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An injury slowed Luke Adams' start to the season, but he has made up for lost time by mashing in his first taste of Triple-A ball. View the full article -
Austin Martin has seen his OPS cut in half over the last month and a half. Is it just a slump, or is a reset in Triple-A becoming a real possibility? View the full article -
Fresh off of the firing of former manager Carlos Mendoza, it’s no secret that the New York Mets have underperformed in the first half of the 2026 season. This is a group that locked down Fransisco Lindor a few years ago and recently acquired big-ticket talents like Juan Soto and Bo Bichette. Nolan McLean, one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, is a staple in their rotation and A.J. Ewing got the early call to give this group a shot in the arm. Despite that laundry list of seemingly positive occurrences, New York is 34-48 and dead last in the National League East. Here are three players who need to step it up in the Big Apple with Andy Green now stepping in to take Mendoza's place. Bo Bichette Bo Bichette is front and center on this list. Any time a player signs a contract (three years, $126 million) worth over $40 million year over year, subpar results will be met with scrutiny. Bichette had hit north of .300 in four of his first seven MLB seasons, yet right now he’s sporting a .254 batting average with an on-base percentage at just .299. While the shortstop has left much to be desired so far this season, he is running into a decent amount of bad luck. Baseball Savant has his expected batting average slotted at .285, a whole 29 points higher than his actual value. Above-average marks in average exit velocity (73rd percentile), hard-hit percentage (69th percentile) and squared-up percentage (72nd percentile) all imply that he is making quality contact despite a lackluster bat speed. The defense has also been a struggle point for Bichette so far. His -1 outs above average rating slots him in the 34th percentile, with an arm strength value also dropping below the league mean. Bichette has been much better in June, but that doesn’t cut it considering his contract and the Mets’ expectations entering this season. Freddy Peralta New York cashed out in the trade market to land Freddy Peralta, and the hope was that he could bolster the front of the rotation with a veteran presence to supplement a rather green Nolan McLean. Unfortunately for New York, Peralta is having one of his worst seasons to date. The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher holds a 5-6 record with a 4.53 earned run average over 17 starts. Peralta is a unique case-study, as he’s always been heavily reliant on the fastball. The former Brewer technically possesses five different pitches, but he relies on his four-seamer a whopping 53% of the time. This year, his primary offering is being met with a .242 batting average against, up from a .209 mark in 2025. Outside of his ability to limit opposing hitters’ barrel percentage to just 5.1% (82nd percentile) this year, all of his other marks have hung around the average line. This performance has been a stark contrast from someone who was 17-6 with a 2.70 earned run average just a year ago. Marcus Semien Marcus Semien rounds out the list, and he just simply needs to hit the ball more often this year. No, this isn’t prime Marcus Semien anymore, but a .214 batting average and another on-base mark below .300 isn’t acceptable. Semien is 35 years old, and he’s climbing uphill when you consider that his bat speed is in the 9th percentile this year at just 68.7 miles per hour. With that being said, the 7.2 percent walk rate for someone who has taken close to 7,000 career at-bats needs to be better. The Mets have had a lot of roster turnover in the last handful of years, but a veteran who leads by example could patch up some of those continuity issues. Semien has the pedigree to supply this group with just that, but the approach needs to be better. View the full article -
Re-Grading Red Sox's 2025 Trade Deadline Performance One Year Later
DiamondCentric posted an article in Talk Sox
When the Boston Red Sox finally reach the 2026 trade deadline, they’ll be in a different spot than they were a year ago when Craig Breslow put together a performance that could only be described as “underwhelming.” With the Red Sox sitting at 59-51, good for third in the American League East and second in the AL Wild Card (both five games back coincidentally), the goals seemed obvious enough: acquire some help for the rotation and potentially another late-inning arm to help solidify the back-end of what was an impressively strong bullpen. Of course, we know Breslow answered those questions by acquiring left-handed reliever Steven Matz from the now-frequent trade partner St. Louis Cardinals, and right-handed starter Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who should probably find themselves on the same “Do Not Trade With” list as the Milwaukee Brewers, given their consistent ability to seemingly send the Red Sox a lesser piece/pieces than what the Sox are sending them. Our managing editor, Brandon Glick, graded out these deals when they occurred, which you can find here. But now almost a full year removed, with neither player on the current iteration of this Red Sox roster, it’s time to take a big picture look back and re-grade Boston’s 2025 deadline acquisitions. Trade #1: Red Sox acquire LHP Steven Matz from the Cardinals for 1B/3B Blaze Jordan When the Red Sox entered the 2025 deadline, most people assumed that if they were going to acquire some sort of bullpen help, it would be of the late-inning, right-handed variety to not only ease the workloads of arms like Garrett Whitlock, Greg Weissert, and Justin Slaten, but to also make up for the failure that was Jordan Hicks. Instead, Breslow opted to acquire veteran lefty Steven Matz, a move that was surprising to say the least and met with some skepticism due to the fact the bullpen already featured four southpaws in Aroldis Chapman, Justin Wilson, Brennan Bernardino, and Chris Murphy. In return, they sent the Cardinals No. 19th-ranked infield prospect Blaze Jordan, who was tearing up Triple-A Worcester at the time, slashing .298/.341/.480 with six home runs and 25 RBIs in 44 games. However, he seemed to be locked out of any infield position given the team's glut of options at the corners. Almost a year later, and this deal is definitely the harder of the two to put a grade on. Initially, it garnered a ‘C’ and was justifiably labeled a “nothing-burger move” by Glick. As previously mentioned, Jordan looked like an easily expendable prospect and Matz came in sporting a respectable 3.44 ERA, 2.92 FIP, and 20.7 K% in 55 innings pitched with St. Louis. With the Red Sox though, Matz was borderline dominant with a 2.08 ERA, .218 average against, and 2.4 BB% in 21 regular season appearances to go along with two scoreless outings in Boston’s Wild Card series loss versus the Yankees. He ended up only being a gun-for-hire though, as he signed with the Rays on a two-year, $15 million deal this past winter with the opportunity to once again work as a starter. The move hasn't really panned out for Tampa Bay as he currently owns a 5.65 ERA and 5.55 FIP across 14 outings split between the rotation (10) and bullpen (4). As for Blaze Jordan, this is where the old “hindsight is 20/20” saying comes into play. After slugging .313 with a .921 OPS, 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 57 games for Triple-A Memphis, the Cardinals called him up to make his major league debut on June 12 and he’s done nothing but hit since, slashing .286/.306/.486 with one home run, seven RBIs and an impressive 11.1 K% and 16.7 Whiff% in just nine games. That's production I’m sure disgruntled Red Sox fans don’t want to see given the team’s continued offensive woes. While Jordan’s production could definitely be used in this abysmal Red Sox lineup, the fact still stands he probably wouldn’t have a spot on this club at first or third base with the additions of Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin (or even designated hitter, which has constantly been used to try and solve Boston’s outfield logjam situation). When it comes to Matz, the Red Sox got exactly what they needed from him as a shutdown arm a year ago and seem to have dodged a bullet given his struggles this year opting to not bring him back. Grade: B+ Trade #2: Red Sox acquire RHP Dustin May from the Dodgers for OF James Tibbs III and OF Zach Ehrhard When it comes to the second of Boston’s two 2025 deadline acquisitions I want to put this as lightly as I can… everything about this trade was an abject failure. Let’s start with the lead up to it. By now, everyone knows this ended up being a panic move by Craig Breslow, a deal that was one of those that trickled in after the deadline came and went, after numerous failed attempts throughout the afternoon to acquire a more dependable and solidified arm like Merrill Kelly and the tease that was Joe Ryan, who the Sox had consistently been linked to. Now to the player himself. Upon being dealt to Boston, May was the owner of a 4.85 ERA, 4.74 FIP, and 44.4% hard-hit rate across 16 games (15 starts) and looking like he was about to fall out of L.A's crowded rotation. With the Red Sox, things took a turn for the worse, as his numbers imploded to a 5.40 ERA, 5.39 FIP, even worse 45.6% hard-hit rate, and career-worst .307 average against in just six games (five starts) before having his short-lived Sox tenure end due to a right elbow neuritis injury. He, like Matz, would end up leaving Boston in the offseason for St. Louis where he has pitched to a pedestrian 4.30 ERA in 15 starts. And just when you think things couldn’t get any worse, we turn to the two prospects Boston sent the Dodgers’ way: James Tibbs III (No. 10 prospect via MLB’s rankings) and Zach Ehrhard (No. 17). Upon getting to the Dodgers organization, both reported to Double-A Tulsa and performed relatively well, with Tibbs hitting .269 with a .900 OPS, and seven homers to go along with 32 RBIs in 36 games and Ehrhard hitting for .282 with an .857 OPS, five homers, and 20 RBIs in 30 games. As for this season, where they both currently reside at Triple-A Oklahoma City, this is where Red Sox fans who haven’t been paying attention might want to avert their eyes. Starting with the latter, in 67 games Ehrhard is slashing .288/.394/.490/.884 with 11 home runs, 53 RBIs and 29 extra-base hits. As for Tibbs III, he not only has racked up a line of .291/.415/.585/1.000 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs, but also leads all PCL hitters in home runs, walks (57), extra-base hits (39), total bases (161) and runs (64), per of OKC Comets Communications & Broadcast Assistant Logan Bourandas on X). When Glick first graded this trade, he put a caveat on it that it would be a ‘B+’ if May was re-signed and a ‘D+’ if he wasn’t, which made sense given the price the Red Sox were giving up to get him but the flashes of potential and ability May had shown in the past to hopefully be a solid middle of the rotation arm. Given the absolute train-wreck that ensued everywhere you look with how this trade shaped up, I think it’s pretty obvious what this deal deserves. Grade: F- Final Verdict and Grade With almost a full calendar year to now look back on those who described the 2025 Red Sox trade deadline as “underwhelming” seemingly hit the nail on the head. Steven Matz gave them exactly what was needed, and while the Blaze Jordan departure doesn’t look ideal on paper right now, there was no true path to him contributing like he has on the Cardinals. On the flip side, at the time it was believed Dustin May wasn’t the right move for the rotation and that could not have been more of the truth; that trade not only hurt the Sox in-season with his horrendous performance and an injury that left the rotational depth weakened heading into the playoffs, but could come back to haunt them in a major way if Tibbs and/or Ehrhard grow into contributing big leaguers. Overall Grade: C- View the full article -
After a slow start to the season as an 18-year-old at Low-A, Juan Sanchez has been scorching the ball over the last month, looking like one of the most exciting bats in the Blue Jays system. View the full article -
After he dominated the minor leagues and reached the majors in his second full professional season last year, Craig Yoho's career has not followed the path he or the Brewers hoped for. In 13 career appearances, most of them low-leverage outings, the 26-year-old has pitched to a 6.75 ERA and 5.22 SIERA. It was not long ago that Pat Murphy spoke highly of Yoho after a dominant spring training showing in 2025. Within a few months, he became an afterthought on the 40-man roster. After a few rough outings last year, it became clear that the Brewers struggled to trust Yoho in pivotal situations. This season, they've rarely trusted him enough to roster him at all. Control issues have been the primary culprit, in part because Yoho's stuff moves so much. In Triple-A this year, his signature screwball-like changeup has averaged 2.2 inches of induced vertical drop and 17.8 inches of arm-side run. Even his fastball has averaged 16.6 inches of horizontal movement. In his big-league career, he's walked 17.9% of batters faced. Back in the big leagues by necessity for most of June, Yoho showed signs of progress this month amid his longest stint to date. In his first four outings, he was throwing enough strikes and missing barrels, posting a 1.73 xERA and 2.54 SIERA. According to Statcast, he induced whiffs on 36.6% of swings, and his average exit velocity allowed on balls in play was 83.5 mph. His walk rate was still 10%, but that will always be part of the picture for a reliever with so much movement. In each of his last two outings, Yoho threw more than half of his pitches in the strike zone. On Monday in Cincinnati, Murphy said that performance played a role in the decision to option left-handed reliever Drew Rom, not Yoho, to make room for Brandon Woodruff's return. Given that solid work and the recent unsteadiness throughout Milwaukee's 'B' bullpen, one could argue Yoho had earned another shot at higher-leverage work. He got that opportunity on Wednesday night, as Trevor Megill, Aaron Ashby, and a suspended Abner Uribe were unavailable. Yoho inherited a bases-loaded jam from Grant Anderson in the seventh inning, with JJ Bleday representing the tying run in a 6-2 game. With one pitch, a changeup in the zone, he induced an early swing from Bleday for a soft inning-ending groundout to first base. Yoho had answered the call in a big spot. Things went haywire when he returned for the eighth. Edwin Arroyo waited back on an elevated changeup, dunking it to right field for a leadoff single. Elly De La Cruz worked him for a nine-pitch walk. Yoho nearly escaped with just one run allowed after coaxing routine groundouts from Dane Myers and Sal Stewart, but Spencer Steer blasted an 0-1 fastball over the heart of the plate for a three-run home run. With the score now 6-5, Yoho's night – and his latest big-league stint – was over. The Brewers optioned him to Triple-A the following day. As Yoho was being informed in the Cincinnati clubhouse that his next travel would be to Nashville instead of Milwaukee, Murphy gave a blunt postgame assessment of his outing, reiterating the shortcomings that have kept the Brewers from trusting him as an MLB-caliber reliever. "They don't know him yet, they haven't faced him yet," Murphy said of Yoho's first inning. "Now he goes out the second inning, they're expecting it. It's a two-pitch guy, really, and he doesn't throw strikes. You can't do that ... You can see he wasn't comfortable in that situation." There were signs on Wednesday that some hitters could easily formulate a productive approach against Yoho. Arroyo waited back on his changeup. De La Cruz appeared intent on waiting him out and forcing him back into the strike zone; he watched five of those nine pitches, including two just outside the strike zone and a 3-1 changeup down the middle. "They know the deal," Murphy said. "I mean, the report's out there. Fastball command, question mark. Changeup, very slow, sit on it, not a swing-and-miss [pitch]. So he's got to make some adjustments with it, and I think he will. He's a great kid." Most of the Brewers' concerns are valid. Yoho's movement is not only difficult to control, but it also makes pitch sequencing more challenging. His changeup is more than 15 mph slower than his fastball, and its extreme depth means he can't tunnel any pitches within – or even near – the strike zone. Assume that to get a chase on a changeup just below the zone, Yoho must make it look like his fastball out of the hand. The visual below from FanGraphs shows that, based on how his pitches move, he would have to throw that fastball well above the zone for the two pitches to start at the same sight line. In other words, his stuff moves so much that he can't use an in-zone pitch to set up a chase on an out-of-zone pitch, or vice-versa. Murphy made a questionable assertion that Yoho is purely a two-pitch pitcher, as he also features a curveball and cutter. However, the curveball is a more extreme inverse of his changeup in all the wrong ways: averaging 75.9 mph with 10 inches of induced vertical drop and 20 inches of glove-side break in Triple-A, it's challenging for Yoho to land in the zone and is effectively impossible to tunnel. To even get that breaking ball to fit on a similar tunneling graphic from last year, you'd have to position his fastball at a right-handed batter's helmet. A pitcher with Yoho's stuff will never defeat hitters with pitch tunneling and deception, though. Instead, it will work because the extreme movement will miss barrels, even if it's not particularly deceptive. That's where the Brewers may be selling him short. So far, Yoho's changeup has excelled at avoiding loud contact, even though hitters have likely known it's coming and it has not always been located competitively. In his limited big-league work across two seasons, opponents have managed just a .247 xwOBA, 17.6% hard-hit rate, and 5.9% barrel rate against it with a 33.8% whiff rate. On Wednesday night, it induced two chases and two soft ground balls. The Reds did not whiff on it, but Murphy's claim that it isn't a swing-and-miss pitch is, frankly, incorrect. Such a pitch does not need to be disguised as a fastball to be effective. Yoho just needs to throw it in and around the zone below the belt. When hitters start timing it up, a timely in-zone fastball can produce a take or a late swing. So far, he has done neither consistently. Yoho is partially responsible for his current situation because he sprayed the ball too much in his early chances last summer. At the same time, it's becoming clear that a poor fit between player and team is also part of the issue. Whenever Chris Hook talks about a particular pitch, he instinctively states whether it "tracks" in the strike zone like it's a checklist item. To the Brewers, many big shapes pose tunneling problems and do not maximize in-zone swings, so they often find throwing more fastball variants and shorter sliders to be more useful than better "stuff" pitches. There are some exceptions, like Grant Anderson's sweeper, but Yoho's stuff is well beyond the mold. Perhaps the Brewers are right about him, or perhaps it's simply a poor fit. At this point, a change of scenery looks like the best way to find out. The club has a history of trading former prospects who have been leapfrogged on the 40-man roster for moderate upgrades at the trade deadline. In 2018, they flipped Brett Phillips in a two-player package for Mike Moustakas. In 2019, it was Mauricio Dubon for Drew Pomeranz. More recently, they traded Joey Wiemer for Frankie Montas in 2024. With the deadline five weeks away, Yoho could be next. A fresh start – and, just as importantly, a setting where he'll get a longer leash to become as competitive as possible with his arsenal – may be exactly what he needs. The Brewers, meanwhile, could fill his roster spot with a more consistent contributor. View the full article -
The Blue Jays have spent the first half of the season chasing one goal. Trying to get above .500 On Thursday evening, they did it again. After falling behind 6-0, the team clawed its way back before ultimately falling one run short. It was another comeback that almost was. They keep fighting their way back to the doorstep; they just haven’t found a way to walk through it. After 81 games, the Blue Jays sit at 39-42, third place in the division, and are in a four-way tie for the third and final wild card spot, even with all the injuries and underperformances from key players on the roster. It's still a spot that very few people around baseball thought the Blue Jays would be at. But before you can become a winning baseball team, you first have to get above .500. The Blue Jays have spent the first half of the season chasing the milestone over and over again. Four different times the Blue Jays have fought their way back to even, and four different times they’ve walked away still searching for answers. Here are the four times they’ve had a chance to do so and what happened: Opening Day, March 27th, (0-0) vs Athletics, 65.2% Playoff Odds This was the only time this season the Blue Jays actually went above the .500 mark, but even then, the warning signs were there. Kevin Gausman struck out 11 over six dominant innings, Andres Gimenez supplied the offence, and Toronto appeared poised for a smooth win on Opening Day. But after handing the ball to Jeff Hoffman with a one-run lead in the ninth, Shea Langeliers tied the game with a home run, the Blue Jays had a blown save, and the team was forced to walk it off in the bottom half The Blue Jays ultimately won the game and, in turn, started the season 1-0. The Blue Jays climbed above .500 for the first time on the season. But even in the victory, the warning signs were there, and as we’d soon find out, it wouldn’t last. Second Attempt: April 5th @ White Sox, (4-4), Playoff odds 51.4% After sweeping the Athletics and losing two of three from the Rockies, the Blue Jays entered the finale of the first road series at 4-4 with an opportunity to climb back above .500 after dropping the first two games in Chicago. The offence never gave the team a chance. The Blue Jays managed just six hits, all singles, went 0-6 with runners in scoring position and were shut out for the first time all season. Eric Lauer allowed three runs over 2+ innings, but the lack of offence proved to be the bigger story as the Blue Jays were swept and fell back below .500. Third Attempt: May 30th @ Baltimore (29-29), Playoff Odds 55.3% It took nearly two months for Toronto to fight its way back to .500, but after series wins against the Pirates and Marlins and taking the first two against the Orioles, the Blue Jays had an opportunity to finally get over the hump. They appeared to do everything right. Trey Yesavage battled through five innings, Kazuma Okamoto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. helped build a 5-1 lead late, and after Jeff Hoffman struck out the Orioles ' lead-off hitter, the Blue Jays had a 99.4% win probability to get over the hump. Then everything unravelled. Hoffman allowed six straight Orioles to reach base, turning a four-run lead into a tie game before Connor Seabold was called in to try to escape the jam, before Pete Alonso completed Baltimore's stunning comeback with a walk-off single, and yet again the Blue Jays found themselves on the doorstep of .500. Fourth Attempt: June 23 VS Houston, (39-39) Playoff Odds 56.4% Less than a month later, Toronto found itself back at .500 once again. Despite falling behind early in Shane Bieber's season debut, the Blue Jays rallied behind home runs from Luis Urias and Daulton Varsho before Kazuma Okamoto delivered a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning. With Louis Varland unavailable, Tyler Rogers was tasked with protecting a two-run lead in the ninth. He couldn’t. The Astros pieced together three singles and benefited from a costly catcher's interference to tie the game. After the Blue Jays couldn’t score with a runner in scoring position in the bottom half, Joey Loperfido’s three-run home run completed another heartbreaking loss. Just like that, the Blue Jays had another blown save and yet again fell below .500. This has been the underlying story of the Blue Jays' 2026 season so far. Kevin Gausman said it best: " It feels like we take four steps forward and two steps back." Since that loss, the Blue Jays have lost their next two games, falling behind again. Every baseball season has its peaks and valleys, but championship teams know how to capitalize when momentum finally arrives. That’s been the difference for Toronto. Every time the Blue Jays have climbed back to the doorstep of a winning record, they’ve stumbled before they could walk through the door. If there’s a reason for optimism, it's that the Blue Jays don’t need to prove they can fight back; they’ve already done that four different times. What the second half will determine is whether they can finally turn those comebacks into sustained momentum. The American League remains wide open. The opportunity is still there. The Blue Jays just can’t afford to let their next chance to get above .500 slip away like their previous four. View the full article -
Transactions: C Darrien Miller promoted to AAA Nashville from AA Biloxi INF Freddy Zamora transferred to Development List from AAA Nashville RHP Kaleb Bowman transferred to Development List from AAA Nashville RHP Jacob Morrison activated from Low-A Wilson’s 7-day injured list OF Nick Monile transferred to Development List from Low-A Wilson There’s also sad news on Griffin Tobias’ status, while former Brewer farmhand RHP Harold Chirino is dealing with an unimaginable loss in Venezuela. Game Action: Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Suspended in 1st inning: Gwinnett at Nashville Box Score Via a Sounds’ press release, suspension details: Sounds, Stripers Suspended Sunday Night Starting RHP Gerson Garabito allowed a single and two walks to the first three batters of the game before the game was suspended for rain. Sunday’s outlook: Nashville and Gwinnett will play a twinbill to decide the fate of this week’s knotted series (2-2), with Manager Rick Sweet having to decide whether to stick with Garabito or go even deeper into Nashville’s bullpen for Game 1. LHP Thomas Pannone is the scheduled starter for Game 2 on 4 days’ rest (4 IP, 4 R, 3 Ks on Tuesday). Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Biloxi 10, Montgomery (Rays) 3 Box Score Via the Shuckers’ website, game details and we encourage readers to review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Letson Masterclass, Offensive Firepower Lead Shuckers to Series Win This game was actually tight until the 6th inning, with C Matt Wood throwing out a baserunner to help keep a 4-3 advantage in the 4th inning, then a 3-6-3 ground ball double play (yes, Blake Burke plays legitimately solid defense at first base) eliminating the Biscuits’ leadoff runner in the 5th frame. And of course, Burke (2-for-5, HR, 4 RBIs) also obliterates baseballs, adding his league-leading 18th tally via this 3-run shot in the first inning. After making 7 consecutive outs as a team, SS Jesus Made (3-for-4, triple, walk, SB, 3 runs) opened the 6th inning with a walk and Wood (1-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs) delivered his own 3-run dinger four batters later to blow open the contest. 21-year old starting RHP Bishop Letson polished off his exceptional June with aplomb (7 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 8 Ks; .93 pitches), while RHP Jack Seppings (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K) faced the minimum over the final 2 innings. OF Mike Boeve’s .279 AVG and .767 OPS are quite respectable. He had a 1-for-3 day with a homer and a sacrifice fly: Shuckers’ Extras: Letson in April: 7.36 ERA, 1.77 WHIP in 14 2/3 IP. In May: 4.41 ERA, 1.35 WHIP in 16 1/3 IP). In June: 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP in 16 IP. His June K% is also up (24.6%), while his June BB% is down (10.1%). Even though Burke and 3B Andrew Fischer both committed their 9th errors of 2026, I stand by my ascertain that the big bombers are solid defensive players. Some veteran options to restore Biloxi’s catching depth include David Garcia (presently in High-A) and Andrick Nava (presently the third string catcher in AAA). Sunday’s outlook: 25-year old RHP Tanner Gillis makes his second start of the week (6 IP, 0 R, 4 Ks on Tuesday), with Biloxi aiming to close out a 5-1 series victory. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Cedar Rapids (Twins) 5, Wisconsin 4 Box Score Via the Timber Rattlers’ website, game details: Kernels Stop Rattlers Win Streak with Late Rally Despite the late stumble which ended Wisconsin’s 6-game winning streak, the Timber Rattlers’ fantastic media team has still compiled the video highlights here: That was a detailed YouTube video which included the opposition’s 3-run 8th inning that turned the tide, as well as OF Josiah Ragsdale’s double off the top of the wall to start the attempted 9th inning rally, DH Marco Dinges’ intensity after striking out, OF Braylon Payne’s rocketed groundout and 3B/1B Eric Bitonti’s final swing which might have been a walk-off 2-run homer on most days. Actually, it should have been a game-tying homer for Ragsdale, per Chris Mehring’s linked game report – “Replays showed the ball hitting high off a support post for the left field lofts for what should have been a game-tying home run.” Where’s VAR? Where’s the replay challenge? That report also covers Wisconsin’s difficulties with runners in scoring position and multiple outs on the basepaths. The Timber Rattlers stranded 9 baserunners, while Cedar Rapids only stranded 3 baserunners. Starting RHP Jayden Dubanewicz (5 1/3 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks) was exceptional, retiring the first nine batters faced before conceding a full count walk and an RBI triple to open the 4th inning. That was the only hit conceded by Dubanewicz and I guarantee you that Ragsdale believes he should have made the diving catch in right field (watch the replay again). RHP Chandler Welch (1 IP, 3 R, 1 K) deserved better than to concede three runs, as both singles that preceded the gut-punch homer were of the infield variety. Timber Rattlers’ Extras: Each of Ragsdale (1-for-3, double, 2 walks, SB; .952 OPS), Payne (1-for-3, 2 walks, 2 RBIs; .981 OPS) and OF Luis Castillo (0-for-1, 3 walks) reached base 3 times for the good guys. Kudos to RHPs Jose Nova (1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks) and Michael Fowler (1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 Ks) for their solid relief work. With the recent injury to Nashville's Ramon Rodriguez and the corresponding promotion of Darrien Miller from Biloxi, Dinges (1-for-4, double, walk, RBI; .879 OPS) would be perfectly placed to head to Biloxi if not for the shoulder impingement which has prevented him from catching since May 5. Sunday’s outlook: 23-year-old RHP Braylon Owens is set to make his second start of the week (5 IP, 0 R, 8 Ks on Tuesday), with Wisconsin aiming to close out a 5-1 series victory. Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Game One Final: Fredericksburg (Nationals) 7, Wilson 4 Box Score Game Two Final: Wilson 4, Fredericksburg 3 (in 7 innings) Box Score Via the Warbirds’ website, game details: Wilson, Fredericksburg Split Doubleheader These teams resumed Thursday’s rain-suspended game with the contest tied 1-1 in the 4th inning and Wilson having 2-on, 1-out, with 2B Luis Lameda and 3B Filippo immediately delivering a run-scoring single and sacrifice fly to hand RHP Carlos Carra a 3-1 advantage. Carra (4 IP, 6 R, 5 H, 4 BB, 3 Ks; 77 pitches) allowed 2 walks and a run-scoring single in the bottom half of the frame, before the teams raced through the middle innings (16 batters, 16 outs). Unfortunately, Carra tired with 2 outs in the 7th inning, allowing a 2-run homer, then a 3-run blast. The second contest was more enjoyable for the Road Warbirds, welcoming back 6’8” starting RHP Jacob Morrison (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks; 3.12 ERA) from a recent injury (the 20-year-old last pitched on May 30) and having always-stout LHP Jose Meneses (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks; 1.95 ERA) close out the come-from-behind victory. OF Handelfry Encarnacion had three of the team’s seven hits in the win, knocking in the game-tying run and scoring the winning run. He was 4-for-8 with 2 doubles across the two games, while OF Alexander Frias was 3-for-7. Warbirds’ Extras: LHP Enderson Mercado (3 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 6 BB, 5 Ks; 75 pitches) covered the middle innings in the second contest and earned the win despite some control challenges. SS Juan Ortuno (1-for-3, walk, 2 runs) and DH Jadyn Fielder (1-for-2, walk, SB, run) both reached base twice in the victory. RHP Joshua Quezada (1 IP, 1 K) tossed a scoreless inning of relief in the early defeat. Sunday’s outlook: After pitching only one inning in the past 11 days, 20-year LHP Joey Broughton (2.42 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 10.9 K/9 in 22 1/3 IP) gets the start, with Wilson needing a victory to salvage a 3-3 series tie. Final: ACL Brewers 14, ACL Reds 10 (in 7 innings) Box Score Trailing 8-2 after three innings, recently promoted SS Leonard Rijo (4-for-5, 2 doubles) catalyzed the rally with a leadoff double in the 4th inning, scoring on OF Brailyn Antunez’s 110.9mph RBI single. An inning later, Rijo singled to put runners on the corners with 1 out, trailing 8-4, after which six of the next seven Brewers reached base via walk or hit-by-pitch, with C Jonathan Rangel (1-for-3, triple, 2 walks, RBI) earning a full count RBI walk to grab a 9-8 lead. The onslaught continued with Rijo (102mph) and Antunez (111.4mph) both doubling in the 6th inning, before veteran C Eric Martinez (1-for-3, HR, 2 HBP, 6 RBIs) hit a first pitch grand slam to extend the advantage to 14-8. Antunez matched Rijo’s 4-for-5 day, with a double and 2 RBIs. OF Gerlyn Payano (0-for-1, 3 walks, HBP, RBI) also reached base 4 times, 2B Juan Martinez 3 times (1-for-3, 2 walks, RBI). 18-year-old RHP Diustin Mayorquin earned the win with five innings of relief work (4 R (3 ER), 7 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 Ks), retiring the final 4 batters of the game after the Reds had narrowed it to 14-10 with 2 runners on in the penultimate frame. Starting RHP Bryan Regalado struggled this time out (2 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 3 H, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 1 K). The sterling comeback lifted Zona Crew’s season record to 22-20. Final: DSL Brewers Gold 6, DSL Brewers Blue 5 (in 7 innings) Box Score The Golden Men battled back from a 4-1 deficit with five unanswered runs from the 4th to the 6th innings, before holding on in the final frame via OF Ruben Revost gunning down potential game-tying runner Enrique Lovera at home plate on a fly out double play to left field. The victory lifted the Gold team’s record to 8-12, while the Blue Men suffered a second consecutive close defeat to fall to 13-7. SS Ricki Moneys led off the game with a triple, then stole home for a quick 1-0 lead for Brewers Gold, but Brewers Blue responded with its first four batters reaching via hit or walk to claim a 2-1 first inning lead on 2B Leanders’ Matos’ 2-run single. After the Gold team stranded the bases loaded in the 3rd inning, the Blue Men scored on a balk and a OF Frandy Lafond (1-for-3, RBI, SB) single to grow their advantage to 4-1. The Gold comeback came via a run-scoring error, two RBI ground outs, a run-scoring double play and another run-scoring error. 18-year-old RHP Raymond Sarmiento (4 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 K) got the deserved win in relief for the Gold squad, facing the minimum from the 4th through the 6th innings before the dramatic final frame. Three other pitchers got in significant work for the combined teams: RHP Jesus Vasquez (4 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 1 K), RHP Adrian Bello (3 IP, 4 R, 2 Ks) and RHP Alejandro Bustamante (3 IP, 1 R, 3 Ks). Moneys (1-for-2, triple, 2 walks, RBI, 3 SBs) had the game’s only extra-base hit, while Lovera (2-for-4, SB) and SS Jose Rodriguez (2-for-4, RBI, SB) delivered multi-hit games. The two catchers each reached base three times: Moises Salazar (0-for-1, 3 walks), Sebastian Franeites (0-for-1, 2 walks, HBP), although they were run ragged on the defensive side: combined 12 stolen bases on the afternoon. We hope that you enjoy the Minor League Link Report. On Sunday, five minor league games are on tap, starting with Wilson at 12:35pm CST and Wisconsin at 1:10pm CST. Biloxi’s contest and the first game of Nashville’s doubleheader kick off at about the same time (3:34pm CST). The Milwaukee Brewers also play their rubber match against the Cubs at 1:10pm CST. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View the full article -
TRANSACTIONS The Saints placed RHP Ricky Castro on the 7-Day Injured List. Fort Myers sent RHPs Reed Moring and Jake Hunter on rehab assignments to the FCL Twins. The DSL Twins placed RHP Eliezer Lucena on the 60-Day IL. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 12, Louisville 0 Box Score The two teams came into the day with the intention of playing a doubleheader. For the second straight day, they were able to complete Game 1 before rains came and wiped-out Game 2. The plan now is to make up this game when Louisville comes to St. Paul next month. It’ll be a seven-game homestand, and one of the games will have Louisville as the home team. The score above makes it look like this game was a blowout, but an eight-run seventh inning for the Saints turned a closer game into a blowout. As the Bats might say, “When it rains, it pours.” But let’s start on the mound. Iowa native Ty Langenberg started and gave up just one hit over five shutout innings. He walked two and had three strikeouts. Impressive when you consider that just 38 of his 67 pitches were strikes (56.7%). C.J. Culpepper came in and finished out the final two innings of the shutout. He gave up two hits, walked none and had three strikeouts. The Saints scored a single run in the first and in the second innings. In the first, Gabriel Gonzalez drove in Alan Roden with the first run. The top of the second began with Ben Ross’s sixth homer with the Saints. With two outs in the fourth inning, Cody Morissette singled off the pitcher. He stole second, but he didn’t really have to. Noah Cardenas drove the next pitch out of the park for his fifth homer. The top of the sixth began with a Cardenas single. Roden was hit by a pitch. Walker Jenkins came up and lined a single off the pitcher that deflected to third and loaded the bases. Kala’i Rosario singled to right to drive in a run. Matt Wallner singled to right to drive in two runs. Orlando Arcia singled to left to fill the bases. Aaron Sabato stepped to the plate and launched a hanging, 80 mph sweeper 108.2 mph at a 32-degree angle. It landed 404 feet from home plate and gave the Saints the 11-0 lead. After a pitching change, Ben Ross doubled. With two outs, Walker Jenkins drove him in with a double to make it 12-0. Ben Ross was 3-for-4 with his 16th double and sixth home run with the Saints. Orlando Arcia went 3-for-4. Noah Cardenas went 2-for-3 with a walk, his fifth home run and two RBI. Jenkins was 2-for-5 with his seventh double. Roden was 1-for-3 with a walk and his sixth double. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 0, Midland 1 Box Score This was a true pitcher's duel. Unlike the St. Paul game above where just one of the teams realized it was supposed to be a duel. Preston Johnson started for Wichita. He tossed four scoreless, hitless innings. He walked two and had eight strikeouts. Jose Olivares walked one and struck out one batter over two scoreless, hitless innings. Sam Ryan pitched the final two innings. He gave up one run on one hit. He walked one and had two strikeouts. Unfortunately, Jackson Finley and three relievers combined to shutout the Wind Surge on just four hits. Kyle DeBarge went 2-for-3. Andrew Cossetti went 1-for-2 with two walks. Quinn McDaniel had a single, and Garrett Spain walked. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 4 Box Score It has been a rough week for the Kernels in Wisconsin. They lost the first four games of the series by a combined score of 36-8. And frankly, Saturday’s game could have gone that same direction, but a couple of big moments helped the Kernels make a comeback and then hang on for a one-run win. Adrian Bohorquez made his return to the Kernels. He started and gave up no runs on no hits over 1 1/3 innings. He walked two and had a strikeout. Just 16 of his 32 pitches were strikes. Xavier Kolhosser came on and gave up three runs on two hits and three walks. He had four strikeouts. Down 3-0 after three innings, the Kernels responded right away in the top of the fourth. Brandon Winokur led off with a walk. Dameury Pena tripled to drive him in. Pena then scored on a groundout by Eduardo Tait. In the fifth inning, Wisconsin added to their lead when Marco Dinges scored on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Dickinson. Down 4-2 after seven innings. Graham Brown led off with an infield single. He moved to second on a ground ball. Brandon Winokur had an infield single which advanced Brown to third base. Winokur stole second. Brown scored on a Pena groundout to cut the deficit to 4-3. Eduardo Tait came to the plate next and crushed a two-run homer to give the Kernels the 5-4 lead. Jesse Bergin came into the game in the fourth inning. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. Mitch Mueller struck out three batters over 1 2/3 scoreless, hitless innings. Eston Stull walked one in a scoreless bottom of the seventh inning. With a lead, Brian Meyer turned to Sam Rochard in the bottom of the eighth frame. It couldn’t come easy, of course. After two groundouts to start the bottom of the eighth, he walked the bases loaded before getting the third out. He returned for the ninth, still clinging to a one-run lead. Josiah Ragsdale led off the inning with a double. He advanced to third base with two outs, but Rochard got out of the inning unscathed to earn his first save. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers, St. Lucie (postponed) Box Score Rain caused this game to be postponed. The teams will attempt to play the game next month when the Mussels play in St. Lucie. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 1, FCL Red Sox 8 Box Score Reed Moring made the rehab start. He tossed two perfect innings with one strikeout. Jake Hunter tossed the third inning. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Miguel Rodriguez gave up two runs on four hits over three innings. He had two walks and four strikeouts. Josh Walker pitched the seventh inning and gave up four runs on three hits and three walks, but he did strike out two batters. The Twins scored one run in the sixth inning. It came on a home run off the bat of Miguel Caraballo. The catcher had two of the team’s five hits. Yovanny Duran went 1-for-2 with a walk. He also stole his 18th base. DSL Twins 11, DSL Marlins 13 Box Score This was a back-and-forth game throughout. The Twins grabbed the early lead with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Rangers followed with three runs in the top of the second. The Twins scored one in the bottom of the third frame. The Rangers scored the next six runs to take a 9-4 lead. . Then the Twins cut the deficit to 9-8 through six innings. In the top of the seventh, the Rangers added a run, but the Twins scored two runs after the seventh inning stretch and the game was tied 10-10. However, the Rangers scored three runs in the top of the eighth, and the Twins countered with just one run in the bottom of the inning. Almost inexplicably neither team scored in the ninth inning. Juan Collado started and worked a scoreless first inning. He had a walk and three strikeouts. He faced four batters in the second inning. He hit the first batter and then walked the next three batters. 16-year-old Sebastian Echavarria came on in relief. He walked the first batter he faced, but then he got a ground ball double play and a fly out to end the inning. Collado was charged with three runs on four walks and a hit batter in one inning. He struck out three batters. Echavarria worked three innings. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on two hits and three walks. Alam Soriano was next. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks over three innings. Herkyn Taveras gave up three runs (1 earned) on one hit and three walks in his inning. Failin Placencio walked one in a scoreless ninth inning. The Twins scored their 11 runs on 14 hits and 10 walks. They also stole eight bases. Abel Sosa went 3-for-5 with a walk, three runs and two RBI. Fabian Ulloa went 3-for-5 with his first two doubles of the season. Daiyer Barboza went 2-for-3 with three walks, his second double, and three runs scored. Jhon Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with a walk and two runs. Luis Duarte went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Jendy Martinez had a single and walked twice. Anibal Beltre walked twice. In case you were wondering, David Ortiz, Jr. batted eighth and DHd for the DSL Red Sox. He went 2-for-3 with two walks and his first double in this game. He had three RBI. He hit just .124/.361/.168 (.529) with five doubles last year in the DSL This was just his third game of the 2026 season. He’s 4-for-8 with four walks and a double. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Noah Cardenas (St. Paul): 2-for-3, BB, HR(5), 2 R, 2 RBI, K. (And, he caught a shutout.) Pitcher(s) of the Day Ty Langenberg (St. Paul): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 67 pitches, 38 strikes (56.9%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2B(7), R, RBI (batted second, played DH) #4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, HR(15), R, 3 RBI, K (batted third, played C). #5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K (batted second, played SS) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-1, RBI (batted third, played LF) #12 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, 2 R, K, SB(17) (batted first, played CF) #13 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 0-for-4 (batted third, played C) #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 33 pitches, 23 strikes (69.7%) #18 - OF Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K (batted sixth, played RF) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 2-for-3, CS(9) (batted fifth, played 2B) UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, June 28 St. Paul @ Louisville (12:05 pm CT) - LHP Kendry Rojas (1-0, 4.96 ERA) vs Hunter Greene Wichita @ Midland (1:00 pm CT) - RHP Chris Vallimont (0-1, 2.70 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (1:10 pm CT) - RHP Michael Ross (5-3, 7.54 ERA) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (11:05 am CT) - RHP Eduardo Salazar (0-0, 0.0 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 39-45 St. Paul Saints: 45-33 Wichita Wind Surge: 26-46 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 32-39 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 42-30 FCL Twins: 22-19 DSL Twins: 6-13 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View the full article -
It was a bad Saturday for the San Diego Padres' full-season affiliates, going 0-4. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas lost to Sugar Land 5-2, the San Antonio Missions were routed by Arkansas 9-1, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps came up short against Lake County 8-6 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm fell 10-5. Check out Padres Mission's June update to our Top 20 prospect list. Padres Minor-League Transactions RHP Bradgley Rodriguez assigned to San Antonio Missions from ACL Padres. San Antonio Missions placed RHP Miguel Mendez on the 7-day injured list. C Colton Vincent assigned to ACL Padres from El Paso Chihuahuas. Jake Cronenworth Gets A Hit, But Chihuahuas Can't Get Going Facing rehabbing Houston Astros right-handed starter Cristian Javier, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas weren't able to muster any offense until the ninth inning en route to a 5-2 loss to the host Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Javier allowed three hits and two walks in six shutout innings, striking out four. San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth, in his second game on his rehab assignment following his concussion, went 1-for-4 with a run scored as the Chihuahuas' designated hitter. Cronenworth struck out in the first inning, popped out to third in the third and grounded out to second in the sixth, all against Javier. His single was a pop fly to short that was booted and led to Cronenworth standing on third to lead off the ninth. Cronenworth is 3-for-8 in two rehab games. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Jhony Brito was nearly as good, though. Brito went five innings, giving up three runs all unearned on two hits and two walks with six punchouts. He did give up one home run in a three-run first inning. The three unearned runs were courtesy of a throwing error by third baseman Clay Dungan to rehabbing Astros infielder Nick Allen. A walk preceded a three-run homer with one out. Brito recovered to retire 13 of the last 15 batters he faced. Sugar Land added two runs in the sixth before the Chihuahuas foiled the shutout in the ninth. Following Cronenworth's lone hit off right-hander Alimber Santa, Pablo Reyes' comebacker was deflected by Santa for an infield single, scoring Cronenworth and putting Reyes on second following a throwing error. Two outs later and with Reyes now on third, Romeo Sanabria drove him home with a single to right. Mason McCoy had two hits for the Chihuahuas, including his 10th double of the season, along with his 17th stolen base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 0 2 0 0 0 Jake Cronenworth 4 1 1 0 0 1 Pablo Reyes 4 1 1 1 0 0 Nick Pratto 4 0 1 0 0 1 Bryce Johnson 4 0 0 1 0 2 Romeo Sanabria 3 0 1 0 1 1 Nick Schnell 3 0 1 0 1 2 Blake Hunt 3 0 0 0 0 1 Clay Dungan 3 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jhony Brito 5 2 3 0 2 6 1 Evan Fitterer 2 4 2 2 2 2 0 Justin Yeager 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Missions Stifled By Travelers; Tirso Ornelas Homers The Double-A San Antonio Missions couldn't overcome two outbursts by the host Arkansas Travelers in a 9-1 loss. Right-hander Ryan Sloan, the No. 19 prospect overall and No. 3 for the Seattle Mariners by MLB Pipeline, struck out nine in 5⅓ innings. Tirso Ornelas homered for the lone run and had two of the Missions' five hits. Kai Roberts had a single, drew the Missions' lone walk and stole two bases, giving him 24 this year. The Missions had a bullpen game, with right-handed reliever Clay Edmondson getting roughed up for four runs in 1⅓ innings following left-hander Omar Cruz's opening first inning. Right-hander Tucker Musgrove, Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect, walked two and struck out three in two innings in his second Double-A appearance. Arkansas scored one in the second, four in the third, one in the seventh and three in the eighth. The Missions' run came on Ornelas' sixth-inning homer, his 11th of the season. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Jackson 4 0 0 0 0 0 Francisco Acuna 4 0 0 0 0 2 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 2 1 0 0 Albert Fabian 4 0 1 0 0 2 Braedon Karpathios 4 0 0 0 0 2 Wyatt Hoffman 4 0 1 0 0 3 Kai Murphy 4 0 0 0 0 2 Kai Roberts 2 0 1 0 1 1 Brendan Durfee 3 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Omar Cruz 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 Clay Edmondson 1 1/3 3 4 4 2 1 0 Francis Peña 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 3 0 Tucker Musgrove 2 0 0 0 2 3 0 Sadrac Franco 2 5 4 4 2 3 2 TinCaps Come Up Short Despite Justin DeCriscio's Homer, Late Rally The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps rallied in the ninth inning, but couldn't overcome an early surge in dropping an 8-6 loss to the host Lake County Captains. Justin DeCriscio, who went 2-for-5 with a homer, and Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, each drove in two runs. DeCriscio's homer, his sixth of the year, was a two-out solo shot in the sixth inning that pulled the TinCaps within 6-3. The Captains scored twice more in the seventh, but the TinCaps put together a rally in the ninth. Zach Evans plated a run as he grounded into a double play, Wideman, who also had a third-inning sacrifice fly, singled home a run and DeCriscio pulled the TinCaps within 8-6 on his RBI single. Wideman was on second before a pitching change, with a wild pitch moving him to third. But Alex McCoy flew out to left field to end the game. FW_0627.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 2 1 1 2 2 0 Justin DeCriscio 5 1 2 2 0 0 Alex McCoy 4 0 0 0 1 0 Kerrington Cross 3 0 1 1 1 0 Lamar King Jr. 4 1 1 0 0 0 Rosman Verdugo 3 1 0 0 1 2 Jack Costello 4 0 1 0 0 0 Zach Evans 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 3 2 1 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer 3 2/3 4 6 6 5 2 1 Maikel Miralles 3 6 2 2 1 0 0 Will Varmette 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Early Deficit Spells Doom for Storm The host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm dug a 7-0 hole and couldn't climb out, falling to the Fresno Grizzlies 10-5. The Storm managed just six hits, while drawing six walks, but the Grizzlies pounded out 15 hits and seven walks. Dawson Willis drove in a pair of runs for the Storm, including a sac fly in a four-run seventh inning. The other runs that inning came on a bases-loaded walk and two wild pitches. Willis drove in the other run on a sixth-inning groundout. Storm right-handed starter Tyler Schmitt lasted just one inning, throwing 37 pitches and giving up three runs on four hits with a walk and no strikeouts. Player AB R H RBI BB K Bradley Frye 3 1 1 0 2 1 Dylan Grego 4 1 0 1 1 3 Yoiber Ocopio 5 1 1 0 0 3 Dawson Willis 3 0 1 2 0 1 George Bilecki 3 0 1 0 0 1 Yimy Tovar 1 0 0 0 0 0 Jorge Quintana 4 0 1 0 0 2 Qrey Lott 4 0 0 0 0 2 Conner Westenburg 3 1 1 0 1 1 Alcides Hernandez 2 1 0 0 2 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 1 4 3 3 1 0 0 Jordan Valenzuela 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 Brandon Langley 2 4 4 4 2 4 0 Sean Barnett 2 3 2 2 1 1 0 Rordy Mejia 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Ryan Wideman: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, 2 K Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-4, 1 R Tucker Musgrove: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Truitt Madonna: DNP Alex McCoy: 0-for-4, 1 BB Jesus Castro: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP View the full article
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Box Score SP: Mike Paredes 5.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (74 pitches, 51 strikes (69%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Kody Funderburk (-0.24), Paredes (-0.15), Royce Lewis (-0.13) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) After a ludicrous blown lead and extra inning comeback victory on Friday night, the Twins looked to take further advantage of a 50-loss Colorado Rockies club. Standing in their way was a familiar starter named Michael Lorenzen, who hadn't won a game since April with a 6.40 ERA in his last seven games. Standing on the mound for the Twins was the rookie Mike Paredes and his 4-6 innings of opener energy. On paper this game looked to be another offensive slugfest. In reality it was just plain offensive for the home team. Hunter Goodman is a Bad Man Goodman tried to ruin the night with a ninth inning blast on Friday night to give the Rockies the momentary lead. He tried to ruin the night from the start on Saturday night with a first inning moonshot against Paredes' non-sweeping sweeper. The Twins manufactured a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game back up as Trevor Larnach singled, Byron Buxton took one for the team, and then Kody Clemens notched his 33rd RBI with a single to plate Larnach with nobody out. Just when you thought Lorenzen's track record was going to keep on spinning, he fooled Josh Bell on a first pitch changeup and then got Victor Caratini and Royce Lewis to ground out to end the threat. Paredes escaped some base clutter in the top of the second, but he couldn't escape Goodwin in the top of the third. His 24th home run of the year was less majestic, but just as damaging as the Rockies retook the lead at 2-1. Bending But Not Breaking... The Twins couldn't muster anything in the early innings against Lorenzen, as he effectively mixed speeds and kept the Minnesota bats away from solid contact. Paredes held his own through the majority of his outing, but another big blast by Jake McCarthy in the top of the fifth led to the third Rockies run. With two runners on in the top of the sixth and only one out, Derek Shelton went to his trusty bullpen and veteran lefty Taylor Rogers. Rogers had been struggling of late, but he looked like the Rogers of old and got his team out of the jam tonight. With Lorenzen still throwing in the bottom of the sixth, Bell got the Twins back on the board with a booming triple! Caratini drove a ball deep into the left field corner for a sacrifice fly to immediately score Bell to cut the gap to 3-2. Brooks Lee tried to facilitate the completion of the rally with a ringing two-out double, but Tristan Gray kept his 30 percent strikeout percentage alive and well to end the threat. Bullpens Beyond Broken Goodman hit his third home run of the night, and it was a three-run shot. Rogers only needed nine pitches in the sixth, but Shelton inexplicably brought in the least-rested member of the bullpen to face a lead-off lefty in the top of the seventh. Kody Funderburk was that man, and he pitched poorly yet again tonight. The aforementioned lefty McCarthy ripped a single, and then Funderburk walked the pinch-hitting righty, Ezequiel Tovar. McCarthy and Tovar pulled off a double steal while Funderburk was focusing in on Goodman. With a full count staring him in the face, Funderburk decided that a center-cut 90 mph sinker was the best plan of action against the hottest hitter in the league. It left at 113 mph and the Rockies lead was jacked up to 6-2. The Twins continued to flounder at the plate as the game reached its disappointing conclusion, but there was a moment of hope for the Twins in the midst of their league-worst bullpen 5.30 ERA in the month of June. Marco Raya made his long-awaited major league debut in the top of the eighth. He fit right in, as he promptly walked the lead-off man and gave up a gopher ball to Kyle Karros after falling behind to him as well. 8-2 Rockies. Raya did notch his first career strikeout to end the frame, against Goodman no less! Raya pitched a scoreless ninth to end his debut outing. The Rockies sent the literal worst bullpen pitcher in the majors out on the mound for the bottom of the ninth, and his name is Zach Agnos. He promptly made Royce Lewis look foolish on an undisciplined swinging strike out. Lewis' lack of effort looked even worse given what came next. Lee refused to swing at balls out of the zone, and he was rewarded with a single. Even Gray got a single because he laid off the pitches Royce couldn't, and then Luke Keaschall worked a walk to load the bases with one out. Larnach refused to swing at non-strikes, cleared the bases with a double to creep the Twins within three at 8-5 and to chase Agnos from the game! The next man up for the Rockies was Friday night's losing pitcher Jimmy Herget and his sidearm craftiness. Buxton got ahead 2-0 but popped up a hanging sweeper to leave the rally to pinch-hitting Austin Martin who entered the game in the top of the ninth as a defensive replacement for Kody Clemens. Why did Shelton make that move down six runs while he left in Buxton and others? Your guess is as good as mine, but it meant the left-handed Clemens was watching from the bench as Martin flew out to end the rally. It's too bad FanGraphs hasn't figured out how to measure WPA for managers, because Shelton was on fire tonight. What’s Next? The Twins hope to salvage their 12th series win in 2026 against the hapless but pesky Rockies on Sunday afternoon. Lefty Connor Prielipp (2-5, 5.17 ERA) will look to get his season back on track before he reaches his Twins-mandated load limit. The Rockies will send young righty Ryan Feltner (2-2, 4.79 ERA) in hopes of winning only their ninth series in 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Rogers 38 0 0 0 9 47 Raya 0 0 0 0 40 40 Banda 0 25 0 11 0 35 Adams 30 0 0 0 0 30 Funderburk 0 0 0 20 25 20 Orze 0 0 0 14 0 14 Morris 0 7 0 6 0 13 Gómez 0 10 0 0 0 10 View the full article -
Marlins leapfrog Cardinals in standings, clinch season series
DiamondCentric posted an article in Fish On First
The Miami Marlins are a season-best five games over .500 following their wire-to-wire win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Following a shutout of the Cardinals in the previous game, Ryan Gusto and a handful of relievers nearly repeated the feat in this 5-1 contest. Kyle Stowers jolted the Fish to a 2-0 lead with RBI singles in both the first and third innings. Stowers' bat continues to be particularly potent in games when he plays first base (slashing .304/.411/.630 with 13 RBI in those 14 games). In addition to Stowers, Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez and Javier Sanoja collected multi-hit games. As a result, one of my favorite "streaks" remains intact: Lopez has hits in all 27 Marlins series this season. Trying to leg out an infield hit in the top of the ninth, Lopez landed on the bag awkwardly and experienced some right ankle discomfort. He completed the rest of the game, but that's an injury concern to monitor moving forward. The Marlins once again kept Gusto on a short leash, calling to the bullpen after 3 ⅓ innings of scoreless work from him. John King, the first arm used in relief, made easy work of his former teammates, building upon what's been a career year for the veteran southpaw. The quintet of Gusto, King, Lake Bachar, Anthony Bender and Tyler Zuber did not allow any extra-base hits. This was the Marlins' fourth win over St. Louis in five head-to-head meetings, clinching the season series. Put a pin in that because it's the primary tiebreaker used to determine National League wild-card berths should multiple clubs finish with identical records. In the meantime, by improving to 44-39 overall, the Marlins are a half-game ahead of the 42-38 Cardinals. The NL WC spots are currently occupied by the Philadelphia Phillies (46-37), Chicago Cubs (45-38) and San Diego Padres (43-37). The sixth and final matchup between the Fish and Cards is scheduled for Sunday at 2:15 p.m. ET. View the full article -
Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (June 25 - June 26) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Iowa Cubs (Chicago White Sox): 2-2 Season Record: 37-42 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees): 2-1 Season Record: 36-34 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks): 1-2 Season Record: 30-43 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees): 1-3 Season Record: 33-39 FCL Blue Jays Week Record: 3-0 Season Record: 29-11 DSL Blue Jays Blue Week Record: 1-2 Season Record: 7-12 DSL Blue Jays Red Week Record: 2-1 Season Record: 7-12 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 37-42 Series vs Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) June 25: Thursday's game against the Iowa Cubs had almost as many fireworks from Buffalo hitters as the first two games of the series did. The Bisons launched three more home runs, bringing the total for the series up to 11. Sean Keys continued his recent power surge with another home run, this one a solo shot in the third inning. Jay Harry then joined him with multiple home runs in the series, hitting a three-run blast in the fifth. Charles McAdoo capped off a monster eight-run fifth inning with a two-run missile line drive that cleared the fence as well. For the game, every Buffalo hitter had a hit, four had multiple hits, with Je'Von Ward notching three base knocks and four RBI. While the bats have shown up in each game of the series so far, the pitching had been abysmal, that is, until Thursday. Chas Dallas was lights out on the mound; he only went 4.1 innings, but didn't give up a run and struck out three. The bullpen came on in relief of Dallas and did just as well. Brendon Little, Pat Gallagher, and Justin Topa combined to throw 4.2 innings, only surrendering three hits and one unearned run. Buffalo won going away, 15-1. June 26: The bats finally lost their sizzling hot streak on Friday for Buffalo. They were still swinging and connecting, but the runs just never could cross home plate. Jonatan Clase, Yohendrick Pinango, and C.J. Stubbs all had two hits each, while Josh Kasevich was the only hitter able to bring a run home with his RBI single in the top of the first inning. The Bisons more or less became a microcosm of the big league club; they had nine singles in the game, no extra-base hits, and just one walk. With the bullpen being taxed over the first three games of the series, Josh Fleming was left out there to work as deep as he could. He did pitch into the sixth, but gave up 12 hits and eight runs in that span. Buffalo took it on the chin this game, a complete opposite performance from Thursday, they lost big 12-1. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 35-34 Series vs Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) June 25: It was an old-fashioned pitcher's duel on Thursday between New Hampshire and Somerset. Gage Stanifer was on the mound, and he was electric again. This time, he wasn't throwing mostly fastballs, but his fastball command was still very good. His slider was doing a lot of the heavy lifting, getting the strikeouts. He went six innings and got the quality start, giving up just three hits, issuing one walk, allowing one run, and striking out nine batters. His lone mistake was a slider over the plate that went for a solo home run in the third inning. The offense gave him a two-run lead in the second inning, though, with Jackson Hornung doubling in two runs. That would be all the offense in the game, as Mason Olson and Javen Coleman finished the game off with six strikeouts between them. New Hampshire won this one 2-1. June 26: Postponed High-A Vancouver Season Record: 30-43 Series vs Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks) June 25: Dylan Watts battled with some poor command, as he walked five batters in five innings, but only allowed two runs, with two runs scored in the first inning. The Canadians were also able to score a run in the first inning after loading the bases with Jake Casey getting hit by a pitch. They were then able to tie it up in the second on a Tucker Toman RBI-groundout. Watts was able to keep it scoreless for the next four innings despite not striking out a single batter, and in the fifth inning, the Canadians capitalized on a walk, then a fielding error with an Alex Stone two-run double in just his third game back from a rehab assignment. Manuel Beltre added another run with a sac fly, and then Carson Myers came into the game in the sixth and earned the save with two scoreless innings, lowering his ERA under four now. Stone had his third RBI of the day in the seventh for an insurance run, and J.R. Freethy added one of his own with an RBI single, before the game was called after the 7th due to poor weather for a 7-2 Canadians win. June 26: Holden Wilkerson had his longest outing of the season, but he may have been left in the game too long. The Canadians got out to another early lead in the first with an Eric Snow sac fly. Wilkerson kept the lead until the fourth inning, where a Slade Caldwell homer tied it up, and Wilkerson allowed another two runs to score in the fourth. He had a relatively clean fifth inning, but he allowed a single and a walk in the sixth inning before getting two outs and being taken out of the game for Jay Schueler. Scheduler immediately gave up a two-run double to Jakey Josepha, adding two more earned runs to Wilkerson’s line. Schueler allowed another run in the seventh before the Canadians had a mini comeback, with Peyton Williams getting robbed of multiple RBIs with a ground rule double, but a wild pitch and an Eric Snow RBI groundout brought the lead to just two for the Hops. Unfortunately for the Canadians, Schueler allowed another run, and the offense couldn’t score in the ninth for a seven-to-four loss. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 33-39 Series vs Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees) June 25: The Jays were able to turn around an early deficit with some great performances from their offense. Silvano Hechavarria was let down by his defense as a fielding error from Brock Tibbitts resulted in a three-run homer in the first inning. Dariel Ramon got a run back with an RBI double, but then Hechavarria gave up his second homer of the night in the third before giving up another extra base hit that scored another run, bringing it to a 5 to 1 lead for the Tarpons. In the fourth inning, the Jays started their comeback, with JoJo Parker and Adam Hackenberg getting on base for an RBI double for Aldo Gaxiola. Then Tibbitts helped make up for his error with a sac fly to bring it within two. The Jays loaded the bases in the fifth inning, and a passed ball and a bases-loaded walk from Hackeberg tied up the game. In Giaconino Lasaracina’s second game in Dunedin, he had a three-hit night, and he helped the Jays take the lead in the sixth with an RBI single. The Jays scored four more runs in the seventh with RBI hits from Yorman Licourt, Lasaracina, and Ramon. Ramon then had his fourth RBI of the night in the eighth, before Blaine Bullard capped off the scoring for the Jays with an RBI single himself. The Jays won this one 12 to 6. June 26: The offense sputtered after a 12-run night the day before. The Tarpons couldn’t get it going early, however, as the Italian Giacomo Taschin allowed just one run in five innings of work with five strikeouts. He wasn’t as good as Henry Lalane, though, as the righty carved up the Dunedin offense with 12 strikeouts in seven hit innings, allowing just one hit. The game stayed at 1 to nothing until the top of the eighth inning, where Luis Fonseca allowed a couple of runners, then Franly Urena gave up a bases-loaded walk and a bases-clearing double to make it five to one for the Tarpons. A throwing error from Josbel Garcia gave the Tarpons an insurance run in the ninth, and despite a two-run double from Adam Hackenberg in the ninth, the game really was not that competitive in a tough loss for Dunedin. FCL Blue Jays Season Record: 29-11 June 25: It was a slow day Thursday between the FCL Blue Jays and FCL Tigers. Miguel Pantoja was on the mound for the Blue Jays and did well in his short outing. He pitched 1.2 innings of no-hit baseball. He did hit one batter and struck out two. Things were quiet until the sixth inning. Franklin Rojas singled, Edgardo Villegas was hit by a pitch, then Andres Arias hit an RBI single, followed by David Guzman hitting an RBI single. That was all the scoring in the game from both sides, as the Blue Jays won 2-0. June 26: The Friday game between the FCL Blue Jays and FCL Tigers was a little more eventful than the Thursday one. The top pitching performance was Deiker Pineda, who pitched 2.2 hitless innings and struck out three for the Blue Jays. The Tigers got on the board first with a sacrifice fly and a two-run double in the inning. In the second inning, the Blue Jays answered with two runs of their own on a two-run triple by Kennew Blanco. Martin Tamara had an RBI single in the third inning to increase the Tigers' lead. That is where things remained until the bottom of the seventh. Reynel Campos singled, Angel Guzman doubled, David Guzman drove in a run with a single, as did Franklin Rojas, followed by Edgardo Villegas hitting a single to the catcher, and Pascual Archila capping things off with a walk-off single to right field. The Blue Jays won 5-4. DSL Blue Jays Blue Season Record: 7-12 June 25: BJB was on a roll Thursday down on the island; they managed to get a whopping 20 baserunners in the game, nine hits, 10 walks, and one hit-by-pitch. Despite clogging up the base paths all game with runner after runner, BJB only managed to get three of them across home plate. Sebastian Casanova walked with the bases loaded in the second inning, Juarlin Soto scored on an error in the fifth, and Juan Caricote hit his second home run of the season in the ninth (a solo shot). Even on the mound, the BJB pitchers were dialed in, striking out 13 of the Rangers Blue batters. Orlando Mercelin had the best performance for BJB. He struck out six and gave up just two unearned runs over his 2.2 innings. Unfortunately for BJB, their starting pitcher Tomoya Kinjo gave up three runs in his 1.2 innings. BJB took the loss in this game, 5-3. June 26: Friday's game was a stark contrast to Thursday's. BJB only managed to get six baserunners in the game, but managed to take home the win in spite of that. They had four hits in the game, three of which were doubles. Yariel Cordero had an RBI double in the third inning, which was followed by an RBI single by Cristopher Polanco. BJB added a third run in the game on a wild pitch in the fourth, which saw Michael Mesa come in to score. On the mound, Yoenis Morales was great, throwing five innings and allowing just one run, while striking out four. BJB won 3-1. DSL Blue Jays Red Season Record: 7-12 June 25: Suspended June 26 Game 1: In the first game of the day for BJR, they exploded for eight runs in the second inning. BJR scored three runs on two fielding errors, another run on a wild pitch, Gabriel Porras doubled home two runs, Aneudi Severino singled in one, and Ayberson Ortega capped off the scoring with an RBI double to right. Luis Nunez added two more runs in the sixth inning, when he doubled to right field. The big hitter of the game was Ortega, who had four hits, including his RBI double. Cristhian Duarte and Jarlin Ugarte combined to throw five innings and gave up just three runs, leading BJR to a big 11-3 win. June 26 Game 2: It was more of the same from BJR in the second game of the day against the Tigers 1 team. BJR scored 13 runs on just six hits, getting most of their baserunners from 10 walks in the game. There was no player better for BJR than Elian Reyes, a 6-foot-4 right fielder playing his second season in the DSL. Reyes had a big hit in the six-run first inning for BJR, a timely grand slam to right field. He then added another home run in the third inning, a solo blast to center. It wasn't the only skill on display from Reyes; he also stole a base in the fifth inning. BJR ran away with this game as well, winning 13-3. View the full article -
Let's check in on Friday’s action on the farm. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers): 0-4 Season Record: 36-39 The WooSox skid continued on Friday as they were crushed 13-1. Not much went well for Worcester on Friday, especially on the mound. Seth Martinez got the start, lasting just two innings before being pulled. Over the course of his short outing, Martinez gave up five runs on four hits, raising his ERA to 6.65 while taking the loss. Devin Sweet took the next two innings and saw some more success. Sweet let up one run on two hits before turning the ball over to Angel Bastardo for the fifth. Bastardo let up two runs on two hits as Toledo began to run away with the ballgame. Zack Kelly put together the most successful outing for Worcester, allowing one walk in his inning-long outing. Noah Song took the seventh through eighth, allowing the Mud Hens to score five more runs. Song walked two and allowed five hits. Wyatt Olds took the ninth and matched Kelly’s inning, allowing a walk but preventing Toledo from tacking on anything else. At the dish, the WooSox struggled to get on base, recording only eight baserunners. A somewhat depleted roster didn’t help, as Anthony Seigler and Tsung-Che Cheng have both recently joined the big league club. Worcester’s only run came on a Mikey Romero solo home run in the first inning, his fifth of the year. Otherwise, newly signed Andrew Knizner and Max Ferguson recorded a double each while both Allan Castro and Jason Delay singled. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series @ Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies): 2-2 Season Record: 37-35 Miguel Bleis clubbed two homers as Portland lost 4-3 in a close game. John Holobetz spun an absolute gem on Friday, turning in six innings of superb work. Holobetz gave up just one earned run throughout his start, allowing three hits and a walk. Holobetz struck out six for the third start in a row. Jeremy Wu-Yelland got the ball in a tense situation, hoping to carry over Holobetz’s momentum. Wu-Yelland faltered, however, allowing two runs on three hits in just an inning and earning his first blown save of the season. Reidis Sena ultimately lost the game for Portland, allowing one more run (although it was unearned) on one hit in the eight inning as Hartford prevailed. Franklin Arias was absent from Portland’s lineup on Friday evening. Whether or not Arias sat out in anticipation of a Triple-A call-up is unclear, but it’s certain that Portland struggled without him. Coming into Friday night, Arias carried a five-game multi-hit streak. Miguel Bleis stepped up in Arias’ absence, but he was alone in his efforts. He hit a leadoff home run to start off the game, giving the Sea Dogs an early lead. In the third, Bleis stole second as Ahbram Liendo scored on a throwing error. In the fifth, Bleis crushed his second home run of the night as Portland added to a short-lived lead. Liendo, Ronald Rosario, and Jack Winnay recorded a single each, making up the rest of Portland’s offense. High-A Greenville Drive Series vs. Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros): 2-2 Season Record: 30-40 Kyson Witherspoon is finally beginning to look like the pitcher Boston drafted last year. Despite early season struggles, Witherspoon has been terrific over his past few outings. Friday was no exception, as Witherspoon notched seven strikeouts and allowed just one run. He let up five hits and a walk over six innings, but minimized the damage as he turned in yet another great performance. Calvin Bickerstaff took the next two innings, letting up a solo home run and a walk before turning the ball over to Steven Brooks. The outings that preceded Brooks were not in line with his performance as he imploded. Brooks allowed five runs on four hits in the top of the ninth as Asheville took a late lead, and eventually the win. Greenville’s offense was solid for most of the game, but couldn’t rectify poor late-game pitching. Antonio Anderson shouldered most of Friday’s offense as he drove in two runs on two hits. His first RBI came in the fourth inning as he drove in Yophery Rodriguez on a single. Ronny Hernandez then scored on a Hudson White sac fly, taking a 2-0 lead. In the sixth, Hernandez and Anderson teed off. The pair went back-to-back as Greenville established a three-run lead. However, it was all the offense could muster for the rest of the night as Asheville stole a win on Friday night. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series vs. Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs): 1-3 Season Record: 27-45 Salem lost yet again, falling 8-1 in its 16th loss of the month. With three days until July, you can count the Salem RidgeYaks number of wins in the month of June on one hand. The RidgeYaks have won just four games in 20 contests, good for a .200 winning percentage. This trend continued on Friday as Salem barely put up a fight. The struggles on the pitching side started early. Myrtle Beach got to Brady Tygart early, forcing him out of the game after just 1⅔ innings. Tygart walked five batters and allowed two hits, letting up three runs (one unearned). Jacob Mayers took the next 2⅓ frames, walking four and allowing a hit but staving off any more runs from the Pelicans. Drew Allmer pitched just ⅓ of an inning before being pulled, allowing three runs on four walks and zero hits. Harry Blum took the next 2⅓ innings to the tune of one run on one hit. Wuilliams Rodriguez closed out the final 2⅓ innings of Friday’s game, letting up one unearned run and striking out four. Salem recorded just four hits on Friday, two of which were hit by Avinson Pinto. On a more positive note, Salem drew six walks but struggled to do much with runners on. Its only run of the evening came on an Andrews Opata double in the third inning, driving in Ilan Fernandez to cut the lead to two runs. However, Salem didn’t put up much of a fight as they were dispatched quite easily, striking out 12 times. Opata and Pinto each registered a double and Pinto and Adonys Guzman both singled as well. View the full article -
Veteran Hoby Milner has hit the IL with appendicitis. His place is being filled by Gavin Hollowell. An unbelievable stretch of Cubs pitching injuries continues. Ben Brown (neck) and Edward Cabrera (splits, hamstring) went down this week, as did closer Daniel Palencia (elbow) and walking-earned run Phil Maton (ego, knee). The Cubs will continue to play games, with or without healthy pitchers. The staff is reeling, and at this point, all you can do is chuckle. View the full article -
The Twins Have Some Huge Trade Deadline Decisions To Make
DiamondCentric posted an article in Twins Daily
Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan are once again at the center of trade speculation, but they may be just two of several Twins who could be on the move this summer. View the full article -
As the New York Mets try to keep their head above water during this chaotic period, they got some good news on the pitching front. The Mets on Saturday activated right-handed starter Christian Scott from the 15-day injured list and optioned left-hander Zach Thornton to Triple-A Syracuse. Scott will start Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies in hopes of stopping a seven-game losing streak that led to Friday's firing of manager Carlos Mendoza. Scott had been out the minimum time due to a right hip impingement. He has been a good story for the Mets to this point, making nine starts and posting a 3.10 FIP (3.84 ERA) with a 10.7% walk rate and 26.4% strikeout rate in 40⅔ innings. Thornton had just been called up Friday to make his second MLB start. He went six innings, allowing one run on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts, a nice bounce back from his MLB debut on May 20 in which he gave up four runs in 4⅓ innings. View the full article -
The Minnesota Twins have watched Byron Buxton put together plenty of memorable seasons throughout his career, but 2026 has been something different. Healthy (knock on wood), productive, and once again one of the game's most dynamic players, Buxton is now one step closer to receiving the recognition that has long felt overdue. Major League Baseball announced the results of Phase 1 of All-Star voting on Thursday, and Buxton advanced to Phase 2 as one of six American League outfield finalists. Now, with the vote totals reset, Twins fans have one more opportunity to help send their center fielder to Philadelphia as a starting outfielder in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. Finally Getting the Recognition Buxton's talent has never been questioned. Staying on the field has often been the only thing standing between him and national superstardom. This season, he's erased those questions. After launching 35 home runs during his All-Star campaign in 2025, Buxton has somehow raised the bar even higher. Entering the final days before voting resumes, he is tied with Yordan Alvarez for the American League lead with 25 home runs, putting him on pace to eclipse the 50-homer mark for the first time in his career. His .912 OPS ranks as the second-best mark of his career, trailing only his remarkable 2021 season, when injuries limited him to just 61 games despite producing like one of baseball's best hitters. It's the kind of production Twins fans have always believed was possible when Buxton is healthy. Now the rest of baseball is taking notice. A Crowded Race in the AL Outfield Phase 2 won't be easy. Buxton will compete with Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger, Daulton Varsho, and Jesús Sánchez for one of three starting outfield spots. Judge and Trout remain two of the sport's biggest stars, but both enter the final round while on the injured list. Judge is recovering from a stress fracture in his ribs and is not expected back until after the All-Star break. Trout is dealing with a right hamstring strain but could return before the Midsummer Classic. Meanwhile, Bellinger has enjoyed a strong bounce-back season after returning to New York, while Toronto teammates Varsho and Sánchez are both looking to earn the first All-Star selections of their careers. Despite the talented field, Buxton has a compelling case that extends well beyond his home run total. He continues to provide strong defense in center field while serving as the centerpiece of Minnesota's offense nearly every night. That's the type of complete player deserving of an All-Star start. Twins Fans Can Finish the Job The biggest twist in MLB's voting process is that nothing from Phase 1 carries over. Although Buxton received more than 1.6 million votes to comfortably advance, every finalist now starts back at zero. Phase 2 voting opens at 11:00 a.m. CT on Monday, June 29th, and runs through 11:00 a.m. CT on Thursday, July 2nd. Fans can cast one ballot every 24 hours through MLB's website, club websites, the MLB App, and MLB Ballpark App. The winners will be announced on July 4, with pitchers and reserves revealed shortly afterward. Buxton has spent more than a decade giving Twins fans highlight-reel catches, breathtaking speed, and tape-measure home runs. This season has showcased everything that has made him one of baseball's most exciting players, only this time with the consistency that comes from being healthy. Now comes the final push. Phase 1 showed that Buxton has earned national attention. Phase 2 will determine whether he takes the field at Citizens Bank Park as a starter. If Twins fans want to see one of the franchise's best seasons in recent memory rewarded with a place in the starting lineup, voting begins Monday. With the totals reset, every vote matters once again, and Minnesota has four days to help send Byron Buxton where he belongs: the All-Star starting lineup. View the full article -
It is hardly without precedent, but it is among the most un-just of transactions. The Mets began yesterday with three men in their rotation, and seemingly a gajillion guys in their bullpen. They call up a guy, he does great, and he gets bounced right back to Syracuse for the trouble. Transactions, 6/27/2026 GOING COMING Demoted to Syracuse Activated from Injured List Starting Pitchers Zach Thornton Christian Scott L/L DoB: 2002-01-17 High Level: MLB (2026) R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 High Level: MLB (2026) On the first day of the Andy Green regime, the Mets had no starters available, and were forced to call up Zach Thornton — a rookie with all of one (unsuccessful) starts at the major-league level. He came up, instantly gave up three hard-hit balls, made his adjustments, and absolutely shut the hard-hitting Phillies down: IP H R ER BB SO Pit Str GiDP 6.0 5 1 1 1 7 78 54 3(!) You may feel different, but that's the kind of pitcher (and one of those last two hits were Mets Roster Central would like to see come out for the seventh. But somewhere baseball in general, and the Mets in particular, are broken, and unlike any other sport, when a guy who is threatening to win a game for his team, all the manager is can think about is when to get him out of there. And so, rather than see Thornton come out for the seventh, the Flushing faithful, see him yanked from the game so hard that he ended up in Syracuse, as the Mets lost the contest and the golden opportunity for a fresh start under Andy Green it represented. May Christian Scott see better — and saner — times. Your 2026 New York Mets Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Sean Manaea Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta Christian Scott Huascar Brazobán R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 Relief Pitchers A.J. Minter Tobias Myers Cionel Pérez Brooks Raley Kodai Senga Austin Warren Luke Weaver L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 R/L DoB: 35176 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Luís Torrens Bo Bichette Brett Baty Francisco Lindor Ronny Mauricio R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 Infielders Outfielders Mark Vientos Eric Wagaman Carson Benge A.J. Ewing Juan Soto Tyrone Taylor Jared Young R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 R/R DoB: 1997-08-14 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 L/R DoB: 2004-08-10 L/L DoB: 1998-10-25 R/R DoB: 1994-01-22 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 Also on 40-Player Roster Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Clay Holmes Tylor Megill Zach Thornton Jonah Tong Alex Carrillo Daniel Duarte Reed Garrett R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 L/L DoB: 2002-01-17 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1996-12-04 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Joey Gerber Justin Hagenman Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Hayden Senger Jorge Polanco R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 Infielders Outfielders Marcus Semien MJ Melendez Nick Morabito Jared Oliva Luis Robert, Jr. R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 R/R DoB: 1995-11-27 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 Designated for Assignment Infielders Zack Short R/R DoB: 34848 Your Mets Coaching Staff Interim Manager Bench Coach Pitching Coach Hitting Coord. Third Base Coach First Base Coach Bullpen Coach Ass't Pitch. Coach Andy Green Kai Correa Justin Willard Jeff Albert Tim Leiper Gilbert Gomez José Rosado Dan McKinney DoB: 1977-07-07 DoB: 1989-07-14 DoB: 1990-09-09 DoB: 1992-08-16 DoB: 1996-07-19 DoB: 1992-03-08 DoB: 1974-11-09 DoB: 1989-06-06 Hitting Coach Strategy Coach Catching Coach Coaching Assistant Bat'g Pract. Pitcher Equip. Manager Bullpen Catcher Bullpen Catcher Troy Snitker Danny Barnes J.P. Arencibia Rafael Fernandez Kevin Mahoney Kevin Kierst Eric Langill Dave Racaniello DoB: 1988-12-05 DoB: 1989-10021 DoB: 1986-01-05 DoB: 1988-08-03 DoB: 1987-05-11 DoB: 1964-07-09 DoB: 1979-04-09 DoB: 1978-06-03 Your Mets Training Staff Director of Player Health Head Athletic Trainer Assistant Athletic Trainer Recond. Coordinator Recond. Therapist Head Performance Coach Assistant Performance Coach Performance Coordinator Soft Tissue Specialist Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang Hiroto Kawamura DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? DoB: 1962-07-19 View the full article -
The call-up of Sean Keys is official, but it comes at the same time as a key injury. The Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday selected the contract of Keys, a corner infielder, from Triple-A Buffalo so he can make his MLB debut. The Jays also called up outfielder Yohendrick Pinango from Buffalo, while placing outfielder Jesus Sanchez on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right ankle and optioning outfielder Davis Schneider to Triple-A. Room on the 40-man roster for Keys was made Friday with right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson being designated for assignment. The news of Keys' promotion broke Friday. He has hit 21 homers this season between Double-A and Triple-A. Sanchez's injury is new, however. He left Friday's 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers as he smacked into the wall while backtracking to catch a fly ball to end the seventh inning. Sanchez, acquired in the offseason in a trade with the Houston Astros, has been a key part of the Jays' offense and is slashing .274/.316/.437 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in 73 games. Pinango is up with the Jays for the third time this season. He has a .283/.331/.433 slash line in 43 games, hitting four homers and driving in 18. Schneider is back in Buffalo for the second time this season. He was initially sent down to try and straighten out his lack of offense, but was needed back up due to an injury. Schneider has put up a .222/.241/.519 slash line with two homers and four RBIs in 11 games since returning, improving his overall numbers to .153/.282/.296 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 49 games. View the full article -
The Twins Could Look Completely Different After the Trade Deadline
DiamondCentric posted an article in Twins Daily
We're already counting down the days until the MLB Trade Deadline on August 3, but there's still a lot of uncertainty surrounding what exactly the Minnesota Twins should do. Depending on who you ask, you'll get a completely different answer. A lot of people think the Twins should be sellers once again. At the same time, there's still a sizable group that believes Minnesota should be an aggressive buyer, especially considering how underwhelming the AL Central has been this season. This time of year always makes things difficult. We're just over halfway through the season, but the standings remain incredibly tight. It's hard to know exactly where teams stand when one good week can completely change the outlook of a division race. There's still time for the Twins to gain some clarity, but the pressure is about to ramp up in a hurry. So, what should the Twins do at this year's trade deadline? And what would each path mean for the rest of the roster? A lot of that answer, obviously, depends on where they sit in about two weeks. The Twins currently own a 39-44 record, but they're still only 4.5 games behind in the AL Central. That's close enough to keep hope alive, but far enough back that another rough stretch could all but end any realistic postseason aspirations. The next 12 games should tell us a lot. Minnesota has three-game series coming up against the Rockies, Astros, Yankees and Guardians. If they somehow manage to go 8-4 during that stretch, the conversation around this team could look drastically different than it does today. On the flip side, if they go 4-8, the front office may not have much of a choice. Regardless of what happens over the next couple weeks, though, I still think the likeliest outcome is that the Twins end up as sellers. If that's the route they take, several names should immediately jump to the top of the trade market. Ryan Jeffers, Josh Bell, Trevor Larnach, and Kody Clemens all make a lot of sense. Larnach, in particular, feels like someone who should be moved regardless of where the Twins are in the standings. Minnesota simply has too many young corner outfielders knocking on the door in Triple-A, and eventually they're going to need everyday opportunities. Beyond that, all four players represent guys who are either in the prime of their careers or short-term pieces that probably aren't going to move the needle much for the Twins beyond this season. If those four players are traded, though, the lineup would suddenly look dramatically different. Four of the five hitters that typically occupy the top of Minnesota's lineup would be gone. The Twins would need a new catcher, a new primary left fielder, a designated hitter, and someone capable of filling the many different roles Clemens has handled this season. That creates opportunities for younger players. Alan Roden feels like one of the biggest beneficiaries. He has the defensive versatility to play either corner outfield spot, and his offensive production at Triple-A has looked more than deserving of a promotion. This would also be the perfect opportunity to finally see exactly what Aaron Sabato can offer at the major league level. The former first-round pick from the 2020 MLB Draft may never become the Twins' long-term answer at first base (and realistically probably won't), but when a player has produced 35 extra-base hits and a .927 OPS in Triple-A, it's worth finding out if there's something there before completely moving on. Catcher probably wouldn't change much immediately. Jeffers is already sidelined with a fractured hamate bone, so the Twins have already begun adjusting behind the plate without him. The biggest winners, however, would likely be the organization's wave of outfield prospects. Assuming he returns healthy, Emmanuel Rodriguez should receive even more opportunities down the stretch if the Twins pivot toward evaluating young talent. Walker Jenkins, Hendry Mendez, and Gabriel Gonzalez could all benefit as well, especially if multiple outfield spots suddenly become available over the final two months of the season. Of course, the Twins probably wouldn't stop at trading only four players. Taylor Rogers is another obvious candidate. He's an experienced left-handed reliever, and contenders are always looking to add bullpen help in July. Even Yoendrys Gomez could generate interest despite arriving less than two months ago. The Twins showed at last year's deadline that they aren't afraid to aggressively move relievers, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them take a similar approach again if they decide to sell. Then there are the two names everyone always talks about. Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan have been connected to trade rumors for what feels like years now. Buxton's situation is a little different because he owns a no-trade clause. If the Twins agreed to a deal, he would still have the ability to veto it. Ryan doesn't have that luxury. So how far out of the playoff picture would Minnesota need to be before seriously considering moving one of them? Or even both? And if they did, what kind of return could they realistically expect? The answer is probably a massive one. Both players have multiple years of team control remaining, both are among the best in baseball at their respective positions, and both would instantly become one of the most sought-after players available at the deadline. The Twins wouldn't simply be acquiring prospects in return. A trade involving Ryan or Buxton could realistically bring back major league-ready talent, along with one or more premium prospects capable of impacting the organization's future. I've been pretty vocal about my belief that the Twins should trade Joe Ryan–I don't necessarily feel that same way about Byron Buxton. But there's no denying the type of return either would command. That's what makes the trade deadline so fascinating every single year. It's one of the most exciting times on the baseball calendar. Unfortunately for Twins fans, that excitement probably won't come from adding talent this summer. Instead, there's a very real chance the roster we see today looks nothing like the one we'll be watching just a little over a month from now. View the full article -
Royals Ship Mitch Spence To Triple-A After 10-Run Outing
DiamondCentric posted an article in Royals Keep
It might have been in the Kansas City Royals' plan anyway, but a disastrous outing Friday earned Mitch Spence a trip back to the minors. The Royals on Saturday optioned Spence back to Triple-A Omaha and called up right-hander Eric Cerantola from Triple-A. Spence had been called up Friday to take the spot of right-handed starter Stephen Kolek, who went on paternity leave. With the Royals filling Kolek's scheduled start with a bullpen game, Spence came on in the second inning and got the final two outs of that inning, then proceeded to allow 10 runs in the third in what would become a 22-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Spence finished by allowing eight hits and three walks, giving up a pair of homers in 1⅓. Cerantola is with the Royals for a third time this season. In his previous two, he pitched a total of four innings over three games, allowing four runs on three hits and four walks with seven strikeouts. View the full article -
Already solid at every stop in his pro career, Pedro Ramirez improved across the board in 2026, proving that he can both help the big league team now and be a piece for the future. View the full article -
Twins System Recap: Ryan Sprock won't stop hitting! He's already extended his hitting streak three more games this week and is on the verge of breaking the all-time Fort Myers record. He was a standout performer, but so was teammate Quentin Young. It's been a tough season for Young, but he had a couple of good games this week, including one in which he ended with a walk-off homer. Among the many other players discussed in this one include Marco Raya, Walker Jenkins, Brandon Winokur, Eduardo Tait, and Jayson Bass. View the full article -
Reranking Padres' 2025 Trade Deadline Deals One Year Later
DiamondCentric posted an article in Padres Mission
A.J. Preller isn’t a mad scientist, at least not technically. His role as San Diego Padres’ president of baseball operations and general manager doesn’t require a STEM degree. But his roster machinations and the construction of his contract offers can only be cooked up in a lab. Exhibit A: The 2025 trade deadline. On July 31, 2025, the day of the deadline, the Padres sat 11 games over .500 and were strong Wild Card contenders. That was thanks in large part to one the best pitching staffs in baseball, patched together in a typically Preller-ian fashion. Robert Suarez, the team’s erstwhile closer, was signed in 2021 from Japan. Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta, the team’s most valuable pitcher by bWAR, was signed on a bizarre four-year contract that paid him just $2.5 million in that first year. Various trades had brought in Dylan Cease, Randy Vasquez, and Michael King. That did not stop Preller from swinging five trades at the deadline, two of them major and one of them franchise-altering. The 2026 Padres are a worse team than last year's, but they’re again in the Wild Card hunt. No one really knows what Preller will do, but we know one thing: Preller will not sit on his hands. Below is a ranking and assessment of the 2025 deadline trades with the benefit of a year's worth of hindsight. 5. Milwaukee Brewers trade LHP Nestor Cortes, SS Jorge Quintana and cash to San Diego Padres for LF Brandon Lockridge Preller has made many successful trades, and his acquiring a minor-league Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2016 is at the top of the list. But for a GM as active as Preller, it is impossible to avoid some clunkers. This trade is one of them. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was a useful bench player for a couple seasons, offering defensive versatility and speed on the basepaths. In 2025, he stole eight bags in 47 games for the Padres. But the Padres needed starting pitching in light of injuries to King and Yu Darvish, so they shipped Lockridge to Milwaukee for starter Nestor Cortes and prospect Jorge Quintana. Cortes started six games and pitched to a 5.47 ERA. He’s currently a free agent rehabbing from arm surgery. Quintana is 19-years old and playing in Single-A. Lockridge, for his part, is having a solid season as a bench player for a great Brewers team. As with most teams, the Padres are desperate for right-handed outfield depth. Lockridge would look quite nice in the brown and gold right now. 4. Kansas City Royals trade C Freddy Fermin to San Diego Padres for RHP Ryan Bergert and RHP Stephen Kolek The Friars are cursed at the catcher position, so it makes sense why Preller targeted Freddy Fermin. In 2023 and 2024, he had solid seasons at the plate, and throughout his career he has displayed excellent defense. There are not many all-around catchers in MLB. Fermin was one of them. Key word: was. Fermin was productive for the Padres last season in 47 games, but his slash line this season warrants a trigger warning. Brace yourself: It’s .145/.245/.258. Granted, his defense still makes him a valuable player—just barely—but the Padres’ anemic offense can’t afford the black hole in the lineup when he starts. Consequently, the Padres’ catcher carousel continues. They’ve started four different players at the position this year. Meanwhile, Stephen Kolek is for the Royals what he was for the Padres: an adequate number four or five in the rotation. In 14 starts for Kansas City, Kolek has a 3.28 ERA. (Ryan Bergert, a swingman, is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.) 3. Toronto Blue Jays trade 3B Will Wagner to San Diego Padres for C Brandon Valenzuela The media pays attention to the blockbuster trades and fans dwell on the lopsided calamities, but most trades don’t change much about either team. One side may get payroll flexibility, while the other side may open up a roster spot. Prospects are exchanged and fade into the minor-league abyss. Replacement-level players on expiring contracts disappear as quickly as they came. This is one of those deals. Will Wagner has been fine for the Padres. Brandon Valenzuela has been fine, if not quite good, for the Blue Jays. This trade is fine. 2. Baltimore Orioles trade 1B Ryan O'Hearn, RF Ramón Laureano and cash to San Diego Padres for LHP Boston Bateman, RHP Tyson Neighbors, RHP Tanner Smith, SS Brandon Butterworth, SS Cobb Hightower and 1B Victor Figueroa This is one of two major trades Preller swung at the 2025 deadline, and, until Ramón Laureano went down with a season-ending injury this month, Preller crushed it. In the stretch run last year, Laureano was one of the Pads’ best players, registering an .812 OPS. That performance earned Laureano a starting outfielder spot in 2026, though his lingering hip issue ultimately turned this season into a wash. Ryan O’Hearn also contributed to the Padres’ postseason berth last season, accruing 0.5 bWAR in just 50 games. The other side of the ledger is still an open question. Boston Bateman, Tanner Smith, Cobb Hightower, and Victor Figueroa are all figuring things out in A-ball. Tyson Neighbors has an ERA over 10 at Double-A this season. Brandon Butterworth is the closest to the majors. Some or all of these players may become quality major leaguers, but if I was presented with that list of names before researching this piece, then I wouldn’t be sure if any of them were real minor-league players or extras in Bull Durham. This trade was the kind of win-now, low-cost move that Preller specializes in. The book’s not closed on the deal, not with so many young players sent to the Baltimore Orioles, but with Laureano and O’Hearn in tow, the Padres made the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. 1. Athletics trade RHP Mason Miller and LHP JP Sears to San Diego Padres for RHP Henry Baez, RHP Eduarniel Núñez, SS Leo De Vries and RHP Braden Nett Cue “Blind” by Korn. Closer Mason Miller hardly needs introduction. He is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, and he is under team control through 2029. That’d be case-closed on this trade, except Leo De Vries, the Padres’ former top prospect, might hit 150 home runs per season once he and his major=league team move to the thin, hot air of Las Vegas. In Double-A this season, the 19-year-old (!) has an OPS just a shade under .800, though he’s gotten better as he gains experience. In June, his OPS is .880. In the last week, it's over .904. With all due respect to the other players involved, this trade was essentially a one-for-one swap between Miller and De Vries. It was the Athletics making a bet that De Vries would develop into a generational shortstop and the Padres making a bet that Miller would continue being unhittable. So far, both bets are hitting. In any case, this is a veritable blockbuster, a trade that will reverberate for years, if not decades, to come. View the full article
