Worldwide Sports News

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The original lead for this link dump was previewing Max Fried’s last Triple-A rehab start, which was supposed to come today. Instead, you already know that the left-hander is rejoining the Yankee roster, and the long-awaited one-two punch of Gerrit Cole and Max Fried atop the Yankee rotation will be brought to bear against the Pirates in their doubleheader today. Fried was tabbed to throw about 60 pitches for the RailRiders, so I imagine he will be held to that number or close to it in his return. Still, he’s damn hard to beat and it’s good to have him back.

NJ.com | James Mertz: On Monday, communicator of legendary status Aaron Boone said there was no timeline for Giancarlo Stanton’s return from his annual leg injury, before Boone had to walk himself back yesterday. The Yankee manager told us Stanton was progressing “pretty well” and should be available “in a reasonable amount of time,” exactly the clear, direct messaging Boone’s become famous for.

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: It’s the time of year where we all argue just how valuable one prospect or another would be in hypothetical deals to transfer 2029 Yankee wins into 2026 Yankee wins. One common name tossed around in trade discussions past, Jasson Domínguez, sheds some light on what that feeling as a prospect is like, but to him it didn’t seem too big a deal. The Martian revealed he didn’t really know what the trade deadline was before 2025, as his entire focus was on improving his onfield play and making himself invaluable to the talent evaluators within the Yankee org. I’d like to see more interviews with young players and see if that approach is common or not.

MLB.com | Jason Foster: Nearly three dozen writers were polled on the Cy Young race for both leagues, and lo and behold Cam Schlittler is still in the pole position. The AL leader in ERA, FIP and fWAR received 23 of 33 first place votes, with Blue Jays hurler Dylan Cease the only other player to receive first-place nods. We’re a long way from the awards banquet, but Schlittler looks like the best case for end-of-year individual hardware from a Yankee in 2026.

Now that the Guardians have taken the first two games of their series vs the Twins, it’s time to get serious with our trade targets. Previously in “this series” some pretty good players have been mentioned, and more will continue to be. But take a look at this and tell me that there isn’t one obvious guy who needs to be freed and put onto a roster that desperately needs a handful of things that he is great at

That’s right. Go get Mike Trout, Cherfonetnofti.

I won’t go into any more detail since this isn’t an official installment in the Trade Target series because we need to talk about yesterday’s actual links instead:

• Oh, wait, that article is dated Jul 21. No no no, on we go.

• The Marlins performed a public service by tripling up Jose Altuve.

• Wait, maybe we should provide more evidence that Mike needs a fresh new home

• JT Realmuto ended a game with an Arias cosplay.

• The Tigers placed Jack Flaherty on the 15-day with flexor inflammation.

That was a relatively enjoyable loss.

The Mariners lost 4-2 to the Reds on Tuesday, snapping a three-game win streak. They got dominated by Chase Burns early but chased him quick, then nearly clawed back into the game against the bullpen. The go-ahead hit remained elusive, and that was the difference, but this was overall an enjoyable one to sit through.

To be fair, I love watching Elly De La Cruz play, and he made his presence known immediately. He led off the game working an eight-pitch at bat against Luis Castillo, then turned on a heater to hit a line drive homer out to right center.

I also love watching Eugenio Suárez play. He’s one of my all-time favorite Mariners, and I generally root for him to succeed elsewhere. He got a middle-middle fastball to lead off the fourth and launched it to center field.

And, hey, I love watching Castillo pitch, too. Other than the homers, he was pretty good on Tuesday. He picked up 11 whiffs, including seven on the four-seamer, which sat at a crispy 95 mph atop the zone all night. He gave up just two hard hit balls — the two homers — on 22 balls in play on the night. He threw tons of strike, went right after batters, and made it through seven innings giving up only three runs. It was pretty OK. He thought so, too.

“I think what helped me today is I didn’t go with the mentality of trying to strike out every batter, but the mentality of going in, attacking the zone, and if they make contact, hopefully it’s an out,” Castillo said postgame.

My enjoyment of this one was also partially due to low expectations. I wrote the other week that I don’t really like to be a doomer about the Mariners and assume they’re going to lose. But Burns is just so good, and the Mariners ran out a weird lineup without Julio Rodríguez or J.P. Crawford (each day to day with minor injuries). This didn’t seem like a winning combo.

It wasn’t. Burns was great. He got tons of chase and whiffs on his fastball-slider combo, picking up six strikeouts on the one-two punch. The Mariners couldn’t get much going against him, and it was clear why the Reds just gave him a big ol’ contract.

“He’s kind of got that over the top thing, and getting comfortable to that and used to that, it makes a difference,” Dan Wilson said after the game. “And he’s got the good velo that rides at the top, and you see that slider come out, and you’ve got to make a quick decision. I thought he threw some good ones down tonight, and got us to chase a few down there below the zone. He’s a tough at-bat when he’s throwing that fastball at the top and that slider down below. It’s a tough at-bat. You can’t cover both. And that’s what makes him so effective.”

The one thing the Mariners were able to do was make Burns work, drawing a pair of walks and working some deep counts. They got him out of the game after five, and started closing in on the Reds bullpen.

In the sixth, Dominic Canzone led off with walk. Josh Naylor followed with a single — one of three hits for him on the day — to bring Luke Raley to the plate. Wilson instead called on Julio, who’d started the game on the bench  while nursing a minor injury. He battled and battled and worked a full count against seven straight sweepers from Tejay Antone. Then he got an eighth and hit a 110-mph one-hopper near short. Out of nowhere sprawled De La Cruz, who saved a run and potentially a big inning.

In the seventh, Weston Wilson hit a solo homer to get the Mariners on the board and cut the lead to 3-1. It looked like the Mariners might get some more after three straight two-out walks. But Naylor, in his only at bat that didn’t result in a hit, grounded out to strand the bases loaded. 

Julio cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer himself. That’s another reason this game was great: Julio certainly does not seem significantly injured, and he had two great at bats.

But Michael Rucker gave up a solo homer himself in the top of the ninth to extend the lead back to two runs. And the Mariners couldn’t get anything going in their half of the inning and lost 4-2. It was nearly a very fun game, and so I’ll settle for a pretty good.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were able to even the series with the Athletics Tuesday night thanks to a heroic walkoff from the veteran Ildemaro Vargas and a solid major league debut from Kohl Drake.

Kohl Drake gave the Dbacks 5 much needed solid innings tonight for his major league debut. Overall his stuff was just ok, he especially struggled to throw his curveball for strikes. The 3^rd inning almost got away from him, however he was able to get a big double play ball and was able to hold the A’s to just the 1 run through 5 innings. This start today from Drake was a huge shot in the arm for a rotation that has sustained some injuries and had its depth tested the past couple of weeks.

Of the 5 runs tonight, 3 of them came in the bottom of the first inning when Max Kepler hit a 3 run home run giving the offense and the young Kohl Drake some much needed breathing room to begin this game. Kepler appears to really be turning a corner these past few games including the walk off the other day, the HR today, and he had some big at bats throughout this game including a clutch walk in the bottom of the 10^th.

Unfortunately for the Dbacks, Paul Sewald blew just his second save tonight in the 101^st game of the season giving up a 2 run game tying home run in the bottom of the 9^th inning with 2 out. Sewald has been so good in these save situations, but unfortunately tonight he made a mistake in location to one of the best hitters on the team.

Fortunately for Sewald and the Dbacks, the offense was able to come through in the bottom of the 10^th inning. The A’s were able to get a run across in the top of the inning and were leading the Dbacks 5-4 heading into the bottom of the 10^th, but the Dbacks were able to clutch up and show some great discipline with a leadoff walk to Gabi Moreno, followed by the aforementioned great at bat by Max Kepler leading to another walk and loading the bases for Nolan Arenado with no outs. Arenado recorded his 2001^st career hit a couple of pitches later scoring Corbin Carroll from 3^rd base and tying the game. And after a Tim Tawa strikeout, it was none other than the seasoned veteran Ildemaro Vargas that would rise to the occasion tonight and play hero. After a couple of tough pitches to begin the at bat, Vargas did what he does so well and took a shoulder high fastball into left field to walk the game off and send the fans home happy! Such a deserving player who has meant so much to this team this season coming through when the team needed him the most so good to see!

That hit by Vargas is amplified even more considering the Marlins, Cardinals, and the Nationals all lost tonight moving the Dbacks into a tie for the 3^rd wild card spot with the Pirates. Such a key win for the Dbacks at a key moment in the season. The Dbacks will look to win the series tomorrow afternoon as they send Merrill Kelly to the hill. Kelly will look to maintain his recent momentum and put his team in good position heading into the road trip of the season where they will face all of the other 3^rd wild card contenders in the span of a week.

It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the happening-est hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Thanks so very much for stopping by tonight. We always have room for one more. There’s no cover charge. There are still a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you which young backup infielder you’d rather keep around, Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramírez? The final vote was close, but by a narrow margin of 53 to 47 percent, you said you’d rather keep the younger Ramírez than the more veteran (but still young) Shaw.

On Tuesday nights I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz. That time is now.

Tonight we’re featuring Brazilian pianist/vocalist Eliane Elias performing “Brasil,” a song from her upcoming album Ao Vivo. You probably know this song already if you watch Terry Gilliam films. But you probably haven’t heard it sung in Portuguese before.

This was at SFJAZZ just this past May.

Welcome back to all those who skip the jazz.

The Red Sox have won 14 in a row and have played themselves back into a playoff spot. That probably means that for now at least, Aroldis Chapman, one possible trade target for the Cubs to shore up the back of their bullpen, is off the market. The Red Sox seem more likely to be buyers than sellers at the Deadline.

Since it doesn’t seem like a wise idea to rely on Daniel Palencia to return to being a dominating closer before the end of the year (next year is a different story), the Cubs may well have to look elsewhere. Meanwhile, while the Red Sox have been playing their way into the American League Wild Card race, the Astros seem to be stuck in neutral on the outside looking in. The Astros even have a dominating closer that might be available for trade: left-hander Josh Hader.

I’m sure you’re familiar with Hader from his days with the Brewers. Cubs manager Craig Counsell certainly is. Hader was always a big villain at Wrigley Field during his Brewers days. Over the course of his career, Hader has a 1.88 ERA and 18 saves versus the Cubs, more than against any team other than the Pirates.

Hader, now 32, has lost a tick on his power sinker/slider combo, but it’s as effective as ever. His sinker is now 95 miles per hour when it used to be 96. His nasty slider is now around 84-85 when it was 85-86 with Milwaukee. But the thing is, the pitchers are no less effective at a smidge slower. So far this year, Hader is 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA. He’s 11 for 11 in converting save chances. Over 18.1 innings, Hader has struck out 29 and walked eight. Opposing hitters are hitting .154 off of Hader this year.

So Hader looks ideal for the Cubs, especially considering his connection to Craig Counsell. But there are a few issues if the Astros decide to trade him. The first is that Hader is under contract for the next two years and a whopping $19 million a year. That’s a ton of money for a guy who pitches just one inning at a time. The two years of control are certainly nice. The money isn’t.

Another issue is that Hader missed the first 8-9 weeks or so of the season this year with left bicep tendonitis. He also missed the final six weeks of last year with a left shoulder strain. He’s been back healthy since early June and looks just as good as ever. But it is fair to say Hader doesn’t have the most promising injury history.

The other issue is simply that he’s Josh Hader. It might be hard for some of you to start cheering for Josh Hader after years of loathing him.

On the other hand, the Astros might be willing to pay off some of that contract for the right prospect package or accept a lesser group of players if the Cubs are willing to take the whole contract. As far as the injury factor goes, what pitcher does have a clean bill of health? And if Cubs fans were willing to accept Counsell, shouldn’t they be willing to give his former closer in Milwaukee the same benefit of the doubt?

Hader wouldn’t come cheap, but he’d come a lot cheaper than Mason Miller would if the Padres decide to deal him. I don’t think the Cubs would have to include anyone like Josiah Hartshorn or Owen Ayers. Jaxon Wiggins or (but not and) Jefferson Rojas would certainly be possibilities of someone to include in a deal for Hader. Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramírez might even get the Astros to eat some of the contract.

So are you willing to let bygones be bygones and start drinking some Hader-ade?

Thank you for stopping by tonight. We’re sorry we opened so late, but we had an issue in the kitchen. Please get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler isn’t ready to make any announcement.

He wants to wait until next year before deciding for sure.

But remember those original plans of returning to health this year, pitching one final season in 2027, and then sailing off into the sunset with his family, calling it a career?

Well, ever so quietly, those plans are on hold.

Wheeler has yet to open talks about a contract extension with the Phillies, but the way he’s dominating, the way Hall of Fame voters are changing their view for entrance to Cooperstown, he’s not sure he’s ready to say good-bye.

"Never say never," Wheeler, 10-2, 2.16 ERA, told USA TODAY Sports after his latest brilliant performance Tuesday night in the Phillies’ 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. "We’ll see. It’ll probably depend on what happens next year. It’s something to think about for sure."

Phillies executives privately believe that Wheeler will ultimately change his mind, and instead of retiring when his contract expires after the 2027 season, that he’ll want to continue pitching, taking him on a potential road to Cooperstown.

If the day comes he’s ready to talk about delaying those retirement plans, the Phillies are all ears.

"It’s tough," says Wheeler, who with his wife, Dominique, are raising four children (ages 6, 4, 2, 1). "My kids are growing up and they're at that age where it's important to have both parents around. I'm going to be there for that and see them grow and be successful in life. So, we’ll see."

Really, Wheeler never imagined that he’d be facing this decision. Just 10 months ago, Wheeler was lying in the hospital, having his rib removed near his right shoulder during his thoracic outlet decompression surgery, with the Phillies and everyone else wondering if he’d ever step on the mound again after his season-ending blood clot.

These days, he’s the hottest pitcher on the planet, and despite missing the first month of the season, is starting to find himself in the National League Cy Young conversation.

Wheeler, who gave up five hits and two runs with nine strikeouts and no walks in seven innings on Tuesday, just missed being the first pitcher since Atlanta’s Spencer Strider in 2023 to strike out at least 10 batters in four consecutive games. Wheeler, with 43 strikeouts and just three walks in his last four starts, is only the second Phillies pitcher in history to accomplish the feat. He now has 20 games with at least nine strikeouts and no walks, the most in Phillies history, and the only pitcher to accomplish the feat in MLB since he joined the Phillies in 2020.

"Maybe my strikeout numbers aren’t what they have been for my career, per game," Wheeler said. "So, I do see that. I wanted to get that back up, I’m not going to lie to you. Maybe with two strikes, I make a little more concerted effort to punch a guy out."

It’s a tremendous achievement to simply return and be part of the Phillies’ starting rotation, but quite another to absolutely dominate, actually pitching better than a year ago when he was in Cy Young contention before his season-ending blood clot.

"I always saw myself coming back to who I was, or even better," Wheeler said. "Getting those innings in, getting the strikeouts, and getting some wins. So, that was always the mindset coming back, and I’m thankful."

It’s this determination and domination that could eventually vault Wheeler into Hall of Fame debates, but if he’s ever going to have his plaque hanging in the museum with the other all-time greats, he needs to keep pitching. He has just 123 career victories, 42 shy of Sandy Koufax, who produced the fewest victories (165) by a Hall of Fame pitcher in nearly 90 years.

Realistically, if Wheeler wants to be elected into the Hall of Fame, he needs more victories.

And for Wheeler to get more victories, he needs to continue pitching.

"The Hall of Fame would be life-changing, you know, something I don’t take lightly," Wheeler says. "It’s definitely something that everybody shoots for coming into pro baseball, even as a kid. You want your face and name on that plaque. It’s there forever.

"But at the same time, I'm human. I'm a family man. So, if that time calls, then it is what it is."

Yet, it’s not as if Wheeler is showing any signs of digression. The 36-year-old continues to defy Father Time. You look, and there hasn’t been a better pitcher in baseball since his arrival to Philadelphia seven years ago. He is 79-38 with a 2.84 ERA and 1,202 strikeouts, and easily has the best WAR (33.3) of any pitcher during the stretch.

Could this stretch possibly be good enough to garner Hall of Fame support if he doesn’t pitch past 2027, finishing his career with fewer than 150 victories?

"I don't know," Wheeler said, "maybe a couple of awards might help something like that. But I really don’t know. Things will have to change voting-wise, just because nobody’s going to get 300 wins or whatever it was. It’s just a different game.

"Me, I’m an old-school guy. I want to do all of the stuff they did, right? But it’s just a different game with these young guys. So, things will have to change. Maybe I’ll catch that luck or something."

Well, if Wheeler keeps pitching like this, that first award could be the Cy Young. He has four top-10 Cy Young finishes, but has never won. He also has three All-Star selections on his resume, but was livid that he wasn’t selected to the All-Star Game this year. When he finally was chosen as an alternate, he passed, saying, "They disrespected me, so I’m not going to participate."

He has taken that rage out on opposing hitters since the All-Star announcement, going 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA in his last three starts, allowing 11 hits and striking out 33 batters with only two walks in 20 innings.

So now that the saga is over, will he keep pitching with anger, serving as motivation?

"Yeah, why not," he said. "It seems to be working. Just find a way. That’s the biggest thing. It’s a long season. It’s a ton of starts. You’ve got to pick your battles and just try to go out there and do well every time."

Perhaps the next will be with the Cy Young voters, convincing them that while he might not have the innings quite yet to qualify for the ERA title, he’s building a resume that could lead to the ultimate pitching award.

And, perhaps, one that could one day help lead him through those doors of Cooperstown, too.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zack Wheeler's dominance has Phillies ace building case for Hall of Fame

One of the many storylines from this Mets-Brewers series was that former prospect Brandon Sproat was set to take the mound against the team that drafted him.

And on Tuesday night, Sproat had his chance to show his stuff to the Mets. While the 25-year-old was solid, the Mets got the better of him as New York took a 4-0 win to tie the series.

From the start, Sproat struggled to keep his pitch count down. It took him nearly 30 pitches to get through a scoreless first, but the young right-hander wasn't deterred and leaned on his experience to try and make it further in the game. 

"It was roughly 30 pitches in the first, two walks doesn’t help. We’ve been down this road before…it’s not my first time at it," Sproat said of his pitch count after the game. "Just tell myself 'keep going' no matter how I’m feeling, just keep making pitches. Maybe get a five-pitch inning to get back on track, that’s my mindset."

Sproat was unable to get back on track. After allowing a solo shot to Jared Young in the second, Sproat would pitch into the fifth inning when the game got away from him. After two outs, he walked Bo Bichette on six pitches, putting him at 99 pitches. Brewers manager Pat Murphy had seen enough, going to his bullpen. However, the Brewers pen could not get it done, allowing two runs to score in that inning and putting a bow on Sproat's night.

Sproat allowed two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four batters in his 4.2 innings. 

When asked after the game if the added adrenaline of facing the Mets contributed to his inefficient start, Sproat denied it affected him.

"Nothing extra, really the only difference is seeing familiar faces," Sproat said. "Pretty much every single one that comes to the plate. It was a good challenge. They know me, I know them. At that point, it’s a chess game. It was definitely a fun matchup."

Sproat was drafted in the second round by the Mets in the 2023 draft, the same year New York drafted Zac Thornton in the fifth round. Thornton pitched opposite Sproat on Tuesday night and his night went differently from Sproat's. The left-hander pitched six scoreless innings, en route to his first big league win.

"That’s what Thornton does. That’s what he’s done his whole career so far," Sproat said of his former teammate. "I know him pretty well. He’s a super crafty lefty. He mixes super well and the pitchability is there. He’s not afraid of who’s in the box. That’s who he is. He’s a great pitcher. Tip of the cap to him tonight."

It was a disappointing start for Sproat, who is looking to keep his place in the Brewers rotation after Milwaukee traded Freddy Peralta to the Mets for a package that included Sproat this past offseason. 

However, the young right-hander's first full season in the bigs is starting to look promising. After getting off a tough start in the first two months -- owning a 6.24 ERA after May -- Sproat has settled in. Even with the loss, his ERA dropped to 5.09, and he has allowed two runs or fewer in five straight starts. 

Sproat made just four starts with the Mets last season, pitching to a 4.79 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.