Down the Stretch | BD Baseball 8-6-26

It’s been a minute, but BD Baseball is back with a full trade-deadline breakdown. We dig into the A’s standing pat, the Tigers’ big swing with Skubal, the Dodgers landing another star, and how the playoff picture is shifting across both leagues. We also look at the teams that got better, the teams that stayed quiet, and the clubs that may have changed their outlook for the rest of the season. Plus: Chadwick Tromp remains our guy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BD Baseball Daily for Thursday, June 24, 2026, and the board was absolutely loaded. Matt runs through a full slate that included an A’s gut‑punch walk‑off loss to the Giants in “Gaytown,” a dumb Angels walk‑off swinging bunt, and a monster day from Dansby Swanson in a Cubs doubleheader sweep. We open with the A’s getting walked off at Oracle: Gage Jump shoves for five scoreless with nine punchouts, Tyler Mahle looks suddenly competent, and then Alvis Alvarado gets tagged by Rafael Devers and Victor Berroa for back‑to‑back solo shots to blow his second straight save. Injury updates hit too: Jacob Wilson’s shoulder scare on a play at the plate, Zach Gelof’s mangled throwing hand putting him on the IL and ending his 24‑game hit streak, and the A’s overall injury bug. From there it’s a scoreboard run: DeGrom and the Rangers lose to a surging Marlins squad; Paul Goldschmidt continues to torch lefties with two homers off Tarik Skubal in a Yankees win; the Rockies storm back on the Red Sox with Cole Carrigg’s bases‑clearing double and Rockies bullpen work; Guardians walk off the White Sox in extras; the Pirates blow out the Mariners behind Braxton Ashcraft’s 10‑K gem; Rays keep pace in the AL East; Phillies chip away and come from behind against the Nationals while the Braves continue to wobble; Astros beat the Blue Jays; Brewers hang on against the Reds; and the D‑backs hang a six‑run fourth on the Cardinals. We close with Dodgers drama (Shohei vs. Dalton Rushing with a challenged low strike and ERA splits by catcher), a Padres win behind JP Sears while the Braves struggle, and previewing today’s slate: Rays and Pirates already rolling, A’s trying to avoid the sweep in San Francisco, Astros–Tigers, Phillies–Nats, Rangers–Jays, Cubs–Mets, Yankees–Red Sox, D‑backs–Cards, plus some thoughts on where to look for overs. As always, Matt mixes gambling angles, injury notes, and rants about rainbow hats, MLB uniform rules, and Congress getting involved in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rough one for the BD Baseball crew: the A’s, Rockies, and Tigers all take Ls, and we start with the injury that ended Zack Gelof’s 24‑game hit streak after Matt Chapman stepped on his hand in San Francisco as Robbie Ray completely shuts down Oakland. Sonny Gray carves the Rockies at Coors, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the Yankees come back on the Tigers, and Jake McCarthy quietly runs his hit streak to 12 games. From there, it turns into pure chaos. The Astros and Blue Jays play a wild one in Toronto, with Yainer Díaz, Cam Smith, and Taylor Trammell going back‑to‑back‑to‑back before former Jay Joey Loperfido nukes a three‑run homer in the 11th to win it for Houston. The Phillies and Nationals then deliver one of the craziest innings of the season as Philly scores eight runs in the ninth—Brandon Marsh’s game‑tying shot and Bryson Stott’s three‑run go‑ahead blast headline a 14–9 stunner in D.C. We hit Mariners–Pirates, Royals dropping 12 on the Rays behind a Jack Caglianone two‑homer night, the Marlins’ surge with Sandy Alcantara setting the franchise strikeout record, Cubs–Mets turning into an over festival, and Brandon Sproat’s 10‑K gem for Milwaukee. Then it’s today’s card: Royals–Rays again, Tigers–Yankees on Amazon, Phillies–Nats rematch (and why Matt is hammering the over), Astros–Jays, Dodgers–Twins with Shohei vs Joe Ryan, Braves–Padres, A’s–Giants, and more, with first‑five and full‑game totals sprinkled in. Key games discussed: A’s at Giants – Robbie Ray holds Oakland to two hits as Gelof’s streak ends on an injury. Red Sox at Rockies – Sonny Gray strikes out 11 at Coors; Willie Castro and Ezequiel Tovar go deep in a losing effort. Yankees at Tigers – Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers and the Yanks flip a 2–0 deficit; David Bednar picks up save No. 15. Astros at Blue Jays – Astros win 9–7 in 11 on Joey Loperfido’s three‑run revenge bomb after back‑to‑back‑to‑back Houston homers. Phillies at Nationals – Phillies score eight in the ninth to win 14–9. Cubs at Mets, Brewers at Reds, White Sox at Guardians, Dodgers at Twins, D‑backs at Cardinals, Orioles at Angels, Braves at Padres and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s BD Baseball, I’m running through the June 22 MLB slate from my usual emotionally compromised A’s/Rockies/Tigers point of view. The A’s were off, which honestly felt like a little break from the chaos. But the Tigers gave me something real to talk about, beating the Yankees 5-3 behind a strong Framber Valdez start, a Riley Greene homer, and enough offense to knock Gerrit Cole around. Then the Rockies decided to do Rockies stuff — down 2-0 in the ninth, looking dead, and Jake McCarthy walks it off with a triple to beat the Red Sox 3-2 at Coors. Around the league, it wasn’t exactly a fireworks show. Pitchers were dealing everywhere. Brandon Woodruff flirted with perfection for Milwaukee, Michael King blanked the Braves, Kyle Bradish shoved for Baltimore, Michael Wacha gave Kansas City seven strong, and a bunch of games turned into low-scoring knife fights. I also hit the rest of the slate, look ahead to today’s games, complain about some pitching matchups, talk All-Star voting, and remind everybody that Nick Kurtz deserves a whole lot more love. BD Baseball — A’s pain, Rockies chaos, Tigers optimism, and a full MLB rundown without pretending I’m not biased. Bullet Notes A’s were off, which may have been the healthiest thing for me Tigers beat the Yankees 5-3 Framber Valdez outduels Gerrit Cole Riley Greene homers, Tigers lineup gets to Cole Rockies walk off the Red Sox 3-2 at Coors Jake McCarthy clears the bases with a ninth-inning walk-off triple Brandon Woodruff takes a perfect game into the sixth Brewers win a 10-inning pitcher’s duel Padres blank the Braves 1-0 Kyle Bradish dominates the Angels White Sox walk off Cleveland Full June 22 MLB rundown June 23 MLB preview Nick Kurtz needs All-Star votes A’s-Giants Bay Area Classic preview Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Monday, Daylight Burners. I spent Father’s Day doing exactly what I wanted to do: watching baseball and yelling at my kids, and the baseball gods gave us a stupid amount of chaos to talk about. I kick things off with my A’s splitting a four-gamer with the Angels in West Sac – Friday night was pure insanity. The A’s go up early, the Angels rip off 11 straight, Oakland claws back with bombs from Jacob Wilson and Max Muncy, Jonah Heim ties it with a pinch‑hit two‑run shot down to the last strike, and Big Amish walks it off with a bases‑loaded walk after wearing the golden sombrero all night. Then reality hits: a hangover shutout on Saturday and the bullpen coughing it up Sunday with a late Guzmán three‑run shot and yet another Zach Neto dagger to drop the finale 9–7. From there I roll through the Rockies stealing a legit series from the Pirates – including outdueling Paul Skenes 2–1 at Coors, with Tomoyuki Sugano and Jaden Hill slamming the door and Kyle Freeland hitting 1,000 career strikeouts. I give Freeland a big hat tip as a Denver kid who came all the way up through the Rockies system. We talk about the Tigers absolutely needing a weekend like this and getting it: they sweep the White Sox in Detroit behind Tarik Skubal’s second start back from elbow surgery, back‑to‑back “ding dongs” from Dylan Dingler (17th and 18th of the year), and Matt Vierling walking it off in extras. I’ve been hyping Kaider Montero for a while and he shoves seven innings in that series. Around the league I hit all the big series: Cubs hang 16 on the Blue Jays with Carson Kelly’s grand slam and Ben Brown shoving, then Toronto claws back the next day. Reds roll into the Bronx and actually take a series off the Yankees behind Cam Schlittler’s 13‑K gem and Chase Burns’ eighth straight win, only giving up a solo shot to Ben Rice (his 22nd of the year). Rays edge the Nationals, Marlins quietly sweep the Giants in Miami, and the Brewers avoid a sweep in Atlanta with a William Contreras four‑hit day and Robert Gasser’s first win since May 2024. Rangers take a wild set from the Padres, with Wyatt Langford hitting a moonshot into the third deck and Nathan Eovaldi grinding out a win. Astros beat back Cleveland behind Yordan Alvarez’s 25th homer, and I’m cashing in on him on my Spinball lineup. Royals and Cardinals trade blows on I‑70 with JJ Wetherholt going deep twice in a 12–10 St. Louis win. Twins absolutely bury the Diamondbacks 16–8 with a 10‑run fifth, 20 hits, then come back Sunday to take the series behind Josh Bell’s pinch‑hit RBI and a late rally. Red Sox roll into Seattle, win the series, and force the Mariners to lean on a big Logan Gilbert outing to avoid the sweep. Orioles stroll into Dodger Stadium, beat Yamamoto behind seven scoreless from Trevor Rogers, then beat the brakes off L.A. 12–1 on Father’s Day with bombs from Taylor Ward, Colton Cowser, Pete Alonso and Blaze Alexander. Phillies absolutely destroy the Mets: Kyle Schwarber hits three homers on Saturday, adds another on Sunday, and Bryce Harper hits for the first cycle of his career while Christopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler shove. I close it out with a lap around the standings: Yankees still leading the AL East but wobbling, Cleveland back on top of the Central, Mariners barely clinging to a game‑and‑a‑half lead over my A’s in a West where everybody’s around .500, Braves still on top of the NL East but feeling the Phillies breathing down their necks, Brewers holding serve in the Central, and the Dodgers doing Dodgers things despite dropping a series to Baltimore. Then I look ahead to tonight’s slate: Garrett Cole vs Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown vs Dylan Cease, a Japanese‑on‑Japanese matchup with Shota Imanaga vs Kodai Senga, a big Brewers–Reds set in Cincy, Dodgers at Twins in what might be an “over” special, Guardians–White Sox for the AL Central lead, and more. A’s are off today before heading into San Francisco for a huge three‑game set with Aaron Civale vs Robbie Ray in Game 1, and I lay out why Oakland needs at least two wins there before they see the Angels again. Hope all you dads had a good Father’s Day. I know I did. Don’t let your butt crack show, and move your ass – we’re Burnin’ Daylight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Solo BD Baseball for Friday, June 19. I’m running through Thursday’s short MLB slate, starting with a clean A’s win, Gage Jump shoving, Zack Gelof staying hot, the Royals putting up 14, Bryan Woo dealing, and the rest of the weekend matchups. Solo show today on BD Baseball, and we had a light Thursday slate — only eight games — but there was still plenty to chew on. The A’s gave me a good one for once. Gage Jump was fantastic, going seven scoreless with seven punchouts, the offense jumped the Angels right away, Shea Langeliers drilled one off the batter’s eye, Tyler Soderstrom followed with one of his own, and Zack Gelof pushed the hitting streak to 22 games. That’s a clean win. No mental gymnastics required. Around the league, the Royals had the loudest offensive night, hanging 14 on the Cardinals, though Bobby Witt Jr. leaving with a knee issue is something to watch. Bryan Woo shoved for Seattle, the Blue Jays finished off a sweep in Boston, the Red Sox were gross with runners in scoring position, and Andrew Benintendi ruined the Yankees’ night with a pinch-hit grand slam. Then I get into the weekend board — Tigers trying to get right with Skubal, A’s needing Jeffrey Springs to find it again, Rockies and Pirates headed to Coors, and yes, I’m hammering the over there. Eight games, a little standings check, weekend matchups, and a clean A’s win. Don’t let your butt crack and move your ass. We’re burning daylight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rough day for the BD Baseball crew. The A’s got shelled, the Rockies lost a close one at Wrigley, and the Tigers bats went cold in Houston — so naturally, we had plenty to work through. In this episode of BD Baseball, we run through the full June 17 MLB slate with a little extra attention on the homer teams. The A’s pitching staff got beat up by the Pirates, Ryan O’Hearn drove in six, and Zack Gelof at least kept his hitting streak alive. The Rockies gave up a seven-run inning to the Cubs, but Sterlin Thompson hit the first two homers of his big league career, Hunter Goodman kept swinging it, and Colorado’s lineup still looks a lot more interesting than the record says. On the Tigers side, it was a frustrating one. Detroit only managed three hits against Houston, Peter Lambert shoved, Kevin McGonigle got one off Josh Hader late, and Gleyber Torres heading back to the IL with an oblique issue is a real kick in the teeth. We also get into Andrew Painter getting lit up again and finally sent down, the Shohei Ohtani pitching/DH rule conversation, umpire challenge drama, the Yankees doing Yankee things without Judge, Kyle Bradish punching out 12, the Mariners going to a six-man rotation, and why the A’s need pitching help if they’re going to keep hanging around the wildcard race. It’s a full slate recap, BD Baseball style: straight talk, no filler, and no pretending bad baseball is good baseball. Topics covered: A’s vs Pirates Rockies vs Cubs Tigers vs Astros Zack Gelof’s hitting streak Sterlin Thompson’s first MLB homers Gleyber Torres injury Andrew Painter sent down Shohei Ohtani rule discussion Yankees vs White Sox Blue Jays bullpen shutout Kyle Bradish career-high strikeouts Mariners rotation talk June 17 MLB recap June 18 MLB look-ahead Don’t let your butt crack, and move your ass. We’re burning daylight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jake’s back on the mic and we had a full MLB slate to chew through. The A’s jumped out early on the Pirates, Zach Gelof stayed hot, and then the bullpen let another one slip away. The Rockies gave us the bright spot of the day with a win at Wrigley, while the Tigers wasted a good Framber Valdez start and opened up a bigger conversation about Detroit’s rotation and bullpen decisions. We also get into the rest of the league: Jesús Luzardo dealing for Philly, George Springer hitting career homer No. 300, the Yankees hammering the White Sox, Logan Gilbert shoving for Seattle, Reid Detmers blanking Arizona, Shohei Ohtani supplying the only run in a 1-0 Dodgers win, and the Giants apparently sliding into full fire-sale mode. Then we look ahead at today’s games, the A’s-Pirates rubber match, Rockies-Cubs, Tigers-Astros, a few weekend series worth watching, and the World Cup crowds taking over American cities. The dog days are here. The ball is flying. Trade rumors are heating up. It’s a damn good time to be a baseball fan. Move your ass. We’re burning daylight. In this episode: A’s blow an early lead against Pittsburgh Bryan Reynolds and Brandon Lowe power the Pirates comeback Zach Gelof keeps swinging a hot bat Rockies beat the Cubs at Wrigley Tigers waste a strong Framber Valdez start Jake breaks down Detroit’s rotation questions Phillies, Blue Jays, Yankees, Mariners and Dodgers all make noise Shohei Ohtani wins a 1-0 game with one swing Giants trade rumors and possible fire sale talk Today’s MLB slate preview World Cup crowds bring chaos and energy to American cities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The homer teams had themselves a night… well, two of them did, anyway. The A’s absolutely stomped the Pirates 11–2, led by a full‑on manimal performance from Nick Kurtz: three hits, two nukes, five driven in, and a pretty clear “vote me into the All‑Star Game” message to the league. Old man Jeff McNeil – the Flying Squirrel – finally woke up too, with three hits and four RBI out of the bottom of the lineup, turning things over for Kurtz and making the A’s offense look downright dangerous again. On the mound, J.T. Ginn gave me another honest‑to‑God quality start: six innings, one unearned run, worked through traffic, and looked more and more like the ace of a very shaky A’s staff. Meanwhile Lawrence Butler keeps hitting rockets and the hits are finally falling. It was the opposite vibe for the Rockies. They blew a late lead at Wrigley and got walked off on a walk as Pete Crow‑Armstrong hit for the first cycle of the 2026 season and basically beat Colorado by himself. That’s one of those games where you shut the TV off and stand in a cold shower questioning your life choices. In Detroit, though, they’re partying. Colt Keith went deep three times, drove in six, and the Tigers dropped five homers on the Astros in a 9–3 win. We hit the best performances of the night, Dustin May’s one‑hit shutout, the standings, key transactions, and a full rundown of today’s pitching matchups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My A’s took the weekend series from my Rockies, so technically I should be happy. But then Sunday happened. Colorado dropped a franchise-record 23 runs on 24 hits in Las Vegas, and the A’s got absolutely slobber-knocked in the getaway game. Willi Castro went off, Hunter Goodman nearly hit for the cycle, and Las Vegas Ballpark kept playing like a launchpad. In this episode of BD Baseball, I start with the homer teams — A’s, Rockies, and Tigers — then run through the rest of the MLB weekend from June 12–14. I get into: A’s taking the series 2–1 from Colorado Rockies dropping 23 runs on the A’s Willi Castro, Hunter Goodman, and the Rockies’ offensive explosion Zack Gelof’s hitting streak and Tyler Soderstrom’s on-base streak Tigers’ bats going quiet against Cleveland Tarik Skubal getting back on the mound Jacob Misiorowski throwing a complete-game one-hitter with 15 strikeouts for Milwaukee Yoshinobu Yamamoto flirting with a no-hitter Paul Skenes pitching well and still losing A full MLB weekend rundown and quick look at the week ahead BD Baseball is scores, starters, who’s hot, who’s not, and straight baseball talk without the filler. Move your ass. We’re burning daylight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices