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The Colorado Rockies kicked off a nine-game road trip tonight with the first of a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals. In the first matchup of the series, the Rockies and Cardinals found themselves in a one-run battle for most of the game.

While the Rockies out-hit the Cardinals by a wide margin and got productive outings from starter Ryan Feltner and the bullpen, they unfortunately struggled to get runners across and dropped game one because of that. Double plays and runners left on were the story of this game.

Small ball to start the night

A little action in the first inning wasn’t enough to change the numbers on the scoreboard. Despite a leadoff double from Jake McCarthy, the Rockies couldn’t get anything more going. Leahy struck out the side to close out the inning. The Cards went down just as easily, with Alec Burleson’s walk representing their only baserunner of the inning.

The action warmed up a bit in the second inning. TJ Rumfield and Willi Castro kicked things off with a single each, putting runners on the corners. The baserunners set up Troy Johnston to give the Rockies an early lead, as Johnston’s groundout to the shortstop scored Rumfield.

The 1-0 lead didn’t last long. The Cards responded quickly with hits of their own. Jimmy Crooks singled, followed by a Mason Wynn double. A Nathan Church sacrifice fly tied the game at one all, scoring Crooks. With Wynn on third, Bryan Torres sent another sac fly to left field to give St. Louis an early 2-1 lead.

Double plays and other problems settle in

The Rockies lost this one because of their inability to advance runners and because they halted their momentum in key opportunities. Those issues started early. To kick off the third inning, McCarthy managed a single. Cole Carrigg followed that up by grounding into a double play.

The Cardinals added another run in the third. Iván Herrera tagged a solo shot to left field to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead. That small two-run lead would sadly prove to be insurmountable for tonight’s Rockies offense.

Feltner would go on to talk about that homerun in his postgame comments. He noted it as a pitch that got away from him. “I threw him a sweeper the pitch before. Then I threw him a worse one the next pitch. Just threw him a worse version of the same pitch and he put a good swing on it.”

The Rockies looked like they might get back in it in the fourth inning. Rumfield singled to start it off and was moved to third by a Castro double. With runners on second and third and nobody out, the Rockies didn’t get as much production as the opportunity presented.

Ezequiel Tovar struck out before another Johnston groundout RBI brought the game to 3-2. That’s all Colorado would muster, as Edouard Julien grounded out to conclude the push.

Pitching does its job

Aside from some early traffic and the home run that got away, Feltner had another solid outing. He finished after 5.1 IP, surrendering three earned runs on just four hits, with three walks and two strikeouts. While his mistakes did put the Rockies behind early by a small margin, the starting performance is one that felt like it could have resulted in a win if it was paired with just a little more run support.

Warren Schaeffer echoed that sentiment in his presser, noting that “Felt was really good today. Just one mistake to Herrera on the hanging sweeper. Other than that, I thought he mixed well, he kept guys off balance, got us into the sixth inning and definitely gave us a chance to win.”

As he has in recent games, Feltner used a wide mix of pitches to his advantage, pulling out his four-seamer (29%), changeup (22%), sinker (15%), slider and curveball (14% each), and sweeper (5%). Feltner primarily used his four-seamer early (40% of pitches his first time through the order) before going to that wider arsenal.

Much to the Rockies’ dismay, starting pitching got the job done for the other side as well. Leahy allowed a fair amount of contact, giving up eight hits. He also found a way to limit any damage, giving up just two runs along with eight strikeouts in his five innings of work.

Colorado’s bullpen kept things competitive as the early 3-2 score held the rest of the way. Brennan Bernardino, Jimmy Herget, and Nick Frasso all were solid in relief. None of the three allowed a hit, and they combined for five strikeouts across 2.2 innings. Schaeffer praised Frasso in particular after the game, celebrating a “big inning for him. That was great. Get his first big league punchout ever? I thought he looked great. He’s got nasty stuff. Good slider, good changeup, crossbody. High velo.”

A late-inning push is all for not

With nothing doing through most of the game, the Rockies turned to their bench for a spark. In the top of the seventh, Kyle Karros pinch hit for Troy Johnston (o-for-2 with two RBI) and Jordan Beck replaced Edouard Julien (0-for-2 with a strikeout). Karros flied out and Beck singled, but McCarthy and Carrigg would go down swinging to end the inning.

With Karros and Beck subbing in defensively, the Rockies would again look to their bench in the eighth inning, replacing Mickey Moniak with Tyler Freeman as a pinch hitter and later replacing Rumfield with Brett Sullivan as a pinch runner.

The ninth inning ended the game in a way that was emblematic of the whole performance. Tovar drew a walk to start the inning (Colorado’s first of the game), but Karros hit into a double play before Beck grounded out harmlessly to shortstop.

When all was said and done, the Rockies notched 10 hits to the Cardinals’ four. But the Rockies left seven runners on base and were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The hitting was working, just not quite enough when it mattered.

Up Next

It’ll be a southpaw battle in St. Louis on Saturday night.

Riding the high of a complete game gem, Kyle Freeland is set to start for the Rockies. Freeland is 3-10 in 20 starts this year with a 6.81 ERA and 93 strikeouts. His last outing was his best of the season, as he went the distance and gave up just one run with eight strikeouts in an 8-1 win.

Matthew Liberatore will start for St. Lous, bringing in a 5-8 record in 22 starts with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.491 WHIP. He looked sharp in his last outing, going six innings and giving up zero runs and one hit, but failing to get the decision as the Cardinals scored four late in a 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

First pitch is set for 5:15 pm MDT.

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A date has been set for pitcher Tarik Skubal’s home debut as a Dodger.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced what the pitching rotation will look like for the upcoming week, with Skubal taking the mound on Monday, Aug. 10 and Blake Snell returning to the rotation to start on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

It will be Skubal’s home debut at Dodger Stadium, after he was acquired by the organization ahead of the trade deadline.

Los Angeles traded away outfielder Zyhir Hope and a pair of right-handed pitchers — River Ryan and Brady Smith — for Skubal.

The Hayward, California, native has not pitched in a regular-season game at Dodger Stadium. He has pitched in a Dodger uniform already, producing six strikeouts while allowing four hits, two earned runs and a home run in six innings pitched against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Aug. 4.

Tarik Skubal stats

Skubal has compiled a 7-6 overall record in 17 starts this season. He's struck out 122 batters in 102.2 innings pitched.

How long will Tarik Skubal be a Dodger?

Skubal will have the opportunity to become a free agent after making $32 million this season. 

“I would love to play my whole career in Detroit,” Skubal said on the "Pardon My Take" podcast. “Hopefully those negotiations can pick back up in (November) once the playoffs are done.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Date set for Tarik Skubal to make Dodger Stadium pitching debut

Well, well, well. You’re welcome, by the way. (Hopefully this doesn’t jinx what was maybe a season-altering win). I was lucky enough to be at today’s game in-person, and I got to witness a really funny game, start to finish.

Let’s start with the first inning. The White Sox had Noah Schultz going for them (bad this year). For once, it looked as if the Guardians were poised to take advantage of a lopsided pitching matchup. Kwan singled to start the game, but then DeLauter struck out. Jose got to a 1-2 count, but managed to shake off two balls, pushing the count full. He then ripped a ball up the middle for a single, moving Kwan to third. Adell got to 2-2, but then got hit by a Schultz fastball. The White Sox pitching coach came out to talk to Schultz while Vogt was looking at Adell. Bases loaded, one out. Angel Martinez up. First pitch whiffed on. Second pitch… smoked to left, driving in two Guardians runs early.

An early lead for the good guys.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/v5R70nrOtp

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 8, 2026

Then, in a truly bizarre series of events, White Sox manager Will Venable went out to chat with his starter. Unfortunately for him, he apparently hadn’t realized that his pitching coach had been out to the mound already that inning. Oops! MLB rules dictate that you can only visit the mound twice in an inning, with the second mound visit necessitating a pitching change. Oops! Big whoop at home plate with Vogt getting after the HP ump. To make this even funnier, the White Sox didn’t have anyone warming when this happened. So, the game was delayed for a good 5 minutes while they got their bulk reliever up and moving. By the way, the White Sox used 7 relievers last night in a 13-inning classic against the Red Sox. Oops!

Anyway, the inning ended without a fuss, as White Sox reliever David Sandlin put down the next to Guardians rather quickly.

All quiet until the bottom of the 2nd, when Messick gave up a solo homer to Sox rookie Braden Montgomery. 2-1 Guardians.

Quiet, again, until the 5th. Through this point, Messick was more-or-less making quick work of the White Sox lineup. 54 pitches through 4. Only giving up 2 hits. So, the Guardians had the top of the order up in the 5th. Still against David Sandlin, by the way. Kwan led off the inning with a groundout, but each of the next three Guardians reached base (single, walk, HBP). Martinez up, again. He swung at the first pitch he saw and deposited it roughly 422’ into the right field seats. 6-1 Guardians.

Oh my Heavens, Angel.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/3TXoPWGJfh

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 8, 2026

Hoskins singled right after, and then Rocchio lined out. But, Hedges came up clutch, driving in Hoskins with an RBI-single. 7-1 Guardians.

Perhaps the funniest event of the night came in the 6th. Which, for what it’s worth, is saying a lot, given what had already transpired.

Kwan led off the 6th inning, still against David Sandlin. Got to 2-2, but then fouled off two decent pitches. Then, on the 7th (a curveball right down broadway), he hit that pitch right off the foul pole in RF, breaking a 324-AB homerless streak.

Steven Kwan, known power hitter.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/yCFoiWi7ES

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 8, 2026

8-1 Guardians.

Messick gave up a solo homer in the bottom of that inning to Murakami, but did not surrender any further runs for the rest of his outing.

His final line: 7 IP, 4H, 2ER, 1BB, 8K. Both runs came off solo homers. His ERA stayed at 2.57.

Franco Aleman came on for the 8th, and got into some trouble. Single, K, K, walk. At this point, he was already nearly at 20 pitches. Antonacci (pinch-hitting for lefty specialist Randal Grichuk), hit a ball fairly well to left (which had me fooled), but was caught near the track.

Aleman came out again for the 9th. K, lineout. But, then, 3 straight singles. Up to 39 pitches at this point, and the White Sox had momentum, the bases loaded, and their leadoff hitter up to bat. Luckily, Aleman struck him out on 5 pitches.

Aleman’s final line: 2IP, 4H, 0ER, 1BB, 4K — 44 pitches.

To his credit, and despite the mess he made for himself, he didn’t give up any runs, and gave the bullpen a day off.

It’ll be Gavin Williams vs. Anthony Kay tomorrow night. Hopefully the Guardians can take advantage of another lopsided pitching matchup.

While the Mets, who won again on Friday night, have begun to hit their stride during this four-game winning streak, especially offensively, it’s the team’s rookies and young players that are leading the way.

Yes, Marcus Semien had the big blast against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a three-run shot, his second in as many games, but A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge, who had to leave in the fourth inning with wrist soreness, combined for five hits, which was half the team’s total.

Defensively, Ewing and Benge also each made spectacular plays in the outfield as the Mets and their fans have grown accustomed to seeing. In fact, Benge’s web gem was too good as his sliding catch at the wall in left field resulted in him jamming his wrist, which caused the soreness that took him out of the game.

“He sacrificed his body and that’s all you can ask for from your outfielders,” Semien said.

Interim manager Andy Green said after the game that Benge’s X-rays were negative and that the team will see how he feels on Saturday. Hopefully it’s nothing major so the red-hot rookie can be back out there helping to lead the charge as he has the entirety of New York’s win streak.

Over the last four games, Benge is 7-for-17 with two home runs, a triple, five RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base. Looking back even further, the youngster is slashing .304/.362/.470 in his last 30 games and has looked totally comfortable wherever the Mets put him in the outfield.

As for Ewing, he went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a steal on Friday night atop the lineup and is 6-for-16 with three doubles during the team’s four-game win streak. 

“The talent is through the roof,” Semien said about the pair of rookies. “I know the organization knew that. A.J. started the year in I think Double-A, so it’s exciting for him to come up here and produce right away because you don’t always see that. But those guys have been a spark in our lineup for sure.”

On the pitching side, after Sean Manaea turned in a great performance on Tuesday to kick off this streak, Christian Scott, Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton have all followed suit and have shown varying degrees of dominance.

On Friday, it was Thornton who probably turned in the best outing of them all after he went five scoreless innings with a rain delay in between.

“I felt really good despite that delay. Still felt the same,” the left-hander said.

Thornton, who rebounded nicely after a difficult start his last time out, needed just 63 pitches to get through those five innings and likely would’ve pitched deeper into the game had it not been for the delay, which caused him to use some of his bullets while trying to stay warm. 

He now has a 2.52 ERA in seven starts and is the latest Met rookie to prove his worth. 

“I think this is awesome,” Thornton said of the win streak and how the team is playing right now. “We got a ton of energy, a ton of grit and energy in this clubhouse, guys that are hungry for it, guys that are hungry to win. We’re playing for each other so it’s awesome to see.”

New York still has a long way to go in the standings and will need nothing short of a miracle to make the playoffs, but after such a letdown of a season, the rookies are not only helping the team win, but giving fans a reason to be invested once again.

"Four wins in a row. Anytime you win four in a row, there’s definitely good vibes," Semien said. "I think the way we’re winning, with the offense, is a good sign. You think about kinda the grind the offense had been on in the first half and the way we’re winning games is definitely gonna bring good vibes."

Those who believe managers don’t win or lose games, players do, clip and save this recap.

In a move we would have thought cordoned off in the Terry Bevington Hall of Shame, manager Will Venable triggered a puzzling chain of circumstances that saw starting pitcher Noah Schultz bounced from his Friday night start after just one out, 23 pitches — and no fault of his own:

Just one batter after pitching coach Zach Bove had trotted out to the mound to settle Schultz down after hitting Jo Adell with a pitch, Venable did same after Schultz surrendered a two-run single to soft-swinging Angel Martínez.

Oops.

While perhaps not on par with Bevington calling to the bullpen without having gotten a reliever up warming, Venable’s boner resulted, by rule, in Schultz being forced to leave the game. Given the gaffe, it had the effect of an injury substitution, in that just-recalled reliever David Sandlin was sprinting to get warm and enter the game, as no White Sox hurler was up in the pen with the game just 23 pitches old.

At another point in the game, or in another circumstance, perhaps Venable’s boo-boo would not have crushed so hard. But in the fumes of a sweep in Boston, with last night’s loss wiping out the bullpen (seven of the team’s eight relievers were used, covering 8 ⅓ innings), it could not possibly have been timed more poorly.

But was this loss all on Venable? Of course not, the players still have to play the game, even if they landed in Chicago at 5 a.m. and grabbed only snatches of sleep before suiting back up on Friday.

Usually when a team puts up eight runs or more in a game and wins by a hefty margin, it’s due to the whole team contributing. There are the rare occasions where a player takes over a game by himself, but that’s usually reserved for the Shohei Ohtani’s of the world. Unfortunately the White Sox were on the tail end of one of the most rare and sad butt-whooping’s a team can have: They got spanked by a nobody.

No disrespect to Martínez, but he’s hit .228 over 861 at-bats in his short career. He is not a player teams ever game plan for or fear — but that might change after what Martínez did to the White Sox on Friday night.

Of course, it all started in the first inning, when the Cleveland Guardians loaded the bases before Schultz could even get two outs. After a first strike, Schultz decided to try to slip a cutter by Martínez ,right down the middle. Even a player who can’t hit .230 can do something with that ,and his two-run single put the Guardians up, 2-0.

For the next few innings, the game was pretty boring if we’re being honest with ourselves. Unfortunately, the game was also clearly too boring for Sandlin who after being rushed in for Schultz had sat down 12-of-14 Guards to restore order to the contest. That is, until he loaded that bases in the fifth inning for … Martínez. Surely he couldn’t do it again, right?

Wrong.

Sandlin saw Schultz’s cutter down the middle bring in two runs for Cleveland in the first and wanted to see if it was a fluke or not. So the righty decided to throw one of his own, just to see which cutter down the middle was better. All fans in attendance found out pretty quickly that Schultz’s was superior, as Martínez, tonight’s Angel of Death, took the pitch 422 feet to right-center field. The bat flip that ensued was cool, and the sassing of Sox catcher Edgar Quero probably turned on the most yahoo of Wahoos fans, but the game being unofficially ended in the fifth inning was not:

When the dust settled from the seams getting knocked off the baseball, Martínez had just two hits on the night — but they were two big ones, as he brought six runs home all by himself. Both teams struck for a run in the sixth, but the game was already over at that point.

While the loss is just one loss, with Minnesota and Cleveland (obviously) also winning, this seems much bigger than that. We may be in the early stages of August, but if the White Sox fail to answer the call this weekend, the alarm bells may be going off sooner rather than later.

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MVP
Braden Montgomery: 2-for-3, BB, R, RBI, K

Runners-Up
Trevor Richards: 2 ⅓ IP
Erick Fedde: IP, K
Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI
Luisangel Acuña: 2-for-4, K

Cold Cat
Will Venable: Little League managerial error that wasted Noah Schultz and put needless wear on his pen

Runners-Up
Noah Schultz: ⅓ IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K, HB, LOSS (3-9)
Colson Montgomery: 0-for-4, 3 K
Chase Meidroth: 1-for-5, 2 K
Brenton Doyle: 0-for-4, K

Apparently, Ja Rule isn't always on time...

The hip-hop icon was "unable to make" the Chicago White Sox's postgame concert planned on Friday, Aug. 7 due to "unexpected travel issues." That resulted in the concert's cancellation, the White Sox said.

According to White Sox reporter James Fegan, the team announced the concert cancellation on a video board at Rate Field during the game against the Cleveland Guardians. It was also African American Heritage Night.

The White Sox's video board statement added that "Fans who have tickets to tonight's game will receive complimentary tickets to a future game."

Rough night pic.twitter.com/lxazBbWAbV

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) August 8, 2026

The White Sox lost the game 8-2.

Ja Rule posted a promotional flier of his planned performance to his Instagram stories, but had no public comment on missing the event as of publication. The night before, he was part of a whiskey tasting at Happy Cork in Brooklyn, New York.

X user @Rijoso_ made a joke about Ja Rule's rival, saying "50 Cent put a call thru."

Adding to the sour mood for fans: the White Sox have now lost four straight games.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White Sox promise fans tickets to future game after Ja Rule concert canceled

Iowa right-hander Tyler Schlaffer and catcher Daniel Campos were placed on the development list to make room for the returning Antoine Kelly and Kevin Alcántara.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs downed Indianapolis (Pirates), 9-3.

Starter Kohl Franklin, who is still working his way back from elbow surgery, went three innings and gave up three runs on just two hits. However, two of the three runs were unearned. Franklin walked two and struck out three. It was Franklin’s first appearance for Iowa since 2024.

Paul Campbell pitched the next three innings without allowing a run and got the win. Campbell gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out four.

DH Chas McCormick hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, his tenth on the season. McCormick went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Catcher Owen Ayers was 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored twice and drove home one.

Second baseman Owen Miller went 2 for 5 with an RBI.

Shortstop Ben Cowles was 2 for 4 with a stolen base. He drove in two.

Left fielder Jordan Nwogu’s first Iowa hit was a two-run single. He was 1 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

The first Triple-A hit for Jordan Nwogu drives in a pair! pic.twitter.com/bqDbnymJKq

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 7, 2026

McCormick’s home run.

Chas McCormick LAUNCHES one out 🚀 pic.twitter.com/K2QavMkp2t

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 8, 2026

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were narced on by the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 13-4.

Luis Martinez-Gomez started and took the loss after getting knocked around for six runs on five hits over 4.2 innings. Two of the six runs were unearned. Two of the five hits were home runs. Martinez-Gomez struck out five and walked three. He also hit one batter.

Knoxville managed just three hits, but one of them was a solo home run in the ninth inning by second baseman Drew Bowser. It was Bowser’s third Smokies home run and eighth overall. He was 1 for 3 with a walk.

DH Miguel Useche went 1 for 2 with a double and two walks. Useche scored one run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were harvested by the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins), 15-2.

Starter Alfredo Romero turned in a good outing, giving up just two runs on four hits over five innings. Romero struck out four and walked two.

The wheels came off in the sixth inning when Romero was relieved by Eli Jerzembeck. Jerzembeck, who took the loss, pitched just two-thirds of an inning and he surrendered four runs on two hits and three walks. He struck out just one.

South Bend managed just four hits, all singles. First baseman Josiah Hartshorn was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans split a doubleheader with the Columbia Fireflies (Royals), losing game one 6-5 and winning the nightcap 14-3.

David Avitia started game one and gave up four runs on five hits over three innings. He struck out five and walked two.

Sam Mettert walked the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the seventh and then allowed a walk-off sacrifice fly. The final line on Mettert was one run on one hit and three walks over 1.1 innings. He struck out one.

First baseman Jan Reyes went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.

DH Jose Silva went 1 for 2 with an RBI double and a walk. He scored twice.

Silva’s RBI double.

Hi ho Silva!! pic.twitter.com/KcrQKQTPET

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) August 7, 2026

Noah Edders pitched the first three innings of game two, allowing just one run on three hits. He did struggle with control as he walked five while striking out three.

Cubs tenth-round pick Luke Alwood made his professional debut in the fourth inning and got his first professional win. Alwood struck out the first four batters he faced before giving up a one-out double in the fifth. But he got out of that inning with another strikeout and a pop up. Alwood’s line was no runs on one hit over two innings. He struck out five.

Center fielder Caden Sorrell hit his first professional home run to lead off game two. Sorrell was 2 for 4 with a walk. He had two overall RBI and two runs scored.

Third baseman Derniche Valdez continues to smack the ball around after getting glasses about five weeks ago. Tonight he hit his eighth home run of the year with a man on later in the first inning. Valdez went 3 for 5 with three RBI and three runs scored.

DH Ivan Cespedes cranked a two-run home run in the third inning, his eighth on the year and third with the Pelicans. Cespedes was 1 for 3 and was hit by a pitch. He scored twice.

Left fielder Ethan Conrad was 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored once and drove in one.

Right fielder Eli Lovich went 3 for 5. He scored twice and had one RBI.

Sorrell’s first home run. May there be many more.

CADEN SORRELL CRUSHES #1 💣 pic.twitter.com/jQWJvxNYyy

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) August 8, 2026

Stay hot, Derniche Valdez.

Hey, hey, what do ya say Derniche! pic.twitter.com/P2W4FLKfb3

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) August 8, 2026

The Orioles have struggled to score for Shane Baz all season. Baltimore followed that trend tonight against the Texas Rangers, but they nearly made things right in the ninth. Christian Franklin’s first Major League hit could have evened the score at two, but replay failed to overturn an out call at home plate. In the end, the Orioles dropped a winnable game to another wild card contender with a 2-1 result in Texas.

Leody Taveras started the ninth with an infield single. Coby Mayo went down swinging for the first out, but Christian Franklin picked a great time for his first Major League hit. Franklin punched a ball down the right field line, and Taveras raced all the way home. Texas right fielder Brandon Nimmo corralled the ball and hit the cutoff man. Nicky Lopez took the ball and fired home, and Taveras was ruled out at the plate.

The Orioles immediately challenged, and the replay revealed multiple questions. Rangers catcher Elias Díaz swung his arm to make the tag, but his glove did not appear to immediately make contact with Taveras. A portion of Díaz’s arm touched Taveras before he reached home plate, but the glove appeared to miss the runner. To further complicate the matter, the ball appeared to come loose as it made contact with the ground. The ball never completely escaped the mit, but it easily could have been trapped against the ground.

In the end, the replay crew in New York took the coward’s way out. The call on the field stood, and the Rangers held their 2-1 advantage. The call spoiled what should have been a special moment for Franklin. It’s a moment that he’ll always remember, but it should have been so much more.

Don’t take it from me, take it from former Oriole and MASN commentator Ben McDonald.

That’s a bullshit call!

— Ben McDonald (@realbenmcdonald) August 8, 2026

Meanwhile, Baz delivered the type of start Baltimore envisioned when they acquired him from Tampa Bay. Baz pitched all eight innings and took only the third complete game loss for an Oriole in the last 15 years. He finished the game with 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 9 K.

Baz had been absolutely cruising along until a hiccup broke his rhythm in the sixth. Elias Díaz managed a swinging bunt toward the right side of the infield, and Baz failed to make the play. Díaz received credit for an infield single, but the avoidable incident gave Texas some life.

Nicky Lopez advanced Díaz into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, but the small ball stopped there. Joc Pederson ambushed an elevated cutter and drove a no doubter 414 feet down the right field line. Just like that, Baz lost the shutout and the lead. The long ball marked the latest example of Baz facing some adversity on the mound and failing to immediately recover.

The Orioles found their way onto the board in the top of the second. Leody Taveras got ahead in the count before smacking a 3-1 fastball to right-center field for a double. Coby Mayo followed with a line drive up the middle, and Taveras raced home to provide Baltimore a 1-0 advantage. Both teams went on to post zeros in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

The Orioles wasted multiple opportunities to build on their early lead. The bottom of the order came through with a pair of two-out singles, and Gunnar Henderson worked a walk to load the bases for Pete Alonso in the fifth. Texas starter froze Alonso with a 2-2 splitter, and the Orioles left the bases loaded.

Tyler O’Neill worked a one-out walk in the sixth, and Dylan Beavers singled to place a runner in scoring position. Taveras struck out on three pitches, and Mayo failed to come through against lefty reliever Tyler Alexander.

Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, and Jackson Holliday combined to go 0-for-11 from the top of the order.

The late call added insult to injury. Baz outdueled Eovaldi, but the offense fell flat once again. The Orioles dropped to 56-60 with the loss. They’re two games back of the final wild card spot.

The kid had the jitters. Look, it happens. But Aidan still believes in Kaelen Culpepper’s glove, and because of that so do I. The Brewers, who are very good at taking advantage of other teams’ mistakes, did precisely that, but it wasn’t quite enough. Inning-by-inning notes:

1: Leadoff walk for Austin Martin; he steals second, two guys strike out. Brewer 2B Brice Turang makes a nice play to turn a sure Josh Bell RBI into an infield hit only. Kody Clemens hits one deep but not deep enough.

Jackson Chourio hits one deep that IS deep enough. Brewers 1-0

2: Luke Keaschall walks, and rookie SS Kaelen Culpepper’s first-ever MLB at-bat is… a popup out. Nobody else feels like getting any hits, either. At least the Twins are making Brewers lefty Shane Drohan throw a lot, he’s at 41 pitches, now. The bad news there is that Milwaukee has a pretty good bullpen.

A one-out single by Christian Yelich followed by another single and a flyout. Then an easy roller goes right under 2B Royce Lewis’s glove. It is a plain-as-day error, and Yelich scores when the inning should have been over.

Two more runs score on a Turang double. Bring in the position players to pitch, no way the Twins score four against a lefty tonight. Former Seattle Pilots 4-0

3: Lewis tries to redeem himself with a homer and it’s not far enough. Stop trying, Royce, your error lost the Twins both the game and the season and probably the next 14 years and then the team will move to Albuquerque. Josh “Ring That” Bell does hit a homer and Ryan Jeffers WAS on base at the time, so I guess there’s a tiny chance Royce’s shame won’t last a lifetime but I doubt it.

Hey — it’s actually a 1-2-3 for Zebulon Matthews, and he’s only at 46 pitches. That’s not too bad.

4: Heya, rookie Culpepper in your first game! How about a long dong?

Victor Caratini walks and Ryan Kreidler puts down a sweet bunt up the third base line; both runners are safe. Then Martin doubles to left, but a good relay play gets Kreidler at home. Still, way to hit a lefty, for once!

Lewis Lara singles with one out; two pitches later, the Twins are outta the inning via GIDP and Zebby’s only at 56 pitches. Baby all tied up 4-4

5: Back-to-back Lewis/Bell singles, and a perfect bunt (another one) by Klobberin’ Kody Klemens to load the bases. Kreidler his a blooper RBI that moves everybody up one. Alas, followed by a Culpepper GIDP, but a run does score. It feels like we shoulda had more there… shoulda kept bunting! Bunts are the new Moneyball, baby.

It’s all the firsts for Culpepper tonight; first AB, first homer, first GIDP, first error (that’s here). Then a David Hamilton single, then a four-pitch walk to Turang. Bases loaded, nobody out. Whatcha wanna bet they get more than two here?

Sac fly for Jake Bauers (Martin made a nice adjustment to catch it). A flyout to center, and Keaschall (wrongly) tries throwing it to third instead of to second; that allows both runners to move up, not just one.

So naturally the next play is an infield hit. Culpepper is too hesitant on the throw. Both this and the earlier botch are ruled infield hits; they should both have been ruled errors. The next batter grounds out, and “Zebby gets his fifth out of the inning” (per Kris Atteberry on radio, and he is correct). Tied 6-6

6: A two-out rally for Minnesota! Ryan Jeffers double, Lewis double RBI, Bell single RBI (have a game, Josh Bell). The lead be ours!

Now pitching is getting Weird… Zebby has to leave with an injury of some kind (blister on foot). New acquisition Tommy Nance comes in, Culpepper kinda boots another one, infield hit again. Runner advances on fielder’s choice, Nance Ks the next guy. New acquisition Tommy Nance goes out. Other new acquisition A.J. Minter enters. He had been with the Mets, does that mean he’s cursed?

Not yet, K. Twins 8-6

7: That good Brewers bullpen I mentioned way back when is in play; the first 1-2-3 inning for them so far tonight.

More newbie Twins hurlers; Jeff Hoffman (no relation to Trevor). Hoffman, of course, had been in camp with the Twins in 2023; they cut him and he was terrific for two years with the Phillies instead. He strikes out Chourio and walks Bauers. Then a fielder’s choice, walk, HBP.

Bases loaded, gulp! But a little Eddie Gurdado-style magic prevails; Luis Lara strikes out on three pitches.

8: Bryse Wilson pitching his second inning for the Brewers; he wrote “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows,” both of which sum up my feelings about the Twins’ chances here. For the first time tonight, a bunt backfires; Martin pops one straight to third, meaning leadoff runner Kreidler can’t advance. Nobody gets hits that would have knocked him in, anyways.

Andrew Morris in for Us. Gives up a one-out double to David Hamilton, no relation to Linda of the Terminator movies. Then a walk to put the go-ahead run at the plate… nuh-uh! A nice GIDP started by Royce, inning over.

9: 1-2-3 again for the Twins. I told you this bullpen is good.

Now it’s time for the less-good one, presenting Yoendrys Gómez here. Bauers takes a third strike; Contreras pops one up. But then Garrett Mitchell, on a 3-1 count…

…grounds meekly to second. Twims wim! (We spell it wrong on purpose sometimes.)

Studs: I mean Bell, duh, 4-4, 3 RBI. Two hits apiece for Kreidler and Lewis, even if Lewis’s +/- tonight was -3. Yoendrys the Merciless for a no-drama save.

Duds: Zebby went gone, cause his blister was no fun, Zebby was gone… pen arms still got the game won. Actually, the one dud goes to the official scorer, who gave Matthews three earned runs (when it should have been only one).

COTG goes to our spy in Milwaukee for a traditional TwinkieTown suggestion to take over at shortstop, jjam for a story about a naughtily-titled Wisconsin song, and Kirilofffan19 with “A little interesting fact: there’s only one Twins player who has hit 4 homers in 4 games in the MiLB playoffs.” I’m guessing it’s Brian Dinkelman.

Thanks to everyone who joined in on a nice summer weekend night.

Tomorrow’s game will be at 6:10, featuring superbly-named (for a pitcher) Robert Gasser against our own Taj Bradley. Catch y’all next time!

Luke Weaverwas one of the pieces dealt by the Mets at this year's trade deadline, but the right-hander wanted to stay.

Speaking with reporters ahead of the Mets' three-game series with the Pirates, he revealed that he told the organization that he "strongly" wanted to stay before he was eventually dealt.

“I was very upfront. I told them, ‘I hope you know I want to stay,’” Weaver told reporters, including The NY Post, before Friday's series opener. “I made my commitment … but I understand how this goes. It’s not my first rodeo.”

While trading other players who were on expiring contracts, like Brooks Raley and Freddy Peralta, made sense, Weaver had another year under contract after signing a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets this past offseason.

The Mets sent Weaver to the Pirates for shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, who is now the organization's No. 3 prospect in Joe DeMayo's latest rankings. But New York could have kept Weaver to anchor their bullpen to try and compete in 2027. 

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns explained his reasoning for dealing Weaver and Huascar Brazoban, who was also under team control in 2027.

“Ultimately the returns that we were able to get, we thought made sense and were in the best interest of the organization, recognizing that at this time of year you are able to get really good talent back for relief pitching,” he said.

Weaver was also asked about the Mets’ struggles this season ahead of Friday's game, and in typical Weaver fashion, gave a thoughtful response.

“There’s a lot of changes that were made, a lot of new people that were brought in, a lot of new faces,” he said. “I don’t think necessarily it was a bad thing, but I think people underestimate change and how much you have got to adapt in a short period of time. 

“A lot of great teams we have seen in the past have a lot of chemistry, a lot of deep-rooted connection that has happened over time. It’s not always like that, but there’s a lot of those history book teams that have that, and I think it gets taken for granted how much that needed to happen, and it was happening. It has just got to link together on the field.” 

In 42 appearances for the Mets, Weaver pitched to a 1.84 ERA and was arguably the top reliever available. 

Weaver, despite being traded Monday, made his first appearance with Pittsburgh against his former team on Friday. With the Pirates down 6-2 in the eighth, the right-hander allowed a hit and a walk but pitched a scoreless inning. 

Kyle Leahy has slowly established himself this season as one of the more reliable St. Louis Cardinals starters in this development year. He turned into something of a strikeout machine Friday night, but also gave up a ton of leadoff hits. How would that affect the end result? The answer is Leahy’s strikeouts and a bomb off of Herrera’s bat would be enough to put one in the win column for St. Louis.

The Rockies were the first to score in the top of the 2nd inning when TJ Rumfield led off with a single to center. Castro also singled which advanced Rumfield to third giving Colorado runners at first and third with nobody out. The Rockies would only get one run out of this RISP opportunity two batters later when Johnston grounded out to short giving Colorado a 1-0 lead.

The Rockies lead would not stand for long. The St. Louis Cardinals played some great small ball baseball in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Jimmy Crooks reached on an infield hit followed by a double by Masyn Winn giving St. Louis runners at 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Unlike the Rockies, the Cardinals would score both runners in scoring position with consecutive sacrifice flies from Nathan Church and Bryan Torres. Good basic baseball gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead after two innings.

St. Louis would add to their lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Iván Herrera turned on a 79 mph curveball and launched it into the left field seats 379 feet away increasing the Cardinals advantage to 3-1.

Colorado would peck away at the St. Louis lead in the top of the 4th inning when Runfield would leadoff with another single followed by a double from Willi Castro. Two batters later, Johnston would again drive in a run with a groundout reducing the Cardinals lead to 3-2.

Kyle Leahy’s start lasted 5 innings as he allowed 8 hits, but just 2 earned runs with 8 strikeouts and no walks. A solid with some spectacular strikeout moments kind of start.

Justin Bruihl handled the top of the 6th inning shutting the Rockies down 1-2-3. The Cardinals missed a prime scoring opportunity in the bottom of the 6th when they loaded the bases with no hits. Masyn Winn drew a one-out walk and then stole second. Nathan Church walked and two batters later pinch-hitter Blaze Jordan was hit in the back knee by a pitch which loaded the bases for JJ Wetherholt. All JJ could muster was a weak pop-out to third base to end the Cardinals 6th with no runs to show for a long inning. Bummer.

Newcomer Caleb Ferguson pitched around a one-out single by Beck in the top of the 7th inning to help maintain the slim Cardinals one-run lead. The Cardinals offered up some of the most pathetic swings in the bottom of the 7th inning. Alec Burleson struck out on a 92 mph four-seam heater that he was somehow way late on. After Iván Herrera’s impressive home run at-bat earlier, he had two completely lost looking swings that looked like he second-guessed himself halfway through the swing. That meant the Cardinals would have to survive the final two innings with just a one-run lead.

Caleb Ferguson would get the Cardinals one out into the top of the 8th inning when Ryne Stanek would enter the fray. The first batter he faced was Goodman who got robbed by Masyn Winn who dove to his left to grab what looked like a certain single and then rifled a throw to Burleson at first for the second out of the inning. Winn would also catch the last out of the inning when Stanek got Castro to pop-out. I would love to see Masyn develop into more of an offensive weapon, but I think he’s a part of the new St. Louis Cardinals core just for his glove alone.

Due to the fact that the Cardinals bats sucked were silent after Herrera’s home run, St. Louis entered the top of the 9th inning with a measly one-run lead that was in the hands of Riley O’Brien. He decided handing out a leadoff walk to Tovar would be the appropriate way to add some drama to Friday night’s contest. Fortunately, one of O’Brien’s sinkers would leave Kyle Karros bat and end in a double play greatly lessening the Rockies threat. He coaxed a weak grounder off the bat of Beck to wrap up a tight Cardinals victory.

It’s game 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals 3-game series hosting the Colorado Rockies Saturday night. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals while the Rockies will give the ball to Kyle Freeland. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.