Samwise MLB Newsletter
Friday, June 19, 2026
Royals pound Cardinals 14-6 as Witt exits with knee injury
Bobby Witt Jr. hit the first of Kansas City’s three home runs before leaving with a sore right knee, and the Royals smacked a club-record five doubles in a six-run second inning Thursday night on the way to a 14-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Witt homered in the first inning and added an RBI single in the second, but he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth after a sliding stop at shortstop. Jac Caglianone and Salvador Perez also went deep for the Royals, who set season highs for runs and hits with 17.
Sources: ESPN · FOX Sports
Benintendi grand slam lifts White Sox past Yankees 5-1
Andrew Benintendi broke a 1-1 tie with a grand slam off Camilo Doval to give the Chicago White Sox a 5-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Colson Montgomery also homered and tagged out Anthony Volpe trying to stretch a double in the seventh, with left fielder Junior Perez delivering a strong one-hop throw. Yankees starter Ryan Weathers allowed one run and three hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight and walking one. The White Sox won in the Bronx for the first time since June 8, 2023, snapping a long road skid against New York.
Sources: ESPN · NBC Sports
Soto homers twice as Mets edge Phillies 6-4
Juan Soto hit two solo homers and made a sliding catch in the left-field corner to rob Bryce Harper of a run-scoring hit as the New York Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 on Thursday night. Pinch-hitter Eric Wagaman provided the tiebreaking single with two outs in the seventh inning, and Marcus Semien followed with a two-run triple off reliever Jose Alvarado. Soto took Phillies starter Aaron Nola deep in his first two at-bats to reach 16 homers this season, his 30th career multihomer game. Huascar Brazoban earned the win in relief of Sean Manaea, and Devin Williams notched his 11th save.
Sources: ESPN · CBS Sports
Bryan Woo throws seven scoreless as Mariners blank Orioles 3-0
Bryan Woo pitched seven shutout innings, Colt Emerson drove in two of Seattle’s three first-inning runs and the Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 on Thursday. Woo allowed just three hits and matched his season high with nine strikeouts, walking one. The Mariners scored all of their runs in the first with two outs against Shane Baz. Josh Naylor singled and reached second on an error, Dominic Canzone walked, and Cole Young doubled before Emerson singled both home. Andres Munoz recorded three outs for his 12th save. Baltimore was shut out for the first time this season and dropped the series.
Sources: Washington Times · Sports Illustrated
Twins belt three homers, complete sweep of Rangers 9-3
Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer as Minnesota scored multiple runs in the first inning for the third consecutive game, and the Twins completed a series sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 9-3 win Thursday. Lee’s 12th homer capped a four-run first off Jack Leiter. Trevor Larnach made it 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run shot to center, and Ryan Kreidler added a two-run homer in the eighth. Joe Ryan struck out seven over five scoreless innings. Minnesota outscored Texas 25-7 across the series and has hit 23 home runs over its past 13 games.
Sources: ESPN · Star Tribune
Blue Jays rally in ninth to sweep Red Sox 4-3
Brandon Valenzuela hit a go-ahead RBI double off Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a 4-3 win Thursday. Valenzuela’s hit off the Green Monster came after catcher Connor Wong misplayed a foul pop-up that would have ended the inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes homered for Toronto. Trailing 3-1, Boston tied it in the eighth on back-to-back homers by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Caleb Durbin. Mason Fluharty pitched a perfect ninth for his first save as the Red Sox fell to 12-25 at Fenway Park.
Sources: ESPN · CBS Sports
Bazzana’s seventh-inning homer lifts Guardians over Brewers 4-2
Travis Bazzana hit a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning, Parker Messick pitched six effective innings and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Thursday. David Fry and Kyle Manzardo also homered for the Guardians, who had lost the first two games of the series. Messick held the Brewers to two runs and four hits while striking out nine over a 96-pitch outing. Bazzana’s towering home run off Grant Anderson gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead, and the Guardians added a run on Drew Rom’s bases-loaded wild pitch. Cade Smith recorded four outs for his 24th save in 26 chances.
Sources: Sports Illustrated · ESPN
Athletics blank Angels 5-0 as Trout lands on injured list
Gage Jump gave up one hit over seven innings, and Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom hit back-to-back homers in a five-run first that sent the Athletics to a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. The Angels placed star outfielder Mike Trout on the 10-day injured list before the game with a right hamstring strain. The first six Athletics batters got hits off Ryan Johnson, recalled from Double-A Rocket City. Langeliers drove a three-run shot 430 feet for his 19th homer, and Soderstrom followed with his 13th. Mason Barnett and Hogan Harris finished a four-hitter, the team’s fifth shutout this season.
Sources: ESPN · CBS Sports
Braves acquire catcher Joey Bart from Pirates for Hunter Stratton
Atlanta acquired catcher Joey Bart from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton on Thursday night, a homecoming for the 29-year-old who grew up less than an hour from Atlanta and played college ball at Georgia Tech. The Braves made room on the 40-man roster by designating catcher Sandy Leon for assignment. Bart hit .259 with two homers and six RBIs in 21 games for the Pirates this year before landing on the injured list in mid-May with a left foot infection. He went 4-for-16 over five minor league rehab games in the past week. The Braves had designated Stratton for assignment on June 17.
Sources: MLB Trade Rumors · Sports Illustrated
American League
AL East
1. New York Yankees — 45–28, —
2. Tampa Bay Rays — 41–30, 3.0
3. Toronto Blue Jays — 37–38, 9.0
4. Baltimore Orioles — 35–41, 11.5
5. Boston Red Sox — 29–43, 15.5
AL Central
1. Chicago White Sox — 39–34, —
2. Cleveland Guardians — 40–35, 0.0
3. Minnesota Twins — 36–40, 4.5
4. Kansas City Royals — 31–45, 9.5
5. Detroit Tigers — 30–44, 9.5
AL West
1. Seattle Mariners — 39–37, —
2. Athletics — 37–38, 1.5
3. Texas Rangers — 35–39, 3.0
4. Houston Astros — 35–41, 4.0
5. Los Angeles Angels — 30–46, 9.0
National League
NL East
1. Atlanta Braves — 46–27, —
2. Philadelphia Phillies — 40–35, 7.0
3. Washington Nationals — 39–36, 8.0
4. Miami Marlins — 37–38, 10.0
5. New York Mets — 34–41, 13.0
NL Central
1. Milwaukee Brewers — 45–27, —
2. St. Louis Cardinals — 40–33, 5.5
3. Chicago Cubs — 39–36, 7.5
4. Pittsburgh Pirates — 38–37, 8.5
5. Cincinnati Reds — 35–38, 10.5
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers — 48–27, —
2. San Diego Padres — 38–35, 9.0
3. Arizona Diamondbacks — 38–36, 9.5
4. San Francisco Giants — 31–43, 16.5
5. Colorado Rockies — 28–47, 20.0
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.