Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
Welcome to June! Saturday had its share of everything: Tight affairs that came down to the wire, pitching duels – one in Kansas City and another in Chicago, and offensive explosions. But it was the latter that reigned supreme, and not in the most entertaining way. Of Saturday’s 15 games, over a third were decided by five runs or more. Tampa Bay throttled Houston for 16 runs, Milwaukee did one better against Philadelphia, the Mets did about half as much against the Rockies, Atlanta iced out Boston’s bats, and the World Series rematch failed to bring any sizzle. Alas, there’s still baseball aplenty to discuss. Shall we?
Don’t forget to watch every game with the Pitcher List community on Playback!
Today’s Headlines
Muncy Mashes the Yankees
No Mookie Betts? No problem. The Dodgers dismantled the Yankees early and didn’t stop there. They’d put up seven runs on starter Will Warren, three on his replacement, Brent Headrick, and another eight on the rest of New York’s bullpen. It was a rout. And in the middle of it all was Max Muncy. Wait. Max Muncy? Not Shohei Ohtani or Freddie Freeman. Max Muncy?! Yes, the oft-forgotten, next-to-no-contact-hitting pillar of this Dodgers franchise made his knocks count on Saturday. Muncy started with an RBI single before breaking things open with a three-run homer in the second. He’d hit another in the fourth, upping his RBI total to seven. For once, it was Muncy’s team.
Skubal Shines, Wacha Wows
Tarik Skubal sets a high standard. The good news is that only he can reach it. After a 93-pitch, 13-strikeout performance shutout last week, Skubal responded with another gem. This time around, he tossed seven shutout frames and struck out seven. He was sensational. Yet Michael Wacha matched him stride-for-stride, pitch-for-pitch. Wacha also pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out six. Both hurlers were in a class of their own. And that’s where the similarities stopped. Detroit’s bullpen stumbled and allowed a go-ahead single, and Kansas City’s held strong. John Schreiber and Carlos Estévez worked a scoreless eighth and ninth to preserve Wacha’s standard-reaching win.
Brewers Bruise Luzardo
Over his first nine starts, Jesús Luzardo was sensational. He’d allowed just 12 runs across 54 innings and looked every bit the third-fiddle Philly traded for. But on Saturday, Luzardo doubled his runs allowed in just three-and-a-third innings of work. The Brewers scored 12 runs on Luzardo off of 12 hits, three walks, and only two home runs – both courtesy of former Philly Rhys Hoskins. It was a downright drubbing that ended 17-7. Luzardo’s once 2.15 ERA is now up to 3.58.
Young and Hungry
All of Cole Young’s dreams came true in one go. The Mariners infielder not only made his MLB debut but also recorded his first-ever MLB hit. And if that wasn’t enough, it was a walk-off single. What’s even better is its improbability. The Twins had runners on the corners in the 11th with no outs. They didn’t need a hit as much as they needed a productive out. Mariners reliever Collin Snider ensured they got neither, striking out Byron Buxton before inducing two infield outs to end the inning. Young would go on to make his too-good-to-be-true moment just two batters later.
Brown Cruises Through Cincy’s Bats
The Cubs pride themselves on their offense. It’s an elite unit and easily one of baseball’s best. Yet their pitching carried things for a change on Saturday. Drew Pomeranz worked a scoreless first before handing things off to the star of the show, Ben Brown. The former 33rd-round pick pulverized the Reds, striking out nine and allowing just one hit and one walk across six shutout innings. It was Brown’s best appearance yet and his most encouraging after allowing 14 earned runs over his last nine innings of work. Brad Keller and Daniel Palencia followed Brown with two clean frames to show the Cubs can be more than their bats.
A’s and Jays Explode
When the 23-35 A’s and the 29-28 Blue Jays get together, you don’t expect much. But on Saturday, the downtrodden and the mediocre delivered big. Combined, the two piled 15 runs on the scoreboard, yet it was the Jays who stood alone by day’s end, winning 8-7. For that, Toronto has the long ball to thank. More specifically, they have George Springer to thank. The outfielder went deep twice and, along with Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger, plated a pair. The A’s made a late push and tacked another two on the board before Jeff Hoffman sat them down.
Benches Clear in Baltimore
For once, there’s news off the scorecard. During the fourth inning of yesterday’s game between the Orioles and the White Sox, the two cleared their benches. The action stems from a collision between Coby Mayo and White Sox infielder Lenyn Sosa. Matters weren’t helped when Sosa got nearly chest-to-chest with Mayo, and the Oriole responded by pushing him away. Both teams rushed out of their respective dugouts and bullpens only for some chest-bumping and verbal sparring. Like most things with the 2025 Orioles, many things could’ve happened only for it to go nowhere.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Ohtani’s Inching Closer
Shohei Ohtani‘s return to the mound is increasingly a question of when. Whether or not he can stay awake during a blowout is a question of if.
Shohei Ohtani was throwing off the mound at Dodger Stadium earlier today 💪 pic.twitter.com/O7jcFv74i4
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 31, 2025
The Big Dumper’s Doing It
For those out of the loop, Cal Raleigh currently has 22 home runs, 44 RBIs, and a 1.012 OPS. That last number would tie Mike Piazza for the second-best OPS by a catcher in a single season this century.
Cal Raleigh is unstoppable 😳
He mashes his 22nd homer of the year and is now tied for the league lead! pic.twitter.com/vvwK3N6YSv
— MLB (@MLB) June 1, 2025
Brotherly Love Only Lasts So Long
Rhys Hoskins served the Phillies admirably. Thanks to this three-run jack and another dinger later on, he’s now public enemy number one.
Philly fans boo Rhys Hoskins after his 3-run homer in the first inning pic.twitter.com/cgTX2NZzOA
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 31, 2025
PCA on the Play
Pete Crow-Armstrong is a tension-easer. Just knowing he’s out there causes Chicago’s pitcher to unsag their shoulders. Here’s why.
PCA WITH THE DIVING CATCH 🫢 pic.twitter.com/YL84Flnqnq
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 31, 2025
Can’t Contain Dane
How’d the Marlins shut out the Giants? With plays like this from Dane Myers.
Everyone say welcome back Dane Myers 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/82W7HiCEOp
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) May 31, 2025
They Can’t Clone Tyrone
The Mets may have their stars, but they don’t function, let alone make this play, without Tyrone Taylor.
Tyrone Taylor makes a LONG run for the out! 🏃 pic.twitter.com/SEcBWiF3nL
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Astros star slugger Yordan Alvarez is sticking on the shelf for a little while longer. Initially placed on the 10-day IL on May 3 with inflammation in his right hand, Alvarez is now dealing with what GM Dana Brown calls a very small fracture in his ring finger. Surgery isn’t required, thankfully, and Houston hopes to get Alvarez back in the not-too-distant future. Until then, the Astros are calling up their number two prospect, outfielder Jacob Melton.
⚾ Staying in the AL West, the Mariners announced yesterday that Bryce Miller is back. The pitcher started Saturday for the first time since May 11 and looked up and down. On top of Miller’s activation, Seattle promoted prized prospect Cole Young while optioning right-hander Casey Legumina and infielder Leo Rivas.
⚾ Toronto outfielder Daulton Varsho exited Saturday’s game with the A’s early with left hamstring discomfort. This ailment is Varsho’s latest. He’s played just 24 games since returning from offseason surgery and might not return anytime soon.
⚾ Coby Mayo is back in the Bigs. After putting Ryan Mountcastle on the 10-day IL due to a right hamstring strain, Baltimore will rely on Mayo, one of its many top prospects. Mayo’s often been the odd man out on the Major League roster, struggling to find playing time and only hitting .094/.186/.094 in his 21 games. Outfielder Jordyn Adams was also called up, while veteran catcher Chadwick Tromp heads to waivers.
⚾ The Cleveland Guardians activated infielder David Fry over the weekend. Fry, a playoff hero a year ago, missed the first chunk of the season due to offseason elbow surgery. To accommodate Fry, Cleveland DFA’d right-hander Cody Bolton.
⚾Wrist inflammation is sending Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker to the IL. The former top prospect will miss at least the next 10 days as he recovers. Walker isn’t the only roster move made by St. Louis as they optioned right-hander Gordon Graceffo and promoted right-hander and utilityman Ryan Vilade.
⚾ The Red Sox are calling up a Triple-A outfielder. Just not the one anyone expects. Nate Eaton, not Roman Anthony, will join the Major League team tomorrow, as will reliever Luis Guerrero.
⚾ The Blue Jays are parting with right-hander Jose Urena. Urena’s time in the Great White North was small but not immemorable, pitching to a 3.65 ERA in six games. Nonetheless, the Jays will look to left-hander Easton Lucas to replace Urena on the roster.
⚾Josh Harrison is hanging it up. The longtime Pirate walks away from the sport after a 13-year career split between Pittsburgh, Washington, the White Sox, Oakland, Philadelphia, and finally Detroit. Harrison leaves behind a .270/.316/.396 career slash line with 73 home runs, 388 RBIs, 91 steals, and 218 doubles. Happy trails!
Articles You Should Read
7 biggest questions in MLB as we enter pivotal month of June – Will Leitch, MLB.com
What it means to be in 1st place on June 1 – Sarah Langs, MLB.com
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
