Salute Your Solution

 

That is an underrated genre of baseball nickname, the kind of nickname that paints the picture of the role he fills. You can filter out some of the fun ones that have another origin, like David 'The Renegade' Bender [that's his walk-up song] or Joakim 'The Mexecutioner' Soria. Something like Ryan Howard as 'The Big Piece', being the biggest piece of the Phillies' lineup, or Eric Byrnes as 'The Human Crash Test Dummy' cause he kept smashing into walls chasing fly balls, or even Jhostynxon Garcia as 'The Password', not just because of his randomly-generated password name, but because he's the last piece that unlocks the heart of that Pirates lineup.

So why is Ezequiel Duran the Solution? Because he's solved a number of the Rangers' problems this year simply while hitting well, anywhere they play him, when no one else will. 

The funniest thing about Duran being given 'The Solution' is that he's not even the first Rangers extra hand I'd consider having that role. The same year Duran came up, late 2022, a fellow ex-Yankee farmhand dealt to Texas for Joey Gallo also tried to find a role in the Rangers' lineup. His name was Josh Smith. It would not happen until 2024, where an injury to Josh Jung freed up third. That was when I thought Josh Smith felt like the solution, because he filled in strongly enough to allow for some competition over the next few years. Now he gets to play 2nd everyday in the wake of Semien's departure, and Jung gets 3rd back.

So what's Ezequiel Duran been doing? Pretty much everything else. So far this season, Duran has played shortstop, 2nd base, 3rd base, left field, right field and first base, and very well at that. He's also been hitting .281 with 35 RBIs, and currently has the highest WAR on the team with 1.7. Basically everything they've asked him to do, he's done exceptionally well. I did not expect Duran to be reborn as a superute contact guy but here he is, and where are Willi Castro and David Fry to stop him? Can't wait for Rangers-Marlins, where Duran and Javier Sanoja get to fight. I think that's how this works.

The Rangers, outside of Duran, are exceedingly okay right now. Jacob deGrom is doing his thing, but his ERA's just higher than usual. Carter and Seager were doing well then got hurt. Burger and Pederson are hitting, but not multi-dimensionally. Pretty much every starting pitcher is just doing okay right now, and we've seen them all do better, even for the Rangers. It's only really Kumar Rocker who's on new ground by being good. At least Jacob Latz has found a new niche as a rock-solid closer, I like that for him.

Look, it's good that the Rangers have somebody like Ezequiel Duran this year, someone who can do so much for them. It'd be nicer if they had a better team around him, but what can you do?

Coming Tonight [?]: There's a strong possibility that his swing's broken, but I don't think he's gonna let that stop him.

No Arms to Hold You

 

Almost the entirety of the Cubs' rotation is injured right now. Justin Steele, Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon. All hurt. A moment ago Edward Cabrera was hurt along with them but he's back now. Being without those guys hurts this team, because what the hell is left? Cabrera's playing hurt essentially, he's got a 5 ERA because he's not in ideal condition right now. Imanaga's got a 4.26 ERA and has gotten lit up more consistently than not. Colin Rea ain't it. Javier Assad's fine but there shouldn't be that much hinging on him. 

And so the most important guy in this rotation, as PCA hits cycles and Suzuki and Bregman hit 'em out...is Ben Brown. Career swingman, never got the opportunities, now a key starter with a 1.74 ERA and a .968 WHIP. Brown is your 2026-standard hard throwing young phenom, so you can guess why he hasn't been fully healthy the last few years. But right now he's basically all the Cubs have. And...last year, at least they had Cade Horton cracking the rotation and becoming a star. Before they had Steele going on a three month tear every year. In the Maddon/Ross days they had the depth to keep throwing solid choices out there the whole year. And now it's 'if Ben Brown doesn't nail a start we're screwed'. That's not good, man.

It's not due to lack of trying, really. The Cubs draft well, they sign well, they put together a rotation that, when healthy, can work. The issue is there wasn't enough depth this year, or, more specifically, the depth is just bad. Ideally the Colin Reas and Javier Assads are supposed to provide solid help in the event of a full rotation cratering, and they've just added to it. 

Sucks, cause the team's still hitting well. PCA heard everyone saying he's not as good of a hitter as forecast and started going off at the plate, with 13 homers and 35 RBIs. Suzuki and Busch have been heating up as of late, that's always a good thing. I think it's evident that Hoerner and Happ have cooled down but with the rest of the team doing well it's not much of an issue. Carson Kelly was not a one-year thing, the team's defense is great across the board, and at the very least the batting depth is there. But in this division, it means nothing if the pitching isn't great, and...considering Daniel Palencia's hurt again and Caleb Thielbar probably has to close now, it's probably going to get worse. 

The Cubs are in 3rd, trying to stay out of fourth. This week they have to play the Rockies, who honestly have a more concrete rotation schematic right now, and then the Jays, and they have to hope that the Pirates don't keep surging enough to strand them in 4th. A competitive year is still possible for the Cubs, but if we're waiting for the pitchers to come back it might be a longshot.

Coming Tomorrow- The Rangers have had a lot of problems this year. Luckily...they have a solution.

Attack of the Tristans!

 

When did the name 'Tristan' come back into prominence? There's a long gap between the Tristans of, like...medieval times, and like...the other best friend from the 4Kids Yu-Gi-Oh dub for some reason [and what did he accomplish, anyway? Did he ever play any of the card game? Did he do anything ever other than wacky shenanigans while his friends risked life and limb taking part in duels?]. And now we have Tristans again. Maybe 'Preston' died off and that's what replaced it. Either way, people are being named 'Tristan' again, and in a see of Kaydengh's and Bradlee's and Jurrangelo's, I guess it's fine? 

There's two guys named Tristan in the bigs right now who have almost the exact same career trajectory. Both of them kicked around multiple different MLB rosters without making an impact, both wound up in Tampa last year, both were not of use to the Rays and were set forth on other rosters and both are having surprising breakout seasons that cost their club far less than the people they were truly banking on this year. Both Tristans. Tristan Gray of the Twins, and Tristan Peters of the White Sox. 

Therefore, I am coining a new baseball term, right now, based on this current phenomena. This happens from time to time on the blogs. Thorzul coined the term 'pissant' for a player that only seems to do well against your team. Beardy or somebody coined the term 'bip' to refer to an excessive amount of one card or player in a package on purpose for a gag. Nick from Dime Boxes talked about 'short term stops', 'zero-year cards' and 'sunset cards', all terms I still use. But here, I wanna clarify what makes a Tristan, or a pocket Tristan if you will, what they are. 

A Tristan, as I'm making clear right now, is a nomadic major leaguer who comes to prominence with a team that is not his first organization, nor is it his second. This player has got to be in his late 20s or older by the time he makes his impact, and it has to be for a team that has enough money to bring on large contracts, or be let down by them. This player must become absolutely indispensable, out of nowhere, to the point where he runs the risk of becoming a 'magic hat' player [that one I coined a long time ago, a player who fuels a team's rise in the standings, and who, when taken away, results in the team reverting to their prior self]. Whether or not the success is sustainable does not matter. Some Tristans just keep being good for the rest of their career, some peter off almost immediately. 

Now, there is a difference between a Tristan and a Jabroni, and that difference is quality. Tristans hit .300, Jabronis hit .230 but smack homers like you wouldn't believe. So someone like T.J. Rumfield, whether he's a Tristan or a Jabroni is still on the fence because we're still not sure how much quality is built into his material. It's also important to note that a Tristan cannot be a known prospect who resurfaces and comes to prominence that way. Dominic Smith and Mickey Moniak cannot be Tristans because I knew who they were first. Nathan Lukes on the other hand? Without question. The Jays are his third team, his breakout was at 30, he's a .300 hitter that did better than Anthony Santander, and he's a really big part of the team now.

A lot of Tristans have shown up this year. Curtis Mead is almost certainly a Tristan. Carlos Cortes is definitely one, and that .300 average in May cemented it. Luis Torrens actually got an extension to keep being the Mets' backup catcher, making him one of the highest paid Tristans in the land; and no, a contract does not make a Tristan any less of a Tristan. Max Schuemann is at the point where if he keeps at it, he could be a Tristan. It's just too early to tell.

We should probably talk a bit about Tristan Peters, since that who this post is about. The Rays cut him last year, which a lot of Tristans actually have in common, and the White Sox took a flyer. In a year where Austin Hays, Derek Hill and Jarred Kelenic were supposed to have concrete outfield spots, Peters somehow made all of them obsolete. As the everyday centerfielder, Peters is hitting .294 with 21 RBIs and an .804 OPS. He makes up a heart of the lineup that's grown scarier over time, with Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami, and now both Colson AND Braden Montgomery raining down on opposing pitching. This Sox team is in first place in the AL Central, and looks to stay there if the Guardians' injuries keep piling up. And it's guys like Peters who've gotten them there. I'm really happy for this team.

The White Sox being a first place team is very good for baseball. And if you wanna get to where they're at right now, I'd suggest finding a Tristan of your own. You can get 'em pretty cheap these days..

Coming Tonight: So many starters are getting lit up on the North Side right now that this guy's the closest thing they've got to stability. 

The Same Ozz it Was

 

There's a lot thrown around these days about which teams and players certain deities prefer over others, and I just want to say that the Braves losing 8-1 to the Mets, then turning around, regaining Drake Baldwin and getting to play the San Francisco Giants right on the heels of their 'half the pitching staff think standing up to Pride Night is akin to casting out Satan' run...that's cosmic retribution. You have the story of good men getting back up after a stunning loss and going to take down the true evil, the evil of intolerance, and that's something right out of a Sunday reading, isn't it? 

[I don't like saying stuff like this on the blog, but Landen Roupp and company are going right on my boycott list, along with the Rays who sat out Pride Night years ago and Blake Treinen. I can't believe I'm saying this, but these guys should be more like Josh Hader.]

Anyway, the Braves. Just when you think you've figured them out you get better. Alright, Strider's hurt, they're getting to Elder, well...alright, Hurston Waldrep's back this week probably, Martin Perez is surprisingly awesome, and they still have to face Chris Sale. There's a 35 and a 37 year old on this team who can throw better than most of the 28-year-olds the Giants have. And plus, here's Drake Baldwin again, continuing his plate vendetta from the first month and a half of the season.

The Braves are this good because they've laid the groundwork by placing all these people who can play well around their team, and they all are! They brought Matt Olson in to be a positive successor to Freddie Freeman, and he's been somehow better in points, with 20 homers and 51 RBIs already. Ozzie Albies has struggled the last couple years but he's back in full force now, hitting .279 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs, some of his most pivotal offense work in a while. Michael Harris II's also a .300 hitter now, he's got 14 homers and 41 RBIs, numbers he's only hinted at before. Mauricio Dubon and Dominic Smith have become excellent everyday players after being mostly bench guys for years. Even Jorge Mateo's having a comeback year as a bench piece, with 7 steals already. Losing Acuna is a rough development, but this team's been through that before. And gaining back Baldwin now is a really good thing. Because with this team, Baldwin was harder to replace than Acuna. A few weeks without Ronnie and they can throw Eli White back there, or Mateo even, and they'll be fine. A month or so without Drake and they were STRUGGLING. Sandy Leon had to be the main guy. Austin Wynns got thrown in there. It'd have been nice if Sean Murphy was around but I guess he's not that guy anymore. 

Even without Acuna, the Braves' offense remains one of the best in baseball, and so many of these guys can catch you off guard and do something incredible. And on top of that the bullpen's damn near untouchable and Sale's having another Cy Young caliber season. Even after a rough weekend, the Braves are still the best in the biz, and with Baldwin back they're even better. Cannot be disputed. 

Coming Tomorrow- The Rays gave up on him, he made them regret it in a different market. As is becoming the norm these days..

As If It Were the Plan All Along

 

In any other year, the loss of Aaron Judge, Max Fried, Giancarlo Stanton, Austin Wells and Trent Grisham could be enough to kill the Yankees. Yet somehow, this team, the 'run it back Yanks' that everyone thought would keel over, have kept moving even without them, won 2 of 3 against the Jays and retook the lead, deservingly, over Tampa. All by doing things that seemed confounding at the time but ended up working perfectly.

For instance...nobody really understood why the Yanks re-signed Paul Goldschmidt for this season. Very famously they have a 1st baseman, one who can hit, and Goldy's 2025 didn't end particularly well. But at 38, Goldy's still excellent defensively and a great clubhouse guy, so there were aspects that made sense. Ultimately, once Stanton got hurt he got more playing time, and then he got off to such a start that the Yanks kept finding ways to keep him in the lineup. Yesterday for instance they DH'd him and started Rice at 1st. I completely get it, because Goldschmidt has accumulated an .889 OPS, a .285 average and 31 RBIs just as a swing/backup bat. He's been insanely hot this month, and has become one of the team's most pivotal hitters...besides Rice of course [who had a 2-run bomb yesterday].

Then you have the infield depth thing. Bringing back Amed Rosario and putting weight on Jose Caballero seemed short-sighted, but both have been really helpful. Rosario's got 6 homers and 20 RBIs as a utility bat, McMahon and Chisholm are both heating up offensively, and Cabby's had a wonderful year so far, with 6 homers, 21 RBIs and 15 steals. His 3-run tank yesterday sealed the deal in the 9th, and while we didn't trade for him for the power material, it certainly helps. It's also cool that both Anthony Volpe and Cabby are surging right now rather than competing. Volpe was responsible for 2 RBIs yesterday, and is slowly building back up to where he was, despite some of his usual average issues. 

And then Judge and Grisham getting hurt is a blow, but when it gives Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones time in the bigs, it turns into a win. Jones is getting truly hot at last, has his first MLB homer under his belt, and 5 RBIs to boot. Jasson is ramping himself back up, and had a pivotal homer Saturday night on Red Bull fumes. If these guys can stay hot and begin to take the reins of the team, it's proof that this team is more than just Judge and Stanton [especially with Schlittler, Cole and Rodon surging]. 

Right now Bellinger, Rice, Goldy and Chisholm are leading this team and keeping them a major competitor in first. Hopefully when Judge gets back they're still a major competitor. Hell, hopefully they're still a major competitor by Friday, I'll be at 161st that night.

Coming Tonight: After a down season, he comes surging back at all facets, ironically the exact season his former battery partner struggles to stay healthy again.

There's No Need to Panic..

 

Now, I know the Guardians are going through injury troubles of their own right now, but how'd you like this to be you: one of your best starters leaves with a hamstring injury after keeping the opposing team down, then your best hitter, who's also your best pitcher, leaves after his knee, the same knee he spent a while rehabbing, flares up. And then the following game you get fleeced by the White Sox.

The Dodgers have come back from worse and won it all. Famously. And they still have enough on this team working that it may not be a great deal. Plus, Shohei Ohtani did come back last night and hit a home run, so his injury might not even be that bad. Same with Justin Wrobleski, who isn't going on the IL. But...already you are seeing the Dodgers trying to hold on, for dear life, to their luck. Because they know how quickly things can unravel if the centerpiece, Ohtani, is thrown off balance.

This is already looking like another MVP-caliber season for Ohtani, with a 1.06 ERA with a 6-2 record as a pitcher, and a 14 homer/41 RBI campaign, with a league-leading .946 OPS as a batter. I would honestly say he's done better as a hitter, and it took a little while for him to get going at the plate, but June has been a lot better for him, and he's looking like his old self. Wrobleski has also been a nice surprise, with a 2.95 ERA and a 7-2 record. He's a leverage pitcher mostly, but he's been really dominant, and has kept so many tough lineups down this year. The threat, even if minimized, of losing both of these guys should really be a reality check for this team.

Because so far this year they've lost Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, as they are prone to, they got Mookie Betts back after an injury and he's not really back yet, they lost Will Smith and have to deal with Dalton Rushing's defense daily, they lost Teoscar Hernandez and are now plugging career minor leaguer Ryan Ward out in left to platoon with Alex Call, and the guy they paid cornerstone money for at the top of the season is producing his most okay campaign to date. If this wasn't The Dodgers, all this not going to plan would sink them.

But, of course, they've got the division tightly, their nearest competition is either the Padres, who can't hit, or the D-Backs, who just got swept by the Marlins, and they still have Andy Pages, Freddie Freeman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto performing like absolute world-beaters. So even if this is an actual injury concern, it might not be much more than a small dent in this team's overall outlook. They're 7-5 in June, which, if you ignore how much better they were in May, is a good run. They can still take a loss to a team like the Angels or the White Sox, and with the Rays and Orioles coming up they may take a few more sizable ones. But the Dodgers are built to withstand these inconveniences, and at this rate they'll likely be alright.

Coming Tonight: Remember when we all thought it was a bad idea for the Yankees to bring this guy back? What a world that was, right?

All Caught Up

 

The Mariners currently have 5 guys with over 30 RBIs and four starting pitchers with 70 strikeouts. I've been wanting a balanced Mariners team for ages and we seem to be getting one now. 2024 was the year of the immaculate rotation with barely any run support, 2025 was the year of insane offensive production with shakier starting pitching than usual. Now everybody seems to be caught up. 

So...Julio Rodriguez is 25 this year. To this point, he's been in 3 all-star games, had two 30+ homer years, crossed 125 homers and has shown no signs of slowing down. This is another great year for Julio already, he's got 13 homers and 34 RBIs, plus 9 steals and 72 hits. I know there have been some years where it's taken him longer to really get going but he's made all this progress by 25. It's not Juan Soto crazy but it's still a lot. And in a year where Cal Raleigh's been out, and was not at 100% in April anyway, someone like Julio, and Randy Arozarena honestly, is way more valuable. You need your marquee guy to be worth his weight in gold. It's not happening with Acuna this year in Atlanta. It's not really happening with Mookie Betts in LA. But Julio is that guy for this team, and the team's way better for it.

I'm in awe that the Mariners have six healthy starters and they're all doing pretty solid work. Like, Luis Castillo's the weakest of the six this year, he's been running nonstop for like 4 years and it's taking its toll, but even he can have a classic start where he holds a team to only one run every now and then. Hancock and Miller are hot now because they've missed time and didn't burn themselves out. Gilbert's on an upswing, Woo and Kirby have had rough outings but are still putting in solid work. There's really not any scary options in the bunch this time around, and having a full, consistent bullpen has helped even more. 

I think the real issue is they still haven't broken away from the rest of the pack in the AL West. They're a very good team but they keep getting caught up in tough matches to teams like the Orioles and Padres and not legging them out. They've been doing much better lately, and have retaken the division lead, but after this Orioles series I do worry about their legitimacy. Especially with the Nationals up next, who, while not a league monolith or anything, certainly can run a pitching staff wild if given the opportunity.

We'll see what happens when Raleigh comes back as well. If that'll be the factor that gets them to take off.

Coming Tomorrow- How about that, a Dodgers pitcher breaking out on a rookie contract?