Sure, there seem to be other events in the sporting world, but you can do a lot worse than sitting around and just watching baseball all day on this mid-June weekend. For those who just need a roundup, we've got your back. 

Saturday's scores

M's win by one run ... again

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but the Mariners won a game by one run. Some updated numbers after their 1-0 win over the Red Sox on Saturday night in Seattle ... 

Yep, the M's are now 46-25 on the year, and that means that exactly half of their wins have come in one-run games. Obviously, that kind of success tends not to be sustainable or at least repeatable. That said, the M's could play .500 ball the rest of the way and still get to 90 wins. Over on our standings page, you'll find that SportsLine now projects the Mariners for 95 wins (rounded off) and gives them a 90.1 percent chance of making the playoffs -- you'll recall that the M's have the longest current playoff drought in MLB. 

Anyhow, on Saturday retread starter Wade LeBlanc was the story, as he twirled 7 2/3 shutout innings against one of the best offenses in baseball. Give a listen to his hero's exit in the eighth ... 

LeBlanc is a 33-year-old journeyman who doesn't crack 90 mph and who's on his seventh MLB organization (not counting a stint in Japan). He was cut loose by the Yankees back in spring training barely two months after they signed him. Well, after Saturday's ace effort he now boasts a 2.63 ERA and 3.71 K/BB ratio after 61 2/3 innings. Suffice it to say, the LeBlanc renaissance has been vital to the Mariners' success thus far. 

After a lot of injuries and strife mixed with some middling preseason expectations, the Mariners right now are on pace for 105 wins. They're the story of 2018 thus far. 

The Dodgers are back

The Dodgers on Saturday night won their fifth game in a row and moved to 11-2 in June. They've also won 21 of their past 27 games. As a result, they're now five games over .500 for the first time in 2018. That's notable for a team that has been crushed by injuries -- especially in the rotation -- and was 10 games under .500 on May 16. 

In the win over the Giants, Matt Kemp was kind enough to homer during Dave Roberts' dugout interview ... 

Yep, that's Kemp's 12th homer of the season, and he's now batting .340/.376/.581 for the year. He's been huge for L.A., to state the obvious. 

The once-buried Dodgers still trail the Diamondbacks in the NL West, but SportsLine now gives them a healthy 68.3 percent chance of winning the division for the sixth straight year.

The Cardinals have a Carlos Martinez problem

In a way, it seems odd to fret over an established front-line starter who has a 2.73 ERA for the season, but then there's this concurrent reality ... 

  • 12 2/3 IP, 18 BB

Those are numbers authored by Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez since he returned from a lat injury on June 5. Martinez's control this season wasn't quite optimal even before he hit the disabled list, but since being activated he's been almost a total stranger to the strike zone. His delivery is rushed and inconsistent, and he's had almost no command of his secondary pitches. Something is not right, and we were reminded of that on Saturday night when he walked six Cubs in five innings. In reality, Martinez was lucky to allow just three runs on the night. 

More generally, the Cardinals are now 6-8 in June with a minus-18 run differential for the month. Of those 14 June games, 12 have come against the Pirates, Marlins, Reds and Padres. Really, the Cardinals should've been nicely fattened up coming into this crucial series against Chicago. Instead, they limped in and dropped the first two games. Now, they have an ace who's got something awry physically, mentally, or both. 

Astros win 10th straight

From Saturday, May 26, through Tuesday, June 5, the defending-champion Astros went 3-7 and fell to two games behind the upstart Mariners. 

That stretch of bad baseball is now a distant memory, as the champs have ripped off 10 consecutive victories. That's a season high and one off their longest winning streak last season, when they won 101 games and the World Series. 

Notable in Saturday's win in Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium was Dallas Keuchel's outing. He came in with a 7.33 ERA in his last five outings and 9.82 in his last two. On Saturday, he went six innings, allowing only six hits and a walk for two runs (both were unearned, though). He struck out five. Now, it was the hapless Royals as an opponent, but it's still momentum for the bearded lefty.  

Harper's struggles continue

In Toronto, Marco Estrada and three Blue Jays relievers combined for a three-hit shutout of the Nationals. In that sense, no one in a Washington uniform was really hitting on this day.

For Bryce Harper, it's a continuation of his recent struggles. Harper hit for power in May but ran a sub-.300 OBP for the month. Moreover, Harper had a line of .179/.289/.256 for the month of June coming into Saturday's game with 18 strikeouts against just four walks. Then against the Jays he went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

For the season, Harper's now batting .221/.361/.489. Those are good numbers overall -- thanks to his power and walks -- but consider that Harper had an OPS of more than 1.000 as recently as May 6. Now that figure is down to .850. As well, his NL-leading eight intentional walks are helping prop up his fading numbers. 

So what's going on and will Harper get better? Read more here. 

Rosario continues to own Tribe

The Twins moved to 6-2 on the year against first-place Cleveland, and that has much to do with the efforts of Eddie Rosario ... 

In Saturday's tilt, Rosario went 4 for 4 with a stolen base, a walk, a double, and his 16th homer of the season. Some color-television footage ... 

Also, it's not just the Indians who've been victimized by Rosario in recent days ... 

On the season, the 26-year-old outfielder is now batting .323/.362/.586. Don't be surprised if he winds up cracking the All-Star roster for the first time in his career. 

Newcomb sparkles for Braves

A record SunTrust Park crowd of 41,916 saw lefty Sean Newcomb do this against the Padres on Saturday ... 

player headshot
Sean Newcomb
OAK • SP • #16
vs. SD, 6/16
IP6
H2
R0
SO7
BB1
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Newcomb logged just 84 pitches on the day and retired the last 13 batters he faced. However, he was unable to keep going because of a 25-minute weather delay. The outing lowered his 2018 ERA to 2.70, and he has 81 strikeouts in 80 innings. Getting such a gem from Newcomb was especially welcome given that the Braves on Saturday placed Mike Foltynewicz on the DL with a triceps strain. On offense, Charlie Culberson accounted for the lone run with his fifth-inning homer. 

This outcome in tandem with the Nationals' loss means that the Braves now have a 2.5-game lead in the NL East. 

The Orioles are bad

Let's let this Roch Kubatko tweet sum up the state of the O's ... 

Yep, it's June 16, and the Orioles are already at 50 losses. In related matters, the SportsLine Projection Model presently tabs the Orioles for a 54-108 record. The good news? That would probably secure them the top overall pick in 2019 by a safe margin. 

Familiar formula for Yankees

The Yankees won. Again. They are now an MLB-best 46-20. 

As noted in the nifty little sub-heading there, this one had a familiar feel. Ace Luis Severino dealt for eight scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out nine. Through 15 starts this season, Severino is now 10-2 with a 2.09 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 118 strikeouts in 99 innings. With filth like this, it's no surprise: 

Offensively, the Yankees were already up 2-0 when back-to-back homers from Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez seemed to put the game away. Sure, it was only 4-0, but Severino was on the hill and it was the Rays.

Quick hits

  • Giants 3B Evan Longoria said on Saturday that the broken left hand he suffered on Thursday will require surgery. He's expected to miss the next six to eight weeks.
  • The Angels have reinstated shortstop Andrelton Simmons from the disabled list. 
  • The Giants have reinstated first baseman Brandon Belt from the disabled list. 
  • The Braves reinstated starter Julio Teheran from the disabled list and placed fellow rotation member Mike Foltynewicz on the DL, retroactive to June 13 with right triceps tightness. There's a chance Folty will only miss one start. 
  • Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (toe) will likely begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Sunday. 
  • The A's have placed third baseman Matt Chapman on the DL with a right thumb contusion and recalled infielder Franklin Barreto. 
  • Class A infielder Wendell Rijo was sent from the Brewers to Yankees as the player to be named later in the May 25 Erik Kratz trade. 
  • The Rays have placed INF Christian Arroyo on the DL with an oblique strain.
  • The Dodgers have signed RHP Drew Hutchison to a minor-league contract.

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