Rockies 3, Red Sox 2
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Jake McCarthy!: Jake McCarthy, +0.41 WPA
Chapbad: Aroldis Chapman, -0.88 WPA
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What a stupid game baseball is. White Sox 6, Guardians 5. I can’t take much more of this.
The Guardians looked hopeless for six innings against a bad pitcher in Anthony Kay. The White Sox had a homer and scratched another run home off of Gavin Williams who went six. Tim Herrin gave up a homer to Randal Grichuk whom the Guardians could have had off waivers but couldn’t find room for because they have Stuart Fairchild. 3-0 White Sox.
Then, the Guardians somehow tied the game. Steven Kwan, Daniel Schneemann and Travis Bazzana got on base and Stephen Vogt pinch-hit Kahlil Watson for David Fry and it worked! Watson got his first major league hit and it scored two runs. Then Rhys Hoskins hit a single and I have no idea why third base coach Rouglas Odor held Watson at third but he did and so the Guardians only scored three runs. 3-3.
The White Sox got a hustle double on a groundball not hard hit by one of their Montgomeries off of Sean Armstrong. And then he scored on a stupid broken bat groundball that Hoskins misplayed either because he had bat shards flying at him or because of the English on the ball or because he is a bad defender. Or all of the above.
BUT the Guardians took the lead back on a Travis Bazzana walk, then two steals to get to third on a wild pitch, and a Patrick Bailey single, followed by a Brayan Rocchio double that (after a horrendous at-bat from Rhys Hoskins against a Seranthony Dominguez incapable of throwing strikes) resulted in Bailey barely scoring on a Kyle Manzardo sacrifice fly. 5-4 good guys.
Now, needless to say, Gabriel Arias, batting sixth, struck out to end this two-run 9th inning. Arias struck out five times, including one in the first where the catcher completely missed the ball and Arias could have made it to first and caused a run to score but he was too busy lazily making his way to the dugout. I have not despised a Guardians player as much as I have Arias in a good while.
Cade Smith had worked a scoreless eighth for some reason, so Stephen Vogt brought him out for the 9th. And of course he gave up a BABIP double who scored on a pitch that the one super Italian-sounding White Sox player hit for a single around his eyeballs to win the game. Yay, White Sox, you’re division leaders again.
Travis Bazzana was great, Brayan Rocchio was great. Congratulations to Kahlil Watson on your first major league hit. Now, I am going to try to go to sleep and try not to dread watching this team again tomorrow.
Thank you for stopping by BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit with us for a while. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. We still have a couple of good tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last week I asked you who was the Greatest Living Cub, since the passing of Ryne Sandberg last year. Most of you went back to the great team that almost was in 1969, with Billy Williams earning 52 percent of the vote and Fergie Jenkins finishing second with 31 percent. Both are Hall of Famers, of course.
Here’s the part where we listen to jazz and talk movies. As always, you’re allowed to pick and choose which parts you want to follow.
Tonight we’re honored to have saxophonist Kenny Garrett live in Tokyo earlier this year. Joining Garrett and his alto sax are Keith Brown on piano, Corcoran Holt on bass, Rudy Bird on percussion, Melvis Santa on vocals (and percussion) and the drummer is Ronald Bruner, Jr.
A few weeks ago I was asked by one of you what I thought of the various adaptations of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe novels. I had to admit that I had never seen Dick Powell’s portrayal of Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet (1944), even though Powell is an actor that I generally like. I’ve now seen Murder, My Sweet and I can tell you that while I still like Dick Powell, Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum are still the definitive Marlowes.
Powell became a big star in the thirties playing what’s known at the “juvenile lead” in musicals like 42nd Street and The Gold Diggers of 1933. While Powell enjoyed singing and dancing (and presumably kissing Ruby Keeler), by the 1940s he felt he was too old to play the young innocent in a musical romance anymore. He wanted something darker and tougher, and Chandler’s world-weary antihero was exactly what he wanted.
Murder, My Sweet is actually the first on-screen performance of Philip Marlowe, based on the novel Farewell, My Lovely. (Test audiences reportedly thought Powell in a movie called Farewell, My Lovely was another musical, thus the name change.) Powell’s performance of Marlowe predates Bogart by two years.
The Chandler novels were very popular, but there were some major issues adapting them to film during the Code era. The first is that topics like homosexuality, drug abuse, pornography and the like were all verboten, so they had to just be alluded to or written out of the script altogether. The other issue is something that everyone who has read Chandler (and I’ve read Farewell, My Lovely among others) is quite familiar with: Chandler sucked at plots. The Marlowe novels are all about the overall mood, atmosphere and Chandler’s punch-you-in-the-face prose. The plots are usually nonsensical if you think about them for more than a minute. That’s even before you have to take out the parts that don’t meet Code specifications. Howard Hawks’ The Big Sleep also suffers from this same issues with a plot that just doesn’t hang together.
Murder, My Sweet director Edward Dmytryk was a B-movie director who yearned to direct A-pictures. He and cinematographer Harry J. Wild decided to borrow from what Orson Welles and Gregg Toland did in Citizen Kane: lots of long shadows and odd angles. In doing so, Murder, My Sweet was perhaps the most influential film in creating the look of film noir that lasted through the next two decades. As I watched Murder, My Sweet, I didn’t find the cinematography to be any more than a solid if unspectacular noir look. But it wasn’t until later that I realized how it seem imitative to me was because I’d seen too many films that imitated it.
The biggest source of controversy on Murder, My Sweet is Powell’s portrait of Marlowe. Some like it as very energetic and alive. I, along with others, don’t think it’s right for Chandler’s cynical, world-weary Marlowe who swims above the muck rather than in it. Watching Powell’s Marlowe made me think that Powell was giving a very good performance as Mike Hammer. Powell is much more action-oriented and emotional than Marlowe should be. Bogart’s Marlowe and his Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon can blur together. He played them pretty much alike, although the dialogue of Hawks and screenwriters Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman’s forced Bogart to correctly play Marlowe with a slightly lighter and more detached touch than Spade. That he was opposite Lauren Bacall instead of Mary Astor in The Big Sleep made a huge difference too. Powell isn’t bad, but he doesn’t quite capture Chandler’s antihero the way Bogart or Mitchum, thirty years later, would do.
Playing against Powell are Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley as Helen and Ann Grayle, stepmother and stepdaughter. One is supposed to be the heroine and the other one the femme fatale and we’re supposed to be guessing which one is which throughout the film. Unfortunately, casting Trevor as Helen and Shirley as Ann doesn’t leave much doubt as to which one is which.
I should mention that former pro wrestler Mike Mazurki is very good in the supporting role of the big but sensitive thug Moose Malloy.
There’s some things I almost forgot to mention. There’s a short drug-induced dream sequence in Murder, My Sweet that comes off as amusing and dated. I’m pretty sure that’s not the effect Dmytryk was going for. He also tries to recreate Chandler’s prose by having Powell narrate the entire film as a flashback. That effort is more successful, and Dmytryk wisely doesn’t overuse the narration.
Murder, My Sweet was rushed into production after the success of Double Indemnity, co-written by Chandler, earlier in 1944. The success of the two films are credited for kicking off the whole film noir craze that would run for the next 15-20 years in Hollywood. The Big Sleep, for example, was rushed into production right after Murder, My Sweet was a hit, although delays because of the war and a need to shoot more scenes with Lauren Bacall (after Bogart and Bacall become front page news on all the gossip magazines) meant that it wasn’t released to theaters until 1946.
Overall, Murder, My Sweet is a good but not great film noir that is more imporant for its role in kickstarting the genre than it’s actual quality. Powell is a bit off as Marlowe, although as I said, he’d have made a decent Mike Hammer. Dmytryk and Wild did a great job of recreating Chandler’s dark Los Angeles with lighting and angles. If the film seems a little derivative, that’s mostly because so many other filmmakers copied it.
Murder, My Sweet is on HBO Max.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
The Cubs announced that Matthew Boyd will come off the injured list and start against the Mets on Thursday this afternoon. Obviously that is good news for the beleaguered Cubs pitching staff.
What wasn’t announced was who was going to leave the Cubs rotation after Boyd returns. Currently, the Cubs five-man rotation stands at Shōta Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, Colin Rea and Javier Assad. Yes, I know that only Imanaga and Cabrera were expected to be in the rotation at the start of the year, but Boyd, Jameson Taillon and of course, Cade Horton, are hurt.
With Boyd getting healthy, one of those five pitchers will have to move to the bullpen. Brown has been too good with a 1.70 ERA over eight starts to even think of moving him to the pen. Neither Imanaga nor Cabrera have any real experience pitching in the bullpen and the Cubs have always intended for the two of them to start.
So that leaves Assad and Rea, both of whom moved into the rotation because of injuries. Unless the Cubs decide to go to a six-man rotation (which is possible, I guess), either Rea or Assad will have to go to the pen. Luckily, both of them have a good amount of experience there. This season, Rea has made 12 starts and four relief appearances. He has an ERA of 4.99. His fielding independent pitching (FIP) is 4.83. Assad has made five starts and seven relief appearances with an ERA of 3.89 and a FIP of 4.42.
So Assad would seem like the natural one to stay in the rotation and Rea to the bullpen, right? Not so fast. For one, the FIP difference in the two pitchers is not nearly as great as the ERA, although there is enough of a difference that it’s fair to say that Assad has pitched better. But Assad also pitches better out of the bullpen than he does in the rotation (3.95 ERA to 3.78) and Rea pitches better in the rotation (4.92 vs. 5.29) than the ‘pen. Rea was also very good in his last start (six scoreless innings against the Blue Jays) while the bullpen imploded to cost the Cubs the game. Maybe the Cubs win that game if Assad is pitching out of the bullpen.
Assad also has minor league options that would allow him to be sent to Iowa to continue to start should they need him to fill in for another injured starter later on, although the Cubs are hoping to get Taillon and Justin Steele back sometime in July or August.
So which Cubs starting pitcher would you send to the bullpen to make room for Matthew Boyd?
Thank you for stopping by. Don’t be a stranger. Get home safely. Stay cool and dry out there. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
Heading into Monday's game against the Tigers, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole had made five solid starts since returning on May 22 and shown flashes of his former self pre Tommy John surgery.
But things didn't go as planned in Detroit.
Cole battled for 4.1 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits (the most he's given up this year) with five strikeouts and a walk. He avoided trouble after leadoff hits in the first and second innings, but a leadoff triple in the third inning caught up to him as the Tigers scored three runs in the frame. The righty gave up another run in the fourth before allowing a solo homer in the fifth inning, eventually ending his night.
"I sure made a handful of mistakes there," Cole said after the 5-3 loss. "A couple of them, the two-out two-run RBI to [Colt] Keith, the homer to [Riley] Greene, the double to [Spencer] Torkelson kind of put extra pressure on us from those mistakes. They hit a good amount of good pitches, but we just weren't able to respond with the type of quality pitches to get out of those situations from the extra pressure they put on us."
One of the issues Monday was that Cole gave up a hit to the Tigers leadoff man in all five innings he pitched, including Riley's fifth-inning home run. He said that while it "puts pressure" on him, the Yanks weren't able to overcome the adversity.
"Like I said, I certainly made some mistakes," Cole said. "The opposition is going to put pressure on you sometimes. The reality is, it's not the try-hard league, it's the get-it-done league, and we just didn't get it done tonight."
He added: "They got nine hits, they just put a ton of pressure on us and played overall just slightly better baseball. That's just the way it broke tonight."
Manager Aaron Boone thought Cole's stuff looked "alright" and credited the Tigers for making him work with consistent contact throughout the game.
"I thought stuff-wise was alright and he had some swing-and-miss going, had some strikeouts, they didn't really miss though," Boone said. "When he missed or was a little off with the fastball they were able to square it up. So probably there were some times where he was trying to go to a location and maybe pulled it or missed a little more in the middle or missed in when he was going away a handful of times and they capitalized on that. Probably had some opportunities.
"I thought he had a good slider going, probably some chances in some situations where he didn't get that down enough to get some swing-and-miss or weak contact. But overall, stuff-wise I thought alright. They pressured him with a lot of good at-bats. Even early, first couple of innings, held them off the scoreboard. They were able to get the leadoff batter on and pressure him and make him work real hard. They put some good swings on some pitches where they got a little bit in the heart and they got a chance."
With the box scoring looking the way it did, Cole was asked if his performance can be attributed to pitching post-Tommy John surgery, which he immediately disagreed with.
"I don't think it has anything to do with that," Cole said. "The reality is, pitches over the heart of the plate, there's three. There's three over the heart of the plate. Now pretty critical about some of the other stuff... I think just when it's all set and done, the real mistake that I jumped way ahead and just goosed a fastball to Keith there to cash the other two in. That would've been great to convert that out and keep that at a one."
And Boone agreed that Monday's outing had nothing to do with Cole's injury, saying the right-hander has performed to the level he expects.
"I think overall he's pitching very much in line with who Gerrit Cole's been throughout his career," Boone said. "I think he looks good, the stuff's there. It always comes down to how well you execute time in and time out. For the most part, he's been very good. They took advantage of some pitches that probably leaked into the heart of the plate on him today and put up some points on him."
Julius Randle may have missed the parade, but he’s returning to New York City. As a member of the Brooklyn Nets, that is.
On Monday evening, NetsDaily welcomedall to the “Sean Marks Trade Zone,” now that there are under 24 hours to go until the NBA Draft. As we noted: “Nine years out the 10 he’s been GM, with the exception of 2022, Marks has made at least one move in said zone.”
One hour later, Shams Charania of ESPN broke the news that the Brooklyn Nets had traded for Julius Randle in a three-team deal that send Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls…
So now, it’s 10 out of 11 with a day to go!
The trade calculous goes like this:
— The Minnesota Timberwolves clear cap space to sign shooting guard Ayo Dosunmu (which they did to the tune of $112 million over five later in the evening), and a starting role for Naz Reid. They also acquired Mouhamadou Gueye, a second year player who’s on a non-guaranteed deal, and generated a $33.3 million trade exception good for a year.
— The Chicago Bulls receive a functional center for nothing other than the cost of his slightly overpriced $22 million annual salary.
— The Brooklyn Nets receive a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection making about $69 million over the next two seasons, or just over 20% of the cap. Put plainly: The Brooklyn Nets just paid $27 million over the next two seasons to replace Claxton with Randle. They also got a second first round pick, the No. 28, from the Timberwolves.
Randle will turn 32 years old in November, and just averaged 21/7/5 in his second and final season with the Wolves, during which there was noise about his fit (or lack thereof) in the locker room. With the Nets, Randle gets to return to New York City, where he wore a Knick uniform for five seasons, and attempt to help lead the Nets toward a playoff spot.
The pick the Nets acquired is the result of an exchange of first and a second rounders five places apart: Brooklyn gets the No. 28 pick from Minnesota in return for the #33 pick. As of Monday evening, the Nets currently own the Nos. 6, 28, and 43 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, which begins on Tuesday evening. Minnesota likely agreed to swap picks as a cost-cutting maneuver; the financial difference between any first-rounder and second-rounder, even just five spots apart, is significant. The 28th pick will make a guaranteed $3 million next season. The second rounder carries no such guarantee. Currently, the Nets are looking at eight players making $38.1 million on rookie deals next season, namely the Flatbush 5, Noah Clowney plus the two firsts.
Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron laid out the Nets financial situation following the trade…
The cap figure could go up if, as expected, the Nets do not exercise their team options on Day’ron Sharpe, Ziaire Williams, Josh Minott and Malachi Smith.
As for the Nets going into the Draft, the trade doesn’t necessarily mark the end of their activity in the trade market. They could use the No 28 pick (in conjunction with the 43rd pick and/or of the 10 tradeable firsts they have) to continue moving up in the first round. The trade won’t be finalized for a couple weeks.
Nic Claxton was the No. 31 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and was the only Net to witness the entire rise and fall of the squad. The Clean Sweep signing, the Steve Nash experience, both James Harden trades, the arrival and departure of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, his own leap and subsequent decline, the tanking years, all of it.
One NBA decision-maker said that the trade could be a needed tonic for Claxton. “Claxton looks so disinterested,” the executive told ND. “Needs a new home. Too much losing impacts his mentality. Will be better somewhere else. “
Now, he’s a Chicago Bull. Time flies.
Randle on the other hand is on his fifth NBA team after being drafted by the Lakers in 2014. He played four years in Los Angeles, one in New Orleans, five in New York and the last two in Minnesota. His most productive seasons in terms of individual stats came with the Knicks where over his tenure he put up better 22 points a game, grabbed nearly 1o boards and nearly five assists, winning the Most Improved Player award in 2021. But the Knicks did not win and Leon Rose sent him to Minnesota in a blockbuster trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to MSG. We know how that worked out.
One fan who might need some explaining is Randle’s young son Kyden who was famously depicted exiting Barclays Center in tears back in 2021 after his father’s Knicks lost to the Nets. “I hate them,” Kyden told his mother, pointing at a sign featuring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden…
It’s a business, Kyden. Ask Nic Claxton.
Astros 2 Blue Jays 4
We really should have scored more.
It is funny how that line just types itself at the top of recaps.
But we are back at .500, and, amazingly, hold the third Wild Card spot.
Dylan Cease had a nice night. 5.2 innings, 3 hits, 2 earned, 4 walks and 8 strikeouts. He had a tough first inning, single, walk, strikeout, single, walk and finally double play. All that added up to just 1 run.
Then he got the next 13 batters out. Cease had some trouble again in the sixth. With 1 out, he handed out 2 walks. After a line out (thanks for catching it, Jesús Sánchez. He never fills me with confidence in the outfield). After a visit from John Schneider, Jose Altuve hit a single (just cleared the infielders, but not hit hard enough to reach the outfielders). After that, Cease came out of the game. Unfortunately, that run cost Cease a W.
Dylan threw 110 pitches, which is a lot these days.
Braydon Fisher got the last out of the inning. And pitched a perfect seventh. Nice work, Braydon.
Tyler Rogers gave up a pair of singled to start the eighth, but then got a double play (very nicely turned, Ernie Clement to Andrés Giménez to Vladimir Guerrero. After a walk, another ground out ended the inning.
And Louis Varland, despite a leadoff walk, picked up his 16th save. Helped out by another nice double play, former Jay, Joey Loperfido ground to Giménez, who threw to Clement, who turned it to Vlad. A strikeout ended the game.
Offensively, we had 11 hits and 5 walks, which should have added up to more than 4 runs.
Springer, Vlad and Okamoto (with his 17th home run) had two hits each. Every starter reached base at least once. Sanchez was the only starter not to get a hit, but he walked and was hit by pitch.
Jays of the Day: Okamoto (0.24), Fisher (0.16) and Rogers (0.12) had the number. Let’s give an honorable mention to Varland for the save.
No one had the number for the other award. Kirk had the low mark at -0.08.
Tomorrow we have a 4:00 start time. I don’t understand why. It isn’t a travel day, the Astros are still here on Wednesday. Shane Bieber gets his first start of the season. Peter Lambert (6-4, 3.23) starts for the Astros. The Recap will likely be late, as I’ve got the MS Bike Ride this weekend and I have to get some riding in (if we can do without rain for a day) before hand. I plan to
An NBA trade broke late Monday night … but not that one.
As much of the league is awaiting resolution with Giannis Antetokounmpo, a three-team trade has reportedly come through that sends forward Julius Randle from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Brooklyn Nets.
According to ESPN, Randle and Minnesota’s No. 28 selection in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft are headed to Brooklyn for the No. 33 pick — tantamount to a salary dump — while the Nets are shipping center Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls.
By trading Randle, the Timberwolves are unloading his $33.3 million salary next season, leaving space for Minnesota to fill out its roster.
Guard Ayo Dosunmu, who emerged as an offensive force for the Timberwolves in the playoffs, is set to become an unrestricted free agent once the new league year begins, and the Timberwolves have already made an offer to retain their new star with a five-year contract after they acquired him before the February trading deadline.
Randle, who has spent the past two seasons in Minnesota after being traded from the New York Knicks as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster deal, also has a player option for 2027-28, worth $35.8 million. The 31-year-old averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 48.1% from the field in 79 games this past season.
The Nets, who have abundant cap space, add another veteran into their program, and the Bulls shore up their front court after they traded Nikola Vučević in February.
Free agent guard Ayo Dosunmu intends to sign a five-year, $112 million contract to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves, with a player option in the fifth season, ESPN reported late Monday night.
Free agent guard Ayo Dosunmu intends to sign a five-year, $112 million contract to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves, with a player option in the fifth season, sources tell ESPN. Timberwolves made it a major priority to lock in Dosunmu after his tremendous postseason. pic.twitter.com/xw93nAUhJt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Julius Randle trade: Timberwolves, Nets, Bulls engage in 3-team deal
One of the first trade dominos dropped Monday evening, but it wasn’t what everyone was waiting for. Well, everyone outside of Minnesota at least. ESPN‘s Shams Charania announced that the Timberwolves are salary dumping Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets, attaching pick number 28 in tomorrow’s draft in order to do so.
The loss of Randle was to be expected.
It was speculated that after his name was included in trade rumors for Giannis Antetokounmpo last February, he had somewhat checked out. It was evident in his play to end the regular season, and even more so in the postseason. If it wasn’t clear that his days in Minnesota were numbered by then, he skipped exit interviews altogether.
The “return” that Minnesota’s President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly, for being able to ship out Randle might seem lackluster at first. No matter what your opinion is of Randle and his final months in a Wolves jersey, this is still a multi-time All-NBA and All-Star player who is in the middle of his prime. He had a huge hand in defeating both the Lakers and Warriors during the Wolves 2025 playoff run. Next year, bottom-feeding teams hoping to avoid the “relegation zone” will enjoy the extra regular season wins that the 31-year-old will likely bring. He is set to make a somewhat modest 20% of the salary cap this upcoming year, as well as a player option for the same amount in the 2027-2028 season.
Having to attach a late first round pick doesn’t look great for a guy who was the featured return for recent NBA champion, Karl-Anthony Towns.
That said, it is clear as day that Randle’s fit with this iteration of the Timberwolves had been clunky, and somehow became even clunkier. His lack of consistent effort and focus on the defensive end, as well as his tunnel-vision style of offense, has been maddening for Minnesota fans to watch. He was rendered useless in the final playoff series for the Wolves the last two years. Being able to shed his salary to gear up for bigger moves has to be considered a win.
Minnesota does acquire the 33rd pick of the draft (second round taking place on Wednesday), and that should be of note as well. Will Connelly just send it away for another seven-foot giant, future seconds and cash considerations like he did with the 31st pick last year? Or will he draft a future three-time MVP? 50-50, I’d say.
This now sets the stage for the Wolves to have lots of wiggle room to handle the negotiation of unrestricted free agent, Ayo Dosunmu. A player who Connelly publicly announced as their highest priority this summer. Perhaps most exciting will be the fact that Naz Reid‘s time as a bench player has finally come to an end. Unless the Wolves make another dramatic move this summer, the former Sixth Man of the Year will finally be able to take center stage along with the core of Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.
It’s thrilling to think about what Minnesota will look like now. Reid isn’t without his own flaws, especially on the defensive end. However, advanced metrics has long been favorable to the pairing of Reid and Gobert for multiple seasons now. The Wolves will inevitably be playing with more offensive pace as well.
The future is now.
It’s a big night when the reigning champs come to town. Anthony Banda got his championship ring, the Target Field concessions workers went on strike, and Zebby Matthews got to remind everyone that his real, government registered name is Zebulon. Unfortunately, it appears they forgot the bag labeled “runs” back in Phoenix as there was little offense to speak of for the hometown nine.
Things got off to an inauspicious start for Zebby Matthews in the Twins when Shohei “best player in history” Ohtani homered on the second pitch of the game. It was Ohtani’s 17th homer of the season and a terrible sign for a player as homer-prone as Zebby. Luckily, he really settled in from there with the only other run coming on a Freddie Freeman solo shot in the sixth.
And while the Dodgers have Ohtani, Will Klein forgot that the Twins have new AL home run leader Byron Buxton. Buck immediately answered Ohtani’s bomb with one of his own in the bottom of the inning, evening the score at one apiece. Unfortunately for the Twins, Buxton’s homer was Minnesota’s only run on the night. The Twins did follow with a couple of two-out singles in the first, but that was also the only other time the Twins got a runner past first base.
Listen. It’s not that losing to the Dodgers is a problem. They’re the best team in baseball and the World Series favorites even with all their current injuries. The problem is that they couldn’t manage anything of note against Eric Lauer who has been very bad this season. He was bad enough that the Blue Jays DFA’d him earlier this month to make space on their roster for Simeon Woods Richardson. You know, the guy the Twins DFA’d even with their starting pitching injuries because he couldn’t stop throwing meatballs down the heart of the plate. Lauer also joined this illustrious list of players to throw 6+ hitless innings against the Twins.
The Dodgers are a pitching factory who spin up quality starts out of nowhere which is why this was the game you really needed to win. With how well the Twins had been swinging in June, they had to feel good about their chances going in. Now they’ll need to take the next two against breakout lefty Justin Wrobleski tomorrow and Ohtani, the greatest baseball player ever, on Wednesday. This was the one to get, especially with Zebby limiting the damage as well as he did. Speaking of which…
This wasn’t one of Zebby’s best starts, but he largely limited hard contact and kept a stacked lineup to just two runs which is an absolute win. Despite all of the traffic the Dodgers had on the bases, tonight was also a good sign for Matthews’ long term outlook. No one would have blamed Zebby for getting rattled after that start, but on a night where his stuff wasn’t his best and he couldn’t induce as much swing-and-miss as he would like, Zebby turned in a quality start and ate up six innings for a bullpen that needed it. That’s how you go from a volatile prospect to a rotation mainstay.
One other notable moment was manager Derek Shelton’s interesting decision in the top of the 9th inning. Andrew Morris came in to face the bottom third of LA’s lineup, with Alex Freeland lacing a pinch-hit single out of the nine hole to bring the lineup back around to Ohtani. Rather than face Ohtani for a fifth time, Shelton opted to intentionally walk Ohtani, moving Freeland to scoring position with two outs. It worked out perfectly for the Twins, with Andy Pages striking out on three pitches immediately afterward, but on a night starved for offense and the Dodgers repeatedly threatening to break the game open, it’s easy to see how it could backfire.
That being said, I called Ohtani the greatest baseball player in history three different times tonight and I also wouldn’t want to see him bat for a fifth time. This is why I write blog posts and Shelton manages a professional baseball team.
STUDS
DUDS
We’re back tomorrow for the Joe Ryan Experience against breakout lefty Justin Wrobleski. It’s Kyler Fedko time, baby!
Eighty games are officially in the books. The Astros have been victorious in 37 of them, after dropping the opening contest of their 7-game road trip in Toronto by a score of 4-2.
Prior to exiting in the 6th inning with an apparent leg injury, Jeremy Pena would start off things on a positive note. Pena led off the game with a single, stole a pair of bases and eventually came around to score on a hit from Isaac Paredes. For Paredes it was his 38th RBI of the season. Houston would threaten further but Yainer Diaz grounded into an inning ending double play.
After the escape, Jays pitcher Dylan Cease would get on a roll, retiring the next 14 batters he faced. For the night, he’d strike out 8 in total.
In the bottom of the second, Kazuma Okamoto would notch his 17th home run of the year, tying the game at 1-1.
Hunter Brown would grind out three innings of work, delivering 85 pitches. Brown would strike out four, walk two and surrender four hits on the night.
AJ Blubaugh would take the reins in the fourth inning and immediately run into trouble. Andres Gimenez would single, George Springer would walk and then an error by Raynel Delgado would allow Nathan Lukes to reach safely, loading the bases. Vladimir Guerrero would hit a sac fly to bring in Gimenez, and with that the Blue Jays would take their first lead of the evening at 2 to 1.
Unfortunately for the Astros, Jeremy Pena would leave tonight’s game in the top of the 6th mid-at bat. After fouling a ball off, he was removed from the game. He was seen flexing his right leg, which is he same leg he had suffered a hamstring injury on earlier this year. After the game, manager Joe Espada said he had a cramp in his left leg and that was why he was removed.
However, in the top of the 6th, the Astros would tie things up at 2-2 and chase Dylan Cease from the game. Jose Altuve would work some two out magic, bringing home Yordan Alvarez who reached with a walk.
However, it would be short lived as in the bottom of the 7th, Okamoto would do further damage, with a double deep to left field which placed Daulton Varsho to third. Former Astro Myles Straw would then come up and bring in Varsho on a sac fly giving Toronto the lead once again at 3-2.
Brice Matthews and Yordan Alvarez would start the 8th with back-to-back singles, but that momentum quickly evaporated after Christian Walker grounded into a double play.
Toronto would add an insurance run in the 8th on a sac fly from Alejandro Kirk. That would represent their third sacrifice RBI of the game and bring the final result of 4-2. Louis Varland would come on to close things out. For Varland, it’s his 8th save of the month.
Odds & Ends:
Yordan Alvarez would play left field in consecutive games for the first time this season.
Peter Lambert will take the hill tomorrow afternoon with a 3:07 pm first pitch. The earlier start time is due to a World Cup match between Croatia and Panama taking place nearby.
As trade rumors continued to swirl, Giannis Antetokounmpo took to social media Monday night.
The NBA superstar posted a cryptic message on X, along with a black-and-white photo of himself walking off the court in a Bucks jersey.
“GOD, I trusted you at the beginning, and I will continue to trust you throughout,” he wrote on the social media platform, with a praying hands emoji and a 100 emoji.
GOD, I trusted you at the beginning, and I will continue to trust you throughout.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) June 22, 2026pic.twitter.com/BuRHnQS2NQ
Antetokounmpo is expected to be traded by the Bucks before the NBA draft begins on Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Things have heated up recently, with the Heat and the Celtics emerging as finalists for Antetokounmpo, according to ESPN.
The Celtics are reportedly centering their offer around star Jaylen Brown, and the Heat’s offer includes plenty of draft capital, with Miami holding the No. 13 pick in this year’s draft.
Both teams are among Antetokounmpo’s preferred destinations if he’s traded from the Bucks.
Brown appeared to break his silence on the trade speculation during a Twitch livestream.
“To all the people that’s doubted me, that want me to do this, or want me [traded], you’re turning me into a monster,” Brown said during the stream.
The saga involving Antetokounmpo has been going on for some time, and it may finally come to an end after a bizarre season for the Bucks, which was overshadowed by questions about the 31-year-old’s future in Milwaukee.
The team finished 32-50, and Antetokounmpo played a mere 36 games due to issues with his groin, calf and knees.
The relationship between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks clearly became fractured during the course of the season.
Trade speculation started in May 2025 and now has led to Antetokounmpo being on the verge of ending a 13-season run in Milwaukee, where he helped the franchise win an NBA title in 2021 and owns every major franchise statistical record.
With the draft looming, trade rumours are flying once again. By the looks of things, Milwaukee may be the first team to start an “everything must go” sale. After an underwhelming season that ended 11 games behind even play-in contention, the era of Giannis in the Cream City could very well be over.
If he departs, it’s likely the Bucks will try to unload as many older players as they can, starting their rebuild with a stockpile of assets. Picks, young players, and space in the salary book will be at a premium for them.
Inevitably, other teams are now waiting to see what they can scavenge from this roster to bolster their own. The good news is Toronto might be one of those teams.
Toronto’s need at center was made abundantly clear with a first round exit caused by Jarrett Allen who put Cleveland on his back in game 7. Who better than to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Allen and the league’s other big men than Myles Turner?
Myles is 11 years into his career. He’s pretty solid, playing at least 60 games every season except for two. In his best year, he averaged almost 18 points and 8 rebounds with over 2 blocks a game. He’s a great 3-point shooter, cashing in over 38% on 5.4 attempts per game last season. He’s also a good rim protector and lob threat, and moves well in pick and roll situations:
Basically exactly what we need.
His stint in Milwaukee didn’t do him any favors, as he dropped across pretty much every statistical category in his sole year there. Largely due to the players he had around him and lower usage, but he definitely didn’t look like he did with the pacers, especially with a polished guard like Tyrese Haliburton setting him up.
He fits our timeline, would have solid guards to set him up, and would likely fill one of the most significant gaps that currently exists. The real question is what we have to offer to Milwaukee. Turner is owed almost 84 million over the next three years, so matching it while still providing value is the biggest hurdle.
Trade Proposal: Jakob Poeltl, Gradey Dick, and a first round pick
Poeltl needs to be a part of the deal to match salary. He’s solid, but his contract isn’t and he doesn’t match the timeline for the Bucks at all. A straight one-to-one doesn’t make sense for Milwaukee. He could be moved, but there isn’t really anyone in the league that would want him for the money he’s being paid.
Gradey’s year hurt his stock badly, and while it’s more than possible he could bounce back from this, especially with the lack of opportunity he had this year, he is young and fits the timeline and could develop into a solid piece.
Still, not the most alluring for the Bucks.
Hence the pick. Mikal Bridges pulled five first rounders (but they got a championship so honestly who cares). Harden garnered three, and Gobert was four. Myles is not the caliber of some of those guys, so I would hope one would be the most we’d have to part with. Ideally, it’s next year’s pick though so Toronto is able to shore up other needs in the draft tomorrow.
Only time will tell, but this would definitely be a step in the right direction for the Raptors.
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THN Draft Rankings—Jan 7, 2019 - VOL. 72, Issue. 07 - Ken Campbell
TURN ON YOUR TELEVISION on any given night and retire to the barcalounger and you’re bound to see a 21-year-old Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews do something so incredible that it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Is that a 22-year-old Mikko Rantanen we see leading the whole freakin’ league in scoring? And what about that 21-year-old Thomas Chabot kid in Ottawa? Ain’t he something special?
Everything we’ve heard and everything we’ve seen keeps pounding at the notion that the NHL is now a young man’s league. Like the late Whitney Houston, the NHL believes that children are the future. And it’s right. What were once thought to be “generational talents” are now being churned out every couple of years. And if you go to your local youth hockey arena and watch the kids, chances are you’re going to see some young boys and girls who can do some very special things on the ice.
But take a dive into the most important position in the game and you find that the goaltending fraternity has clearly not received the memo. While the rest of the league is having trouble developing a duster in the month of November, the goaltenders are at the point where they’re applying Grecian Formula and getting two minutes for looking so good.
It seems that once teams find a reliable goaltender, and it often takes a while, they hang onto him and ride him well into his 30s. That’s certainly the case these days, which leaves us wondering from where their replacements are going to come.
Consider this: the 31 No. 1 goalies in the NHL have an average age of 31.3. Last year, the average age of an NHL player was 27.1. Twenty-two of these starting goalies (or co-No. 1s) have already blown out 30 candles on their birthday cakes, and just two – Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning – are younger than 25. Pekka Rinne, who became the oldest first-time Vezina Trophy winner since the league began awarding it to the best goalie as chosen by the NHL’s GMs in 1982, just signed a two-year extension with the Nashville Predators that will take him past his 38th birthday, despite the fact the Preds have a top-notch 23-year-old backup in Juuse Saros patiently waiting his turn.
In The Hockey News’ annual Future Watch edition in 2018, we had only eight goaltenders in our top 100 NHL-affiliated prospects. Only 12 teams had a future goaltender among its top five prospects, and six teams – the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Nashville and the San Jose Sharks – did not have a single stopper among their top 10.
When THN prospect savant Ryan Kennedy produced the top 100 players aged 21-and-under in the world, which included non-drafted players, just four goalies appeared on the list, and only one – Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers – ranked in the top 25. Only one goalie, Jake Oettinger by the Dallas Stars, has been selected in the first round of the past three NHL drafts.
We realize that some of this is due to the fact goaltenders are notorious for taking longer to develop than skaters, and they often only do it with their second or third organizations. And there are probably some young men out there toiling in the minors who have yet to blossom. But with the greying of the goaltending position and the prospect of a good number of them aging out in the next few years, you have to wonder where teams are going to find their replacements.
By the end of this season, five No. 1 goalies will have eclipsed their 35th birthdays, and within five years, 11 of them will be at least 38. It’s been clearly established that it takes about five years for a goaltender to develop from the day he’s drafted, so either some of the backups in the NHL are going to have to step up or the league might be looking at a dearth of quality goaltending – which, when combined with the talent that is on the way, might not be a bad thing for hockey fans who prefer offense.
Ask any amateur scout how easy it is to find good goalies these days and he or she will tell you a tale of woe. Part of that is because Canada, which was once a place where you shook a tree and good goalies would fall out, has lagged in producing elite netminders.
One scout had a theory that it might be because from the time kids are seven until they’re 14 or 15, they’re sharing the goaltending duties and it doesn’t allow them to develop quickly enough. In fact, the Canadian Hockey League, tired of seeing the best European netminders go to the USHL, opened its doors once again to European goalies this season.
And these things tend to ebb and flow. Finland was once the country producing all the talent, and now Russia – with top prospects Ilya Samsonov, Igor Shestyorkin, Ilya Sorokin and Daniil Tarasov – seems to be providing the pipeline.
The top players on a good number of teams would have trouble getting into a bar where the drinking age is 21. But the goalies? They’d have a 31-seat table all to themselves. And it doesn’t look as though they’re going to be giving up their comfortable spots anytime soon.
The Nets — who always seem to deal right before draft night — have been looking to add a second first-round pick and another veteran scorer. They pulled off both, landing Julius Randle and the 28th pick for Nic Claxton and No. 33 in a three-team swap.
The Nets — one of the few teams in the league with ample cap space — used it to acquire Randle, a two-time All-NBA forward and three-time All-Star. They also moved up from the top of the second round into the bottom of the first in a loaded draft, and potentially opened a starting spot for Day’Ron Sharpe.
GM Sean Marks shipped Claxton to Chicago, and since the Bulls are acquiring the center with cap space, the deal — first reported by ESPN and confirmed by The Post — can’t be finalized until July 6. The Nets will keep the No. 6 overall pick — likely to be used on a lead guard — and also have Nos. 28 and 43.
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Randle was just one year into a three-year, $100 million deal with Minnesota, but the Timberwolves were desperate to free up cap space to re-sign guard Ayo Dosunmu (and a starting spot for Naz Reid). Now the former Knick — who spent five years in the Garden — comes back to New York.
Michael Porter Jr. shouldered the burden of being Brooklyn’s lone reliable scorer last season. Randle averaged 21.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 79 games.
With Randle earning $33.3 million this season and having a player option of $35.8 million next season, Brooklyn increased its payroll by $13 million. They’ll still maintain $20.2 million in room left, per cap guru Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron, and have the $9.4 million room mid-level to spend afterward.
Brooklyn now has 15 first-round picks through 2033, including two Tuesday.
Two among Louisville’s Mikel Brown, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. should still be on the board at No. 6. But with Wagler likely to be off the board, Brown — with deep range, an elite passing bag and a risk-taking mentality that must get reined in — has had at least three meetings and one workout with the Nets.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a relationship built there,” Brown said. “Talking with them constantly, with Mr. Marks and Coach Jordi [Fernández], the biggest thing that he emphasized — if I get selected to go there — is building that relationship with Jordi.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to have a great connection from point guard to point guard. [Fernández] played point guard as well. So to be able to pick his brain on a lot of things and learn his system and to be able to come in and make an impact right away was big.”
Ex-Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks — now an ESPN insider — told The Post that taking three first-round guards last year shouldn’t deter them from taking another, because that’s where the value sits at No. 6. He also said they might be best suited using cap space in trades rather than signings, and that’s exactly what they did.
Acuff has both visited with and worked out for the Nets and is the most polished offensive guard in the class, but his defense is a concern. Wagler worked out for the Bulls (who have the fourth pick) and the Clippers (who’ll select fifth), then canceled a scheduled workout for Brooklyn.
“Just hearing from them and kind of just knowing where I stood, I kind of knew I didn’t need to work out,” said Wagler.
Brown said he would be excited to land with the Nets.
“It’d mean a lot. Big city. It’s the big city, bright lights. A lot of big-time names come out of Brooklyn, so to be able to represent that means a lot,” said Brown.
“I would handle it. I’m very calm and down to earth. I’m about this basketball stuff. I keep the main thing the main thing. The focus is to try to win a championship.”
St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor, Texas wing Dailyn Swain or Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. — who said of joining the Nets, “I think it would be great, I love New York City” — could be targets at No. 28.
MINNEAPOLIS – When Eric Lauer was on the Toronto Blue Jays, he said he “hated” pitching behind an opener.
So what did the Dodgers have him do on Monday?
You guess it: They had him pitch behind an opener.
Only this time, the results were different.
They were better.
Replacing opener Will Klein after one inning, Lauer pitched six no-hit innings in a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
Pitching through the seventh inning, Lauer departed the game with a 2-1 lead the Dodgers built on solo home runs by Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Lauer was “all-in’” on the plan to deploy him behind reliever Will Klein.
Roberts made it a point to alert Lauer about how he would be used after the Dodgers’ series finale against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday in Los Angeles.
“I just laid it out there,” Roberts said. “He received it very well.
“All players want, they want some clarity. I think for us he’s going to go into the game in the second inning, so he can do his preparation and be consistent with that.”
Ironically, the only problem with the plan turned out to be the inning pitch by the opener. The second hitter of the game, Byron Buxton, homered off him to tie the game, 1-1.
What it means
This was potentially a costly game for the Dodgers.
Kyle Tucker drew a walk in the second inning and advanced on a single by Tommy Edman, only to appear to be in obvious discomfort once he reached second base.
The Dodgers later announced Tucker was removed from the game with lower back spasms. The injury could be a major blow for Tucker, who is batting .234 in his first 75 games with the Dodgers.
But Tucker wasn’t the only player to go down.
An inning later, catcher Dalton Rushing was replaced by rookie Chuckie Robinson. Rushing left the game to rule out a concussion, according to the Dodgers.
Rushing was hit on his mask by a foul ball on the first pitch of the first inning.
Who’s hot
Right-hander Brock Stewart was activated from the injured list, a move that could help a bullpen that recently lost Blake Treinen to elbow inflammation.
The 34-year-old Stewart has pitched in only 5 ⅔ innings since he was acquired from the Twins last year in a trade for outfielder James Outman.
Stewart pitched only two innings this season before he was placed on the injured list with bone spurs.
Who’s not
A day after Roberts ripped his team’s hitting approach, Ohtani led off the game with a home run – his 17th of the season.
But the Dodgers didn’t score again until the sixth inning when Freeman homered to center against Twins starter Zebby Matthews.
Matthews entered the game with a 4.78 earned-run average, but the right-hander limited the Dodgers to six hits and two runs over six innings. He struck out five.
Up next
On Tuesday, the Dodgers and Twins will play the second game of their three-game series at Target Field, with Justin Wrobleski (8-2, 2.72) starting for the Dodgers and Joe Ryan (5-3, 2.99) pitching for the Twins.
