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Fans of close baseball, avert your eyes because Saturday had little to offer. That’s not to say there were any. Arizona and Miami played a down-to-the-wire match in the desert, and a few states over, Texas and Seattle engaged in a tight affair decided by just one run. More than not, though, blowouts claimed the day. Boston trampled Toronto by 14 runs, Tampa Bay bludgeoned Baltimore by 8, Pittsburgh massacred the Mets by 7 (yes, really), and the A’s did the same to the Yankees. The Cubs also clobbered Houston by six, and the Angels won over Washington by the same margin. It was a day of runs, runs, and more runs.
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Today’s Headlines
Rest in Peace, Dave Parker
Hall of Famer and former MVP Dave Parker passed away yesterday. The Cobra collected 2,712 hits, 526 doubles, 339 home runs, and 1,493 RBIs along with a .290 batting average across his 19 years in MLB. The best stretch of Parker’s career, 1977 to 1999, saw him win MVP, finish third another year, be an All-Star and win a batting title twice, and win a Gold Glove every season. Parker made just as many headlines off the field as well. He was the first professional baseball player with a $1 million salary, and due to his talents as a wordsmith, Parker was labeled baseball’s Muhammad Ali. Sadly, he’ll not see himself enshrined in the Hall of Fame and will instead be inducted posthumously on July 27. Parker was 74 and leaves a legacy as beautiful as the shape of his swing.
Tucker, Cubs Assault Astros
Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker came, saw, and conquered Houston in yesterday’s 12-3 win. The former Astro relived the comforts of his old home, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and finishing a triple shy of a cycle. And like all conquerors, Tucker had some strong lieutenants by his side. Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch both had strong nights, combining for five RBIs while Chicago’s bullpen nearly blanked Houston in the back half of the game.
On the Astros’ side of things, Lance McCullers Jr. continues to struggle. The veteran allowed seven of those 12 runs and looked lost with eight hits, four walks, and three home runs on his ledger. He’s now up to a 6.61 ERA in eight starts this season.
Semien Seals It
The Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners clashed in Globe Life Park on Saturday, and to the shock of no one, it was a close one. Bryan Woo held down the fort for Seattle, pitching six innings for a 16th straight start, while Kumar Rocker and Co. kept pace. When nine innings weren’t enough, Seattle’s offense got the first shot. It missed, going down one-two-three. Texas found fortune on its side with the bases loaded for Marcus Semien. Semien plunked a single for a 3-2 walk-off win and delivered Seattle’s star closer, Andrés Muñoz, his first loss of the season.
New York Plummets Further Against Pittsburgh
When the New York Mets struggled against the Tampa Bay Rays, it was explainable. When it happened against Atlanta and Philadelphia last week, there were still excuses. Losing 9-2 to the 34-50 Pittsburgh Pirates to clinch a series loss… Well, that’s something else entirely. And to Pittsburgh’s credit, they took the game by force, scoring six in the eighth to cement their win today. Yet the story here is the Mets. The Mets, who suddenly can’t pitch and continue to flail with men on. They went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position yesterday and are hitting just .218 in that situation. The only team worse than them? The 27-56 White Sox. New York’s now lost 12 of their last 15. This is no longer one or two series gone wrong. This is potentially something much worse.
Boston Topples Toronto
The Boston Red Sox continue to confuse, and for once, it has nothing to do with drama off the field. After putting up two runs against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday and getting shut out by the Toronto Blue Jays in Friday’s series opener, Boston’s offense seemed dead post-Rafael Devers. But based on Saturday’s results, that purported death might be premature. Boston put up 12 runs and 14 hits on Toronto and made it look easy during the 12-1 win. Wilyer Abreu did so especially, launching a homer as part of his four-RBI day. Lucas Giolito did much the same on the bump, tossing seven strong innings. It was a complete-game effort. When might Sox fans see it again? Who knows.
Cleveland’s Cardinal Sin
Ahead 6-1, the Cleveland Guardians greeted the fifth inning happily. It’d be the last time they smiled all game. It was there that the St. Louis Cardinals started their comeback, scoring two in the fifth and another five in the sixth for a sudden 8-6 lead. The change came on four swings. A Nolan Gorman single scored one, a Victor Scott II double plated a pair, and finally, Alec Burleson and Masyn Winn chipped in with productive outs to take and solidify a lead. It was a little-by-little overtaking that ended 9-6.
The Rays Get Revenge
The Tampa Bay Rays didn’t just blow a 6-0 lead on Friday; They blew a 6-0 lead en route to a 22-8 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. But there was no repeat showing for Tampa on Saturday. Instead, there was only revenge as Tampa trounced Baltimore 11-3. Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda got things going offensively in the first with three runs. Together, they set a tone that never tapered off. Zack Littell also deserves some credit for Tampa Bay’s bounceback. The righty coughed up just three hits and a run over seven superb innings.
Priester Perfect
While the 2025 Colorado Rockies are the definition of a caveat, kudos to Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Quinn Priester. The 24-year-old tossed a gem during Saturday’s 5-0 win, in what was a career-best performance. Priester worked seven scoreless, allowed just one hit – a harmless single from Michael Toglia in the fifth, walked just two, and struck out a career-best 11. It was a high point for Priester and the Brewers, who hadn’t gotten 10+ strikeouts from a pitcher in a game all season. Priester now sports a 3.35 ERA with 61 strikeouts over 15 games and 11 starts.
Tigers Ten Spot
The Detroit Tigers‘ offense capped a tremendous week on Saturday with a thunderous 10-5 win over the Minnesota Twins. The longball led the way, with Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene, and Zach McKinstry all going deep and combining for five of Detroit’s 10 runs scored. Reaching that number was a regular thing for Detroit these last seven days, scoring nine, 11, 10, 8, and now 10 runs with Saturday’s effort. Detroit’s 421 runs scored are fourth in baseball, while their +96 run differential is second only to the New York Yankees in the AL.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Oh, Okay, Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani might as well quote John Wick and say, “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back,” with this heater.
Shohei Ohtani's 102 mph pitch is the fastest by a Dodger this season. 😳 pic.twitter.com/kJtxGfP8cY
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 28, 2025
Kerry’s Catch
Kerry, like all carpenters, is good with his hands.
Kerry Carpenter times it perfectly to make the catch! pic.twitter.com/6qt3fOO7QG
— MLB (@MLB) June 28, 2025
Chadwick, Meet Chandler
Chadwick Tromp learned the hard way not to hit the ball near Chandler Simpson.
Chandler Simpson flashes the speed to make the diving grab 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/XFeIHyIm0I
— MLB (@MLB) June 28, 2025
Slater With The Step Back
Is it ideal to have no idea where the ball is? No. Does it make for a cooler catch when you find it at the last minute? Well, let’s ask Austin Slater.
AUSTIN SLATER ROBBERY ‼️ pic.twitter.com/LUdFL8y0jN
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) June 28, 2025
O.M.G. IKF
Ke’Bryan Hayes might owe Isiah Kiner-Falefa an after-hours beverage after this beauty.
NO WAY IKF JUST MADE THIS TAG 🤯
Just how they drew it up! 🤗 pic.twitter.com/ZeGmUzEbdR
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) June 28, 2025
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jordan Lawlar will be out for “weeks” with a hamstring strain, according to D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo. This latest absence is another case of bad luck for Lawler, who’s struggled to stay healthy dating back to last season. Other changes include reliever Tayler Scott being DFA’d and veteran reliever John Curtiss having his contract selected.
⚾ First, it was an oblique for Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell. Now, it’s his shoulder. The 26-year-old will soon undergo shoulder surgery to address an issue that occurred during a recent rehab trip. Brewers manager Pat Murphy followed the announcement by saying Mitchell should return to the Majors before season’s end.
⚾ Detroit Tigers utilityman Matt Vierling is finally back. After a month-long absence due to right shoulder inflammation, the Tigers activated the 28-year-old off the 10-day IL. In a corresponding move, shortstop Trey Sweeney, who was hitting just .221/.280/.314 over 70 games, was sent down to Triple-A.
⚾ The Baltimore Orioles are shaking up the nest. Infielder Emmanuel Rivera will rejoin the team following a stint with Triple-A Norfolk. And as Rivera comes up, outfielder Dylan Carlson goes down to Norfolk. To make it all work, the Orioles also DFA’d pitcher Kyle Tyler before he could even make his debut in the black-and-orange. Other Orioles news includes starter Zach Eflin departed Saturday’s game due to a back strain and could miss some time with the injury.
⚾ Just when the Cincinnati Reds outfield seemed back at full strength, things took a turn. Outfielder Jake Fraley fell onto the 10-day IL yesterday with a partial labrum tear that could end his season. As unfortunate as it is for Fraley, it’s a well-timed tear for the Reds, who just got outfielder Austin Hays back from the 10-day IL.
⚾ The Los Angeles Angels cast Héctor Neris out as they DFA’d the veteran reliever yesterday. Neris, 36, will look for his third time this season while right-hander José Fermin replaces him in the bullpen.
⚾ The Rays DFA’d former top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley yesterday. Whitley, who came up in the Houston Astros system, struggled in both stops this season, totaling a 12.27 ERA in Houston and a 15.43 ERA in Tampa. Just 27 and with plenty of pedigree, Whitley will try to catch on elsewhere. Tampa, meanwhile, elevated Joe Rock to their active roster to replace Whitley.
⚾The Boston Red Sox can’t catch a break, and neither can reliever Luis Guerrero. The right-hander landed on the 15-day IL Saturday with a right elbow sprain. Chris Murphy replaced Guerrero on the roster and will make his first appearance since undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2024. In other words, as one Boston reliever starts his battle with an elbow injury, another ends his.
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