatches, the Braves should’ve gone something like 6-6 or maybe even 7-5 at the outside given the team talent levels and pitching matchups. They… did not.
The end result is that the Braves’ 9-14 June was their worst calendar month since last year’s 8-17 July… but the team was largely already dead by that point. The last time the Braves had a month with a sub-.400 winning percentage other than 2025 was August 2017, the last time it happened while they were relevant to the playoff picture was the September 2014 collapse that cost the Frank Wren regime their jobs and ushered in years of deliberate losing in Atlanta.
While some collapses are somewhat unjustified for various reasons, especially when concentrated in small samples, it’s hard to feel that way here:
In June’s second half, the Braves were dead last in position player value (below replacement) and 29th in xwOBA. This is also true for June as a whole. The fielding was top ten-ish, but they also tossed away an entire game with bad fielding, so that doesn’t do much in the way of consolation.
In June’s second half, the Braves were 23rd in pitching value (19th for the month). This breaks down into 27th in the rotation and 12th in the bullpen (26th and fourth for the month). The ERA-/FIP-/xFIP- ranks are 16th/19th/20th (and ninth/15th/17th for the month). This isn’t good, but it’s eminently survivable with good defense and actual hitting. The Braves… did not produce actual hitting.
So, put this together, and you have the Braves shedding, over the course of June:
Four wins off their projected end-of-season total;
About six percent in playoff odds (down to 92 percent);
About 28 percent in division odds (down to 61 percent); and
Going from the best record to the fourth-best record.
From June 16-on alone, they have shed:
Three of those four wins;
Even more in playoff odds (seven percent, over six); and
21 percent of the division odds.
How are the Braves doing overall?
This is a weird section / question to answer. On the season, the Braves look okay. But June was so aberrant and so problematic that things don’t feel okay, and they will quickly not be okay if any of June leaks into July. If June 2026 Braves was a virus, you’d need to quarantine it immediately, except that they went through all of June without doing it, so…
On the season, the Braves are now 19th in position player value and 14th in pitching value. They are underperforming their run differential by two games, but overperforming BaseRuns by two games. However, by WAR-wins, they have sunk down to a “should be a 42-41 team,” because their offensive performance has just been so unthinkably poor that it basically reverses the credit for all the good play they managed previously. Basically, it’s kind of an interesting thing, conceptually. The number of games suggests that one bad month will have a hard time counteracting two great ones, though I guess it’s technically possible if the bad month was horrendous. But, context-neutral performance without tallying wins and losses is a lot more granular.
I’ll just summarize it this way: if the Braves don’t start playing better now, they are already dead for the season, unless they luck into some kind of insane one-run game overperformance or something else that is unlikely to happen. They can’t play “the way they have been,” where that includes the season as a whole, because doing so will lead to them having a .500ish record at the end of the year.
How are the hitters doing?
What a psychotically stupid question to have as a standard biweekly recap section, past me.
The hitters died. Not literally, but figuratively. And also, if they had died literally, it’s not clear whether you’d be able to tell a difference in their results.
This chart probably says most of it here. The Braves only had two or three guys even play okay over the last two weeks. Mauricio Dubon is playing out of his mind, but no one else even played that well. On the season, this slide has transformed the team into one where they have five producers, and… nothing else. It’s basically half a lineup. Again, to be clear: the talent level is not “half a lineup.” But the overly-passive approach has killed any semblance of additional production that would push the roster into more than “half a lineup.” Drake Baldwin shed in two weeks basically a third of what he had accumulated in about two months.
Left side is last two weeks, right side is the season as a whole.
Mauricio Dubon deserves a medal for being the only guy really chugging in June, and Ozzie Albies basically stole a win from the Brewers with two cheap homers to right field that one time, but beyond those guys, Matt Olson, and Michael Harris II, the rest of the position players probably could’ve been submerged in a vat of acid and then brought back to the plate and I’m not sure June would’ve been any different.
How are the pitchers doing?
It’s kind of like the lineup…
Chris Sale is the only guy doing stuff, but he’s pitching like a normal-Cy Young-candidate-in-an-age-without-Jacob-Misiorowski. Everyone else, well… they didn’t help. Bryce Elder and Martin Perez have reasonable stats on the season as a whole, but got shelled recently — though Elder’s was largely HR/FB-related. The whole Grant Holmes saga and JR Ritchie failing to hit the ground running multiple times are additional, but nowhere near primary, reasons why June went as it did.
On the relief side, Dylan Lee, Didier Fuentes, and Robert Suarez all continued to be awesome, though it doesn’t really matter when they don’t get leads with which to pitch… or the team elects not to use them with said leads. Oh, and Robert Suarez got hurt. Lee in particular is having a ridiculous season: he has 1.4 fWAR already, and has already amassed a career-high 15 shutdowns.
Anyway, see you next month, if no one dips us all in a vat of acid. Which may be preferable at this point.
A week ago Tuesday, Pete Crow-Armstrong was on first base in a game against the Mets. It’s the top of the seventh and there’s one out. The Cubs are leading the game 7-3.
Then PCA took off for second on what turned out to be ball four to Michael Busch.
PCA was called safe at second, only to have the review crew rule him out for coming off the base and being tagged by Mets shortstop Bo Bichette.
Interestingly enough, in the video clip you don’t see second base umpire Stu Scheurwater make a call at all – as if PCA was just safe because Busch had walked. It should be noted that Scheurwater did not make an immediate judgment for the same reason umpires do not do so on missed tags or missed bases by runners. It’s not the umpires’ place to call attention to plays that are incomplete for any reason. It’s the players’ responsibility to know the possibilities and the alternatives, under the rules as written.
This play has happened at least two other times over the last couple of decades to Cubs runners.
On April 20, 2007, Ronny Cedeno was on first base with one out in the ninth in a game the Cubs were trailing 2-1. He took off for second as ball four was thrown to Jacque Jones.
Then this happened:
It’s much more clear here. Cedeno clearly came off the base and was tagged by Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein. Of course, there was no replay review back then, but the play was pretty obvious. That was a really bad play by Cedeno, under the rule he has to hold the base. If he had done so, he would have represented the tying run with one out. Instead the Cubs had a runner on first with two out, and Matt Murton popped up to end the game.
A similar play occurred June 9, 2023 in San Francisco. Nick Madrigal was on first base with one out in the top of the first. Ball four was thrown to Seiya Suzuki as Madrigal took off for second.
The same thing happened. Madrigal briefly came off the base and was tagged out. This time, a review crew reversed the safe call and Madrigal was out. The Cubs eventually won the game anyway, 3-2.
For the sake of argument, let’s say the ball four pitches in each of these situations had been a hit by pitch instead. In that case, the ball is dead and the runner would have been safe.
So why not have the same situation if it’s ball four? In my opinion, this rule should be changed to make it the same as a HBP if a runner is going in that situation. In that case – same as a walk – the batter is awarded first base and any runners are safe at other bases.
Here are the rules in question.
MLB Rule 5.06 (3) (b) says, in regard to base advances:
Each runner, other than the batter, may without liability to be put out, advance one base when:
The batter’s advance without liability to be put out forces the runner to vacate his base, or when the batter hits a fair ball that touches another runner or the umpire before such ball has been touched by, or has passed a fielder, if the runner is forced to advance.
This applies to a hit, a hit batter, an error, many other things… except! This comment is below that rule:
A runner forced to advance without liability to be put out may advance past the base to which he is entitled only at his peril. If such a runner, forced to advance, is put out for the third out before a preceding runner, also forced to advance, touches home plate, the run shall score.
This is the situation we’re talking about here. On a hit batter, the ball is dead. But on a walk, the ball is considered “live” in this situation, and that’s the rule by which PCA was tagged out. There’s another place in the rule book where this play is specifically referred to, as a comment to Rule 5.09 (b) (6):
PLAY — Runner on first and three balls on batter: Runner steals on the next pitch, which is fourth ball, but after having touched second he overslides or overruns that base. Catcher’s throw catches him before he can return. Ruling is that the runner is out.
Again, this is precisely what happened on this play.
“Umpires interpret rules correctly. They don’t get that stuff wrong,” Counsell said. “It’s a bad rule. It’s a terrible rule. I mean, I don’t know what else to say. Like, not a good rule.”
I concur with Counsell. The rule (or, more correctly, the comment noted above) should be changed to note that if that pitch is ball four and caught by the catcher, the ball should be dead and the runner given second base. The key here is “caught” – if the ball isn’t caught for any reason, sure, the play should then be live and continue.
That’s it. That’s the point of this article and my argument. Change this rule as noted above. That’s what I think. That’s what Counsell thinks. What do you think?
Jairo Iriarte 1.26 ERA, 14 1/3 IP, 7 BB, 15 K Garrett Schoenle 3.29 ERA, 13 2/3 IP, 5 BB, 15 K Jonathan Cannon 4.66 ERA, 19 1/3 IP, 10 BB, 18 K Shane Murphy 5.18 ERA, 24 1/3 IP, 9 BB, 20 K Hagen Smith 5.40 ERA, 13 1/3 IP, 8 BB, 23 K Mason Adams 5.74 ERA, 15 2/3 IP, 5 BB, 18 K
The Knights kept the good times rolling in June by finishing 14-11, although they closed the month on a four-game losing streak. Overall, the Knights have scored 518 runs, which is the most among all 20 teams in the International League. Charlotte’s +87 run differential is also No. 1 in the entire International League. In June, the Knights’ OPS was fifth in the International League in OPS (.827), and their ERA was 10th (4.84).
With Jacob Gonzalez making his way to the majors, first baseman Ryan Galanie, 26, stood out from the crowd in June. Galanie went 27-for-76 with five homers, two doubles, six walks, 17 RBIs, and he stole two bases without getting caught. With this excellent performance, Galanie’s overall season slash line is .265/.357/.521 (120 wRC+). Especially with Murakami set to return soon, the path to the majors is not straightforward for Galanie, but if he continues hitting anywhere close to this well, he will get there.
2026 Charlotte Knights Players of the Month Jacob Gonzalez (March-April) Jacob Gonzalez(May) Ryan Galanie (June)
Birmingham Barons June record8-18; Overall record 27-49
Barons Player of the Month Anthony DePino .276/.413/.529, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 87 at-bats
Alec Briley .265/.333/.480, 3-for-4 stolen bases, 98 at-bats Caleb Bonemer .267/.377/.378, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 45 at-bats (promoted from Winston-Salem on June 16) Jordan Sprinkle .269/.381/.288, 5-for-7 stolen bases, 52 at-bats Jacob Burke .241/.338/.310, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 58 at-bats Colby Shelton .187/.245/.352, 3-for-4 stolen bases, 91 at-bats Samuel Zavala .179/.301/.244, 0-for-1 stolen bases, 78 at-bats
Connor McCullough 3.80 ERA, 21 1/3 IP, 7 BB, 22 K Dylan Cumming 4.21 ERA, 25 2/3 IP, 10 BB, 22 K Lucas Gordon 5.12 ERA, 19 1/3 IP, 11 BB, 25 K Jake Palisch 8.57 ERA, 21 IP, 9 BB, 7 K Gabe Davis 13.22 ERA, 16 1/3 IP, 10 BB, 18 K
The Barons won the Southern League Championship in 2024 and 2025, but it is highly unlikely that they will pull off a three-peat. Birmingham is struggling immensely, only finding eight victories in June. During the month, Birmingham was sixth out of eight Southern League teams in OPS (.682) and last by a wide margin in ERA (6.34).
Once again, first baseman Anthony DePino was a diamond in the rough for the Barons. DePino went 24-for-87 with six homers, a triple, two doubles, 20 walks, 22 RBIs, and a stolen base in his only attempt. This is an offense that tends to stagnate for long periods, but DePino is not allowing the negative contagion to get to him. DePino has now won back-to-back Baron of the Month awards. The only other one this season went to Braden Montgomery, who has since been promoted to the majors, where he is off to a solid start. DePino, 23, is likely pretty close to a promotion to Charlotte, although Birmingham’s offense would be quite ugly if he moved up.
2026 Birmingham Barons Players of the Month Braden Montgomery (April) Anthony DePino (May) Anthony DePino (June)
Winston-Salem Dash June record13-12; Overall record 43-33
Dash Player of the Month Boston Smith .293/.481/.603, 58 at-bats (promoted to Birmingham on July 1)
James Taussig .254/.375/.612, 67 at-bats Ely Brown .253/.427/.329, 79 at-bats George Wolkow .243/.328/.485, 3-for-4 stolen bases, 103 at-bats Kyle Lodise .222/.393/.389, 10-for-11 stolen bases, 90 at-bats Ryan Burrowes .221/.373/.316, 12-for-14 stolen bases, 95 at-bats
Justin Sinibaldi 2.18 ERA, 20 2/3 IP, 4 BB, 15 K Riley Eikhoff 3.50 ERA, 18 IP, 2 BB, 15 K Mathias LaCombe 3.52 ERA, 15 1/3 IP, 6 BB, 24 K Drew McDaniel 5.03 ERA, 19 2/3 IP, 10 BB, 19 K Grant Umberger 6.62 ERA, 17 2/3 IP, 8 BB, 10 K
The Dash finished June on a high note, winning four of their last six to complete their third consecutive month with a winning record. In June, out of 12 teams in the South Atlantic League, the Dash finished fifth in OPS (.802) and third in ERA (4.20).
Catcher and outfielder Boston Smith, 23, was a major contributor to Winston-Salem’s strong month. Smith went 17-for-58 with five homers, a triple, a double, 20 walks, and 13 RBIs. Smith is primarily a catcher, but he also has some experience in left field. The White Sox selected Smith in the sixth round last year, and he is off to a fast start to his professional career. Smith’s overall slash line for the season is .285/.436/.560 (157 wRC+), and that was enough for a promotion. Smith will open July as a member of the Birmingham Barons. Congratulations to Smith on his promotion, and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to Double-A pitching. Hopefully, Smith can provide the Barons with a much-needed spark.
2026 Winston-Salem Dash Players of the Month Colby Shelton (April) Boston Smith (May) Boston Smith (June)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers June record 11-14; Overall record 37-39
Cannon Ballers Player of the Month Blaine Wynk 0.00 ERA, 15 IP, 1 BB, 11 K
Caedmon Parker 3.32 ERA, 21 2/3 IP, 9 BB, 30 K Gabriel Rodriguez 3.79 ERA, 19 IP, 3 BB, 17 K Alexander Martinez 5.87 ERA, 15 1/3 IP, 11 BB, 17 K Truman Pauley 6.43 ERA, 21 IP, 15 BB, 22 K
After a horrible April and an excellent May, the Cannon Ballers settled for a mediocre month of June. The Cannon Ballers fell back slightly below .500 with an 11-14 month. The offense posted a poor month (.687 OPS, 11th out of 12 Carolina League teams), but the pitching staff’s ERA (3.76) was third.
Starting pitcher Blaine Wynk, 22, was mighty close to unhittable in June. Wynk did not allow any earned runs in 15 innings of work, and he collected 11 strikeouts while only issuing one walk. After this excellent month, Wynk’s season ERA sits at 2.38, and his FIP is 3.96. Overall, opposing hitters are slashing a modest .250/.322/.388 against him, and those numbers are certainly trending in the right direction. Well done to Wynk on his clean month, as he spearheaded the pitching staff’s strong effort.
2026 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Players of the Month Max Banks (April) Max Banks (May) Blaine Wynk (June)
ACL White Sox June record 5-16; Overall record 12-30
Complex Sox Player of the Month Yordani Soto .390/.510/.585, 41 at-bats
Reinder Gomez 6.52 ERA, 9 2/3 IP, 7 BB, 9 K Jeremy Gonzalez 6.97 ERA, 10 1/3 IP, 5 BB, 6 K Justin Fuson 8.47 ERA, 17 IP, 3 BB, 16 K Fabian Ysalla 9.17 ERA, 17 2/3 IP, 9 BB, 7 K Fidel Montero 9.82 ERA, 14 2/3 IP, 11 BB, 21 K
The Complex Sox did not provide many highlights, as they are really suffering. In June, out of 15 teams in the Arizona Complex League, the Complex Sox posted the No. 14 OPS (.725) and the No. 13 ERA (7.99). Before anyone asks, yes, somehow, two teams had a worse June ERA, but regardless, it was a horrible month.
Despite the team’s poor performance, shortstop Yordani Soto, 17, was a force to be reckoned with. Soto slashed .395/.519/.651 in June to lead the way for the offense. Overall, Soto is slashing .290/.393/.540 (120 wRC+), as he has consistently been among the best players on this 12-30 squad.
2026 Complex Sox Players of the Month Kendry García(May) Yordani Soto (June)
DSL White Sox June record 6-16; Overall record 6-16
DSL White Sox Player of the Week Sebastian Romero .338/.430/.765, 4-for-5 stolen bases, 68 at-bats
Yordany Marte 4.26 ERA, 12 2/3 IP, 6 BB, 16 K Ronald Kelly 6.00 ERA, 15 IP, 12 BB, 20 K Roderic Ramirez 6.23 ERA, 13 IP, 8 BB, 13 K Jefferson Timaure 7.59 ERA, 10 2/3 IP, 7 BB, 9 K Alexander De Los Santos 8.03 ERA, 12 1/3 IP, 5 BB, 9 K
Yeah, the White Sox affiliates are not having a good time in the Rookie Leagues. The squad in the DSL just posted a .777 OPS (26th out of 51 teams) but a ridiculous 9.52 ERA (50th out of 51). Also, before anyone asks, the DSL Twins posted a 10.19 ERA.
Thank goodness for center fielder Sebastian Romero, 17, who was on top of his game. Romero went 24-for-71 with seven homers, two triples, four doubles, six walks, 27 RBIs, and he added four stolen bases while only being caught once. Romero’s big month resulted in a 154 wRC+, and he showed that he can be a jack of all trades.
2026 DSL White Sox Players of the Week Sebastian Romero (June)
Who gets YOUR vote for Minor League Player of the Month?
Both the Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates were forced to brave triple-digit temperatures in their series finale at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday afternoon.
The Pirates just braved ‘em a little better than the Phillies did.
The Phils concluded their last homestand before the All-Star break with a 6-1 loss to their cross-state rivals in front of a parched crowd of 37,851. The two teams split the four-game series.
Left-handed relief pitching proved to be an issue for the Phillies in the series. Kyle Backhus hit two of the three batters he faced – one of the HBPs forced in a run – in Wednesday night’s game, which the Phillies ended up winning, 10-6. He returned in Thursday’s defeat and gave up a solo homer to the first batter he faced in the ninth.
Earlier in the game, lefty Tim Mayza faced five batters in the fifth inning and gave up three hits and the tying run.
Two innings later, the Phils’ top bullpen lefty, Jose Alvarado, faced six batters and was tagged for three hits, one of which was a triple, and two runs as the Pirates took the lead.
Alvarado’s ERA stands at 6.10. He has allowed 41 hits in 31 innings.
Phillies baseball boss Dave Dombrowski has several holes to consider filling at the trade deadline. A late-game bullpen arm, possibly from the left side, could be one of them if Alvarado can’t get it going.
The bullpen struggles continued in the eighth inning when Lou Trivino gave up two runs, including a home run to Endy Rodriguez.
The bullpen was hardly the only culprit in defeat. The Phillies’ bats produced just four hits on the day and never built on an RBI double by Bryce Harper in the third inning. Harper has at least one RBI in eight straight games. He leads the team with 57.
Right-hander Alan Rangel started for the Phillies. He did not allow a run and left with a 1-0 lead after four innings. However, he needed 90 pitches to complete those four innings. Rangel is filling the fifth spot in the rotation until the Phillies add an arm in a trade or Andrew Painter returns from Triple A as a new man.
Pittsburgh got excellent pitching from Jared Jones, Carmen Mlodzinski, Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery.
Montgomery struck out Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott to end the game at 3:38 p.m. The temperature on the scoreboard read 105 degrees.
The Phillies hit the road for Kansas City after the game. They will play their next nine games on the road, taking them into the All-Star break. They are off Friday before starting a three-game series against the Royals on Saturday. After Kansas City, the Phils play three at Cincinnati and three at Detroit. It’s a favorable schedule for the Phillies as the Royals, Reds and Tigers are a combined 35 games under .500.
Rasmus Andersson’s future is officially in Las Vegas.
After joining the Golden Knights in a midseason trade from the Calgary Flames, the veteran defenceman has signed a seven-year contract worth $59.5 million, carrying an average annual value of $8.5 million. The agreement ensures Andersson will remain a key part of Vegas’ blue line for years to come.
The 29-year-old was acquired by the Golden Knights on Jan. 18 in one of Calgary’s biggest moves of the season. In return, the Flames received defenceman Zach Whitecloud, University of North Dakota prospect Abram Wiebe, a 2027 first-round draft pick, and a conditional second-round selection in 2028. Calgary also agreed to retain 50 percent of Andersson’s salary as part of the transaction.
Andersson made his impact felt after arriving in Vegas, notching 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) in 33 regular-season games. Between the Flames and Golden Knights, he finished the 2025-26 campaign with 47 points, including 17 goals and 30 assists, in 81 games.
He also played an important role during Vegas’ playoff run, contributing six assists in 22 games.
Andersson is one of the most productive defencemen in franchise history. Over 584 games with the Flames, he recorded 261 points, ranking sixth among blueliners in team history in scoring. He also sits seventh among Calgary defencemen in games played and ranks 15th overall in franchise history.
With the trade for Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors announced themselves as a major threat in the East. They had locked down a roster capable of winning the conference.
Now, they have locked down their coach, too. Toronto announced a multi-year extension with coach Darko Rajakovic, who was about to head into the final year of his contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"I'm proud of the progress we've made, but our team knows there is still a lot of work to do, and I am looking forward to continuing to build and win with the Raptors. We will keep growing, keep working together and stay committed to getting better every day as we reach for our goal of an NBA Championship," Rajaković said in a statement announcing the extension.
Toronto had previously locked down general manager Brian Webster, who was also headed into the final year of his contract.
Rajakovic has a 101-145 record since taking over the Raptors three years ago, but the team has steadily improved each season and finished last year 46-35, earning the No. 5 seed in the East.
"We're thrilled to extend Darko as head coach of the Toronto Raptors. Darko's strong development philosophy and commitment to a team-first culture shine through on a daily basis," Webster said in announcing the extension. "We've seen these qualities play out on the court - our team plays hard, plays together, and fights until the end. Darko knows there's more to be done, and we're looking forward to seeing the continued growth of this team."
Nashville Predators general manager Chris MacFarland has put a lot of stock in Colorado Avalanche center Jack Drury early on.
On June 24, the Predators sent Zach L'Heureux and Fedor Svechkov to Colorado for Drury, Chase Bradley and a 2029 third-round draft pick.
Four days later, Drury was signed to a five-year, $22.5 million contract, with a AAV of $4.5 million.
While the contract came under some criticism for its size and length, MacFarland defended it, saying that Drury would be an important player, supplementing the middle of the ice and building on the established culture.
"Jack (Drury) is a guy that is not a 25-goal, 60-point guy, but he is elite defensively," MacFarland said ahead of the NHL Draft. "That ability for a coach to throw out a center against the other teams' top players and feel comfortable doing so on the road is massive.
"Then what Jack does off the ice and what he'll do for the young players. I believe it is really, really important long term."
On Thursday, Drury spoke to the media for the first time, saying he wants to continue doing what he does best on the ice, adding a defensive element down the middle and showing he can be utilized up and down the ice.
"Hopefully I can take on a bit more responsibility in general (than in Colorado), but be good defensively and help offensively when I can," Drury said. "Be good on the penalty kill, and just play a solid 200-foot game. That's kind of who I've been since I've joined the league. I can take my game to another level, but at the same time I want to stick with what makes me good and do what I can within my role."
Last season in Denver, Drury scored 27 points off of 10 goals and 17 assists in 82 games, giving Colorado a depth boost from the middle six. He's expected to play in that same role this season in Nashville, forecasted to center Ross Colton and Matthew Wood.
When it comes to the leadership aspect off the ice, MacFarland made it clear that Drury will be an important player in bringing in the next generation of Predators.
Drury said he isn't looking to drastically change anything but wants to help expand the already established culture built by guys like Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, and others.
"It means a lot here, and it comes from CMAC," Drury said on MacFarland's leadership comments. "He's someone I respect so much, and I'm glad he sees that in me. As far as what I can bring, I think they've already got a great leadership corps there...It's just continuing to do what I do every day.
"It's just kind of about the habits, being a profession and being consistent doing things day in and day out the right way."
"We'll continue to build that culture in Nashville, as I'm sure the guys have already laid a great foundation."
As for what he'd seen from Nashville before his arrival, he was surprised by where the Predators were in the standings last season, as Colorado was put to the test in all four meetings.
The Predators picked up two wins over the Avalanche last season, one in a 4-3 shootout result on Dec. 9 in Nashville and the other a 7-3 blowout in Denver on Jan. 16, which was Colorado's first regulation loss at home.
"I was always kind of surprised by where they were at the standings whenever we played them because, quite frankly, they dominated us," Drury said. "I know it's a fast team. It's a really good mix of some veteran guys who have been superstars in the league for a long time and some young guys who bring a lot of speed, energy and skills. They've got the depth now and obviously, incredible goaltenders."
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 27: Jared Jones #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on June 27, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies, July 2, 2026, 12:35 p.m. ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are finishing off a four-game set against their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Phillies.
Taking the mound to close out the series for the Pirates is Jared Jones, who is making his seventh start of the season. In his last appearance on June 27 against the Cincinnati Reds, Jones pitched 4.2 innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs as Pittsburgh lost 9-7 at home to Cincinnati. Jones has only gone five innings in one of his six starts this season, so the bullpen might be tasked with picking up a few more innings than they normally would.
Countering for the Phillies is Allen Rangel, who is making his first start of the season. Rangel has made three relief appearances for the Phillies this season as a long reliever:
Pitched 3 innings against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 22.
Pitched 5 innings against the Washington Nationals on June 22, giving up one earned run.
Pitched 4 innings against the New York Mets on June 27 in a 6-2 loss at Citi Field. Tim Mayza was the opener, and Rangel came in during the second inning. He gave up four hits and four earned runs as the Phillies struggled to give him much run support.
Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Jared Jones (1-1, 5.76 ERA) vs. Alan Rangel (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
BD community, chime off in the comments section below.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker will undergo surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee and miss the remainder of the season.
“This is a big blow,” manager Mark Kotsay said before the A’s played the Los Angeles Dodgers. “It’s a middle-of-the-order bat. It’s a guy that produced for us offensively for the last three seasons with 30-plus homers. There’s not one guy that is going to come in here and step in with that type of production. We’ll do our best to fill that void and make the best of the situation.”
The tear was discovered during an examination at Stanford.
A two-time All-Star, Rooker hasn’t played since June 8.
Rooker played in all 162 games in 2025 but was in and out of the lineup this season due to his knee and a nagging oblique issue. The 31-year-old slugger was batting .200 with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs before he was placed on the injured list June 12, retroactive to June 9.
In addition to Rooker being sidelined, three other A’s starters landed on the IL in late June: infielders Zack Gelof (bruised right hand) and Jacob Wilson (right thumb inflammation), and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (left hip impingement).
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 30: A guest walks by a cutout of former Major League Baseball player Jose Canseco at the newly opened Jose Canseco's Showtime Car Wash on October 30, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images) | Getty Images
José Canseco is probably one of the most famous baseball players of recent times. While he had success in the major leagues, winning several awards and two championships, said fame is probably infamy more than anything else. He was always a bit of a character and his revelations about PED use, both by him and other players, only burnished his reputation as a wild card. His career with the Yankees wasn’t especially notable other than one moment or two, but he did end up winning a World Series ring.
As he celebrates his birthday today, let’s look back at the wild life and times of José Canseco.
José Canseco Capas Jr. Born: July 2, 1964 (Havana, Cuba) Yankees Tenure: 2000
Canseco was born in Cuba in 1964, along with a twin brother. Said twin — Osvaldo, more commonly known as “Ozzie” — would also make the major leagues, albeit with less success and fame. His family left Cuba shortly after Fidel Castro came to power, eventually settling in Miami, Florida.
In high school, Canseco was a bit of a slow developer, failing to make his school’s varsity team until he was a senior. However, he pretty quickly hit the ground running as a senior, catching the eye of former major league pitcher Camilo Pascual, who happened to be both the father of one of Canseco’s teammates and also a scout for the Oakland Athletics. He convinced his employers to draft Canseco, and the A’s picked him up in the 15th round of the 1982 Draft.
Upon getting drafted and working his way through the minors, Canseco’s talent started to draw rave reviews. His ability to hit monster home runs got him all kinds of lofty comparisons, with some even dubbing him “the next Mickey Mantle.” Oakland eventually called up Canseco to the big leagues in September 1985. He impressed in his short cameo, hitting five homers in that final month. The following year in his first full season, Canseco was good enough to be honored with the 1986 AL Rookie of the Year.
Two other important things for the A’s happened that season. One was that a midseason managerial changed led to them hiring Tony LaRussa. The other was that Oakland gave a MLB debut to another young slugger in Mark McGwire. The following year, McGwire won Rookie of the Year himself, as he and Canseco formed a powerful middle order combo that would be dubbed “The Bash Brothers.” (Later, wonderfully parodied by Andy Samberg and “The Lonely Island.”)
In 1988, Canseco broke out in a big way. Putting up the first-ever 40-40 season with 42 homers and 40 steals, he was named AL MVP, helping the A’s win the American League pennant. They would famously be upset by the Dodgers and Kirk Gibson’s heroics in the World Series, with Canseco going just 1-for-19 in the five games. Despite that, he had arrived into stardom.
Around that time, Canseco’s off the field antics also started to get him a name. Prior to the 1989 season, he was arrested for carrying a loaded handgun while on a college campus, claiming that he was carrying the gun for protection. Between that and injuries, he was limited to 65 games that season. However, he again helped Oakland win the AL, and this time around, he hit much better, as the A’s beat the Giants in the “Bay Bridge Series.”
Canseco and the A’s returned to the World Series in 1990, but fell to the Reds. Over the next couple years, Canseco generally continued putting up good numbers, but he continued to get unneeded attention off the field. Further legal issues and further tabloid fodder — such as a rumored affair with popstar Madonna — eventually became a bit too much for the A’s. Just ahead of the 1992 trade deadline, Oakland sent him to Texas.
With the Rangers, Canseco continued producing, but those teams generally went nowhere. Plus, the most famous moment of that stint was probably him failing to catch a ball on the warning track, allowing it to bounce off his head and over the fence for a home run.
Despite still mostly putting up decent numbers and still having his prodigious power, Canseco started to become a journeyman after that. Texas eventually traded him to the Red Sox, and after that he had stints back in Oakland, with the Blue Jays, and then with the early “Hit Show” Devil Rays. It was in Tampa Bay where in the midst of an injury-plagued 2000 season, Tampa Bay placed him on waivers. Somewhat shockingly, as they didn’t particularly need an outfielder/DH type, the Yankees claimed him and agreed to terms with the D-Rays on a trade on August 7th. Speculation was heavy that the Yankees only claimed him to keep him away from some of the other contending teams that might’ve had an interest in Canseco. By his own admission, Joe Torre didn’t really know what to do with him.
Canseco’s tenure with the Yankees wasn’t especially notable, except for a towering home run that he hit at Yankee Stadium.
Canseco put up just above average numbers, but he ended up being somewhat useful, as the Yankees stumbled down the stretch and just barely hung on to the AL East title. However, they caught fire in October, eventually beating the Mets and winning Canseco his second ring. Personally though, he didn’t have fond memories of his Yankee tenure, calling it “the worst time of my life,” due to his curtailed playing time.
Canseco played for the White Sox in 2001. That would be his last major league season, although not for a lack of trying. After failing to make the Montreal Expos in 2002 spring training and spending much of it back at the White Sox Triple-A affiliate, he announced his “retirement,” but continued playing in various independent leagues for several years after that. As late as 2018, he still appeared in some games for various independent teams, often trying his hand as a pitcher as well.
Now, it’s time to talk about the thing I haven’t been mentioning throughout all this: Canseco’s steroid use. Rumors around his PED use dated back to during his active playing career, but Canseco admitted to using them in his infamous book “Juiced” released in 2005. The book gained notoriety as Canseco not only admitted his own use, but accused several other famous major leaguers as well, including his former Bash Brother McGwire. He ended up being proven correct on many of the names. He said his own use dated back to his early minor league years and continued throughout pretty much all of his MLB years.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 27: Alan Rangel #57 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during the second inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 27, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 26: Andrew Alvarez #54 of the Washington Nationals pitches during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Friday, June 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Piazza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
At the end of last season, Andrew Alvarez had five really nice starts for the Nats. He did not go that deep into games, but Alvarez proved to be effective with his breaking ball heavy attack. However, I was not fully convinced about the lefty. With a fastball that averaged 91, and middling results at AAA, I thought it was a flash in the pan.
This season Alvarez is proving me wrong one outing at a time. He is still not going deep into games, but he is just getting as many outs as the team needs. On the season, the 27 year old southpaw has a 3.05 ERA and 2.65 FIP in 41.1 innings across 11 appearances and 5 starts. The velocity is more in the 92-93 range and his breaking balls are as sharp as ever.
For a guy who does not throw hard, Alvarez gets a ton of strikeouts. This season, he has 48 K’s in 41.1 innings. He is striking out 27.6% of hitters, which has him tied with Braxton Ashcraft and Reid Detmers, two breakout arms who throw much harder than him. My favorite part of Alvarez’s game is his ability to finish guys off with two strikes. It is a skill that not many arms on this staff have, but he does it super well.
Andrew Alvarez is really good at putting hitters away with two strikes
His go-to two strike weapon and his best pitch is his curveball. It is a really sharp curve that he throws quite hard and commands well. His other pitches do not really pop on most stuff models, but stuff+ really likes his curve. Despite not throwing his fastball that hard, his 83 MPH curveball is significantly harder than the average 80 MPH lefty curve.
Most harder curveballs sacrifice some movement in exchange for the extra power. That is not the case for the Alvarez curve though. He actually gets more drop and break than the average curveball. It is truly a unique pitch and has been getting exceptional results. Batters are hitting .179 with a 35.1% whiff rate on his hook. Of his 48 strikeouts, 30 of them have come on the curveball. With that context, it is no surprise that the curveball is his most used pitch.
The curve is not Alvarez’s only swing and miss breaking ball though. He also has a slider which he throws 26.3% of the time, just 2% less than the curve. The slider comes in at about the same speed, so if you did not know any better, you would think it is a misread curve. However, if you look at the pitch plot, the two pitches have very distinct movement profiles.
Having two breaking balls at the same speed with different movement is also a unique piece of Alvarez’s arsenal. The slider actually has a higher whiff rate than the curve, but it gets hit harder and he only has 11 strikeouts on the pitch. Here is a neat video of Alvarez getting strikeouts on the slider and the curve though.
It is no secret that Alvarez is a breaking ball reliant pitcher. He throws either the curve or the slider 54.7% of the time. That is his bread and butter, and he knows it. The fact that Alvarez knows himself so well as a pitcher is another strength for him.
The fastball is not a strength of Alvarez’s game, but he mixes in his 4-seamer and sinker just enough. Batters are hitting over .300 on both, but the heaters keep them honest and get a good amount of ground balls. On the season, Alvarez has an elite 55% ground ball rate.
Despite not having a great fastball, Alvarez still has good stuff, just not in the traditional way. His breaking balls grade out well, and he uses that to get strikeouts. He is a good example of a pitcher not having to throw 100 to be a swing and miss guy.
Andrew Alvarez has basically scrapped his fastball for his sinker vs LHB (Good!), but still throws it too much to RHB (Bad!)
Only 34 thrown, but the sinker has worked vs righties, tho expected numbers say that may not last. Would rather see it more than the FF pic.twitter.com/rxgZewYpIP
While Alvarez will walk some hitters, his overall command is strong. He does a nice job placing his curveball at or below the bottom of the zone and locating his 4-seamer at the top of the zone. Alvarez also spots his sinker down and into lefties, which is a nice spot to put it. His overall location+ grade is 106, which is better than average.
Overall, I am very encouraged by Alvarez’s season. The fastball will limit him, and he is not necessarily a guy you want facing hitters 3 times. However, he is a really solid piece in this pitching staff. Moving forward, I think he could have a lot of success in a Brad Lord type role.
We saw Lord and Alvarez team up yesterday, and that is a cool concept. Those two could combine for 7 innings and create a very good starter in the aggregate. While Alvarez does not have the flashy velocity many teams are looking for, he is proving that his spin heavy attack is not a flash in the pan.
Some English soccer fans weren’t done getting their sports fix after their comeback win over DR Congo on Wednesday.
Following Harry Kane’s heroics that sent the Three Lions through to the World Cup Round of 16 in Atlanta in the afternoon, a group of supporters made their way to the Braves game against the Cardinals.
Standing in a section beyond left-center field, the fans threw their support behind Braves center fielder Michael Harris, singing songs like “Walking in a Harris wonderland” and “Baseball’s coming home again with Michael Harris.”
England fans have chosen a random baseball player, Michael Harris of the Atlanta Braves, to support more than anyone else at the baseball after beating DR Congo
England World Cup fans cheer at the Braves-Cardinals game in Atlanta on July 1, 2026. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
An appreciative Harris threw a ball toward the fans before the start of an inning.
“So it’s my first experience of baseball and we didn’t know what to expect,” an English fan named Nige told Braves TV reporter Wiley Ballard. “And what we’re trying to do is just bring a little bit of English atmosphere to what is obviously a slightly different sport. But it’s amazing, it’s fantastic to see something different. I love the whole build, I love the atmosphere, I love the fact that you guys do something so big. Just to be part of it for one night is really special.”
Harris went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Atlanta’s 5-1 win as the Braves improved to 50-34.
The NL East leaders are 2 1/2 games up on the Phillies entering Thursday.
Every match of the FIFA World Cup will air on either FOX or FOX Sports 1. If you don’t have cable, you can take advantage of a DIRECTV free trial to stream it all.
Prefer to check out the action live and in person? Shop World Cup 2026 tickets on SeatGeek and make sure to use promo code NYPOST10 for $10 off purchases over $250 at checkout if you’re a first-time SeatGeek user.
Harris, 25, was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2022, when he burst onto the scene by slashing .297/.339/.514 with 19 homers and 64 RBIs.
After a couple of down years offensively, Harris is hitting .293 with an .817 OPS, 14 homers and 44 RBIs in 78 games this season.
England now heads to Mexico City for a daunting match against Mexico at Estadio Azteca on Sunday.
