The Colorado Rockies (28-47) had the day off Thursday after an uneven road trip that took them from Las Vegas to Wrigley Field. They dropped two of three to the Athletics, with the lone win coming in a wild 23-9 game, then went to Chicago and again lost two of three.
Northeast
DAVID MARCUS: In Pennsylvania, Kamala's campaign is falling apart and even Democrats know it
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Perry is a hell of a nice guy from North Carolina who I met in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He’s in his 30s and is a consultant who has walked the Appalachian Trail. He thinks Vice President Kamala Harris is losing.
“I wish she would just be clearer about who she is,” he told me. And he likes her, he even likes her better than he liked President Biden, but he’s not an idiot and he sees the wheels are falling off of her campaign.
Perry is a native of North Carolina whom I met in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He’s in his 30s and is a consultant who has walked the Appalachian Trail.
I appreciated Perry talking to me because, honestly, it’s been harder and harder to get Democrats to talk of late. Like sad New York Mets fans, they are licking their wounds, and not in a particularly chatty mood.
DEM STRATEGIST JAMES CARVILLE CERTAIN HARRIS WILL WIN, KNOCKS ‘SWEATY’ DEMOCRATS
Two months ago, this was not the case. High off of the dispatching of Biden and the anointing of Harris as the nominee, Democrats were on a sugar high and eager to chat.
But Perry was willing to tell me, with his charming Southern twang, that “the Democrats are just closer to my values.” He has friends voting for former President Trump, and, thankfully, has not had many relationships broken up over it.
I pressed Perry a bit, because he really was such a nice guy, and I said, “Why? What is it about Harris that inspires you?”
What followed was a familiar faraway look in the eyes, like an eager hand, grasping for something that doesn’t exist, “She gives me hope,” he said, and honestly it was the best pitch for Harris that I have heard in three months on the road.
Later in the evening, I met Ryan, ex-military, in his early 40s and all in for Trump. Ryan didn’t hit a lot of talking points or make a stump speech, he just thinks Trump is solid, and he has no idea who Harris is.
Ryan, left, is a Carlisle voter. He is pictured here with author David Marcus. He is ex-military, in his early 40s and all in for former President Trump.
TRUMP’S MCDONALD’S VISIT SERVED UP FOUR BRILLIANT POLITICAL MOMENTS
Turns out, he went to West Point with my much more impressive cousin Joey. Texts ensued, and I realized how small Pennsylvania really is, for all its vast forest and mountains of autumnal awe and grace. We all kind of know each other.
And what I know is that no matter what the polls tell you, Trump is winning in Pennsylvania. I’m not saying it’s over, but this is more than momentum. It is starting to feel like destiny.
Nicole, who is a housekeeper at my hotel and a Harris supporter, told me over a morning cigarette that she likes the vice president. I said, “If I gave you a hundred bucks right now and you had to put it on one or the other, what do ya do?”
“Trump,” she said, gesturing to a sign across the ancient Carlisle road. There wasn’t much doubt in her voice.
A sign supporting former President Trump in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
HARRIS CAMPAIGN FACES WARNING SIGNS WITH YOUNG VOTERS IN ARIZONA: REPORT
It brought to mind a guy I spoke to the previous evening. His family has owned Pennsylvania coal mines for a century, and I said, “So, do you go in those little tunnels? I don’t think I could.”
He said, “It’s not so bad, I could take you some time.” I might take him up on that, once the unpleasantness is all over.
“We sell our coal to China,” he told me. “We’d like to sell it in the U.S., but we can’t.”
“You think that changes if Trump gets elected?,” I asked him.
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“I hope so,” he said. And there was that word again. Hope.
Harris needs Perry and the housekeeper, and she has them. Well, that’s not quite right — the Democratic Party has them, not Harris, and that is the problem.
Love him, hate him or ignore him, Trump is who he is, and the voters know what they would be getting. Harris remains an enigma, a vague promise full of high and haughty words, almost a ghost.
Ghosts don’t win elections, and that is exactly why Kamala Harris is losing in Pennsylvania, and poised to fall to Trump.
Harris, or the Party, or Nancy Pelosi, or former President Obama, or whoever is in charge needs to decide who she really is. Right now. Today.
Perry wants something and someone to vote for. I heard it in his voice, and he deserves that.
Whether or not he gets it remains to be seen.
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Boston, MA
MBTA, state transportation chief apologizes for ‘insensitive’ employee hair-pulling incident
Gov. Maura Healey’s Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said he has apologized “fully” to the subordinate T employee he’s been accused of pulling the hair of at a work dinner two years ago.
Eng has come under fire for the late 2024 incident this week and admits that it was a “mistake” that has forced him to reflect upon his actions.
“My goal is always to lead with respect and inclusivity,” Eng said in a statement. “I know that this was a mistake, and I own that. I have apologized to this employee fully and have reflected on my actions.
“I am committed to learning from this experience and upholding the highest standards of professionalism in all my interactions as secretary and general manager,” Eng added.
The MBTA said the incident, first reported by Contrarian Boston, occurred in November 2024 at a restaurant where T employees and their spouses were having a team dinner.
WCVB-TV reported that the MBTA employee has told people the interaction with Eng was not welcome and highly inappropriate.
The station described Eng as being accused of committing the hair-pulling faux pas while saying good-bye to the T employee after a work function at a brewery.
The MBTA confirmed that an “insensitive” interaction occurred between Eng and an employee, but downplayed the incident as occurring in the context of a larger conversation about hair from earlier in the evening that included multiple people.
Eng was poking fun at his own baldness when the alleged interaction occurred, according to the MBTA.
“The MBTA is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive workplace environment,” MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said in a statement. “Leadership plays a critical role in that. Two years ago, General Manager Eng had an insensitive interaction with one of his direct reports. He subsequently apologized directly to this employee.
“Any claims of harassment, discrimination or retaliatory behavior are completely without merit,” Pesaturo added.
Sources have told WCVB-TV that the T employee is involved in negotiations to leave their job with the agency.
Eng is the state’s top transportation official. Healey appointed him as general manager of the MBTA in 2023, and interim transportation secretary in late 2025.
He was paid $509,114 last year, which includes a $30,000 retention payment he is eligible for each year he remains with the T, per his contract and state payroll records. He does not get additional pay for working dual roles in Massachusetts, but continues to take in a roughly $185,000 pension from New York.
Eng, former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road, came out of retirement to work for the MBTA, but remains retired with the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System, which is paying him a gross monthly pension of $15,357.39, according to the New York State Comptroller’s office.
Eng, who stepped down from his MTA post in February 2022, retired from New York’s ERS the following month, March 31, 2022, the comptroller’s office said. His monthly pension equates to $184,288 in annual compensation, which he can continue to collect while working at the MBTA, where he is one of the highest-paid transit leaders in the country.
Eng has been credited by state officials for helping to get the MBTA back on track following a federal probe for a number of safety lapses that culminated with a fatality, when a 39-year-old man was dragged to death by a Red Line train in April 2022.
He is under contract with the T through April 10, 2028, with an option for a one-year extension. His base pay for 2026 is $484,206, per state payroll records.
By comparison, Eng was paid $285,254 in his final year leading the Long Island Rail Road, per the New York State Comptroller’s office.
Pittsburg, PA
Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game discussion: Bubba Chandler vs. Kyle Freeland
That leaves the Rockies at 6-9 in June with a -7 run differential. Even that number is softened by the 23-run outburst against the Athletics. Colorado has been pesky and more competitive, which is an improvement from last month, but the results are still the results: they enter tonight with the worst record in baseball — if only by a game.
Cole Carrigg has brought energy since arriving, and Sterlin Thompson is coming off a two-homer game at Wrigley. There are plenty of reasons to keep watching. The problem is that the old bad-team tropes are still there: blown leads, rocked starters, missed chances, defensive mistakes, and poor execution. The Rockies have been in more games, but they are still too often finding ways to let winnable games get away.
Now they get the Pirates at home.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (38-37) arrive at Coors Field in fourth place in the competitive NL Central — and only 1.5 games out of a wild card spot. Pittsburgh gets plenty of attention for its hyped rotation, led by Paul Skenes, but the offense has been much improved. The Pirates rank third in MLB in batting average, third in on-base percentage, fourth in OPS, fifth in runs scored, and sixth in stolen bases.
Kyle Freeland takes the mound to open the homestand for the Rox. The left-hander enters at 1-7 with a 7.98 ERA, 49 strikeouts, and a 1.70 WHIP over 58.2 innings.
The fastball has been the biggest issue. Freeland is leaving too many four-seamers over the middle of the plate, and hitters have punished it. Opponents are slugging .794 against the pitch, which is especially damaging because he still throws it roughly 27-29% of the time.
That continued in his last start, when Freeland allowed six runs on 10 hits over 5.2 innings. He gave up 12 hard-hit balls, with both the cutter and four-seamer taking damage. The cutter was his most-used pitch in that outing, but it did not solve the contact problem. His sweeper has been his best pitch, holding hitters to a .171 batting average and .371 slugging percentage with a 32.8% whiff rate.
The Rockies do not need Freeland to be perfect tonight, but they need him to avoid the middle-middle mistakes that have turned innings quickly this season.
Pittsburgh will counter with Bubba Chandler, a 23-year-old right-hander who enters at 2-7 with a 4.76 ERA, 68 strikeouts, and a 1.38 WHIP over 68.0 innings.
The record is not pretty, but the stuff is real. Chandler averages 98.5 mph with his four-seam fastball and topped out over 101 mph in his last start. He has used the fastball nearly half the time this season, pairing it most often with a changeup and slider.
The slider has been his best bat-missing pitch, generating a 37.9% whiff rate on the season. The changeup has also been effective, holding hitters to a .186 batting average and .288 slugging percentage. Chandler has walked 43 batters, so the Rockies’ best chance may be making him work instead of chasing their way out of innings.
Kyle Karros has been swinging it well lately, hitting .370/.442/.565 over his last 15 games and raising his season wRC+ to 90. Willi Castro has two home runs, nine RBI, and a .680 slugging percentage over his last seven games, while T.J. Rumfield is hitting .321 with a .750 slugging percentage and two home runs in his last seven games.
For Pittsburgh, Bryan Reynolds has been especially hot, hitting .414/.469/.828 with three home runs over his last seven games. Brandon Lowe leads the team with 18 home runs and 49 RBI while slugging .511, and Endy Rodríguez has played well from behind the plate while posting a 149 wRC+ in 76 plate appearances since returning to the lineup in mid-May.
For Colorado, the task is straightforward: get a steadier start from Freeland, make Chandler throw strikes, and turn the recent flashes from the lineup into enough sustained pressure to win a winnable game.
First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150
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WESTPORT — A two-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 caused a traffic slowdown stretching for miles into Fairfield Friday afternoon, according to state officials.
The crash scene has since been cleared.
Connecticut State Police said the two-car crash was reported near Exit 17 in the southbound lanes at 3:03 p.m.
One driver was taken to the hospital for reported injuries, the agency said.
The crash closed the right lane of the highway, causing cars and trucks to be backed up for miles along I-95 into Fairfield, traffic cameras showed.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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