Worldwide Sports News

Iowa Cubs 8, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (box)

Jackson Wolf’s outing crumbled in the fourth as the Cubs roared back to win and even the series on Friday.

The left-hander was actually pitching well until he got into a jam in the top of the fourth. With runners on, Wolf failed to make a good throw on a comebacker, then hit a batter, then walked in a run. Tyler Mattison allowed two of Wolf’s runners to score as well. When the smoke cleared the Cubs had a five-run inning and the lead.

That was unfortunate, because things were promising early on. Josue Briceño led off the bottom of the second with a single and took second on a Chris Meyers ground out. Cal Stevenson tripled him in, then scored on a Michael Siani sacrifice fly.

In the third, Wolf gave up a leadoff double, but he got a ground out and then Siani made a great catch and throw in to Bennett Lee at the plate to cut down the runner trying to tag and score from third. The defense couldn’t do much to help Wolf in the fourth.

So, it was 5-2 in the fifth when Mattison left the game with one on and one out. Hayden Minton, freshly converted to relief work, made his debut with a runner on base. Unfortunately he gave up a pair of singles that allowed the inherited runner to score. Minton did handle the sixth without any issues.

Andre Granillo wild pitched in a run in the seventh for a 7-2 Iowa lead. Siani singled and scored on a Justice Bigbie single in the ninth. Brenan Hanifee surrendered a run in relief before it was over.

Cruz: 2-5, 2 K

Meyers: 1-3, 2B, BB, K

Stevenson: 1-3, R, RBI, 3B, BB, K

Wolf (L, 1-1): 3.2 IP, 5 R, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4, Erie SeaWolves 2 (box)

Max Alba threw a good game but the bats were pretty quiet in this one.

Alba went six innings with just one earned run allowed for his best start of the year. He struck out five and walked one, giving the SeaWolves every opportunity to win this one.

They did strike first in this one. Peyton Graham ripped a two-out double to left in the bottom of the first, and Thayron Liranzo nearly decapitated pitcher Johnny King with a screamer that clipped him in the ribcage as he ducked and then carried out into center field. A 1-0 lead was all they mustered there though, and Alba gave up the tying run in the fourth on a pair of doubles.

Moises Rodriguez coughed up three runs in the top of the ninth to lose this one. Woody Hadeen hit his first Double-A homer in the bottom of the ninth, but the solo shot didn’t spark any magic.

Hadeen: 1-4, R, RBI, HR, K

Graham: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K

Liranzo: 1-4, RBI, K

Alba: 6.0 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start with the series now tied up.

South Bend Cubs 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 5 (box)

JoJo Ingrassia struggled in his start and the bullpen didn’t do much better as South Bend evened up the series on Friday.

Ingrassia surrendered three runs in three innings of work, all of them in the bottom of the third inning. Preston Howey took over and gave up a run in the fourth before throwing a scoreless fifth. Ethan Sloan handled the sixth, and then the offense finally got something going in the top of the seventh.

Cristian Santana started the inning with a single and rode home on Carson Rucker’s first High-A home run. Nolan McCarthy followed with a single, and with one out, Jackson Strong doubled him to third. Bryce Rainer was pitched carefully and walked. He would not extend his five-game homer streak, sadly. Beau Ankeney did lift a sacrifice fly to score a run and make it 4-3 South Bend.

Unfortunately, Sloan then gave up three runs in the bottom half, and the ‘Caps were right back where they started. In the top of the eighth they made another push, as Andrew Sojka led off with a single and stole second. Santana walked, and they pulled off a double steal. Rucker got Sojka home with a ground out, and McCarthy lifted a sacrifice fly to score Santana, but that made it 7-5 Cubs, and they wouldn’t get any closer.

McCarthy: 3-3, R, RBI, 2B

Strong: 2-5, 2B, 2 K

Rainer: 1-2, 3 BB, SB, CS

Santana: 1-3, 2 R, BB, 2 K, SB

Ingrassia (L, 0-1): 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start in South Bend on Saturday, and this series is now also tied up at two games apiece.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, St. Lucie Mets 3 (box)

The Flying Tigers just keep rolling. They did a nice job taking advantage of seven walks while issuing just one free pass to make it four straight over the Mets.

Malachi Witherspoon got the start, and they kept it a short one though he and Michael Oliveto behind the dish worked well together. He blanked the Mets for three innings and threw 25 of 37 pitches for strikes. The right-hander allowed three hits, but zero walks! and struck out five. I’m not sure how to proceed with Witherspoon, but it’s his first year of pro ball, so probably they’ll keep him starting and try to get his mechanics into a more consistent place next year.

Jude Warwick opened the scoring with a solo shot in the top of the second inning, his ninth of the season.

Javier Osorio followed with a walk and then moved to third on an Enderson Delgado double. Jordan Yost singled in Osorio and Oliveto singled in Delgado for an early 3-0 lead.

Lefty Carlos Rodriguez took over from Witherspoon in the fourth and collected two outs before the standard August in Florida rain delay. Xiomer Guacache took over when play did resume.

In the top of the fifth, Jesus Pinto walked and stole second with one out. He then took third as Zach MacDonald struck out, and Anibal Salas singled him home for a 4-0 lead.

Guacache allowed a run in the bottom of the fifth and then a solo shot to start the bottom of the seventh. So it was 4-2 Lakeland. Jose Guzman then allowed a solo shot in the eighth to pull the Mets within one.

In the top of the ninth, the Flying Tigers were looking to restore some cushion. Pinto and MacDonald walked to lead off the inning, and a wild pitch let them both advance. Warwick hit one to second but it got booted, allowing Pinto to score. Osorio later lifted a sacrifice fly to score MacDonald for a 6-3 lead.

Guzman collected the save, his fifth on the year.

Pinto: 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SB

Oliveto: 1-3, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

Salas: 2-5, RBI, 3 K

Delgado: 3-5, R, 2B, K

Witherspoon: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:10 p.m. ET start in St. Lucie on Saturday as the Flying Tigers hunt for a sweep.

The Yankees lost a pair of annoying close games to the Blue Jays to begin last weekend in Toronto, so it was nice to see New York return the favor last night while also trimming the Rays’ AL East lead to three games. Cam Schlittler bent but did not break, a close call went the Yanks’ way on Spencer Jones’ decisive high, majestic homer down the right-field line, and they held on for a 3-1 win. Hell yeah. They lost Cam’s most recent start against the Jays and had to win a game started by his top AL Cy Young foe, Dylan Cease, to avoid a sweep a week ago. The Bombers still obviously want to win today no matter what, but the stakes are at least a little less high with Cease aiming for his own revenge. Don’t grant it!

Today on the site, John will discuss a forgotten figure from baseball history who has had a profound effect on the game: Abner Powell, innovator of the rain delay tarp and much more. Madison will run through the Rivalry Roundup, and Jeff will salute the 137th birthday of the Yankees’ first World Series-winning behind the plate, Wally Schang. Nick will also discuss former top Giants prospect Marco Luciano, who has found new life in the Yankees’ system.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Time: 1:35 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. Ryan Weathers has been electric lately with a sparkling 0.85 ERA over the last month of play. How does he hold up today? Predict his pitching line.

2. I feel like one of the other editors or I asked this recently, but how about a pulse check: Do you think the Blue Jays will end up in the playoffs despite all the various 2026 disappointments?

New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: Spencer Jones has been at the heart of the Yankees’ last two wins, homering on Thursday to help secure the sweep over the Orioles and following it on Friday with a two-run moonshot against the Blue Jays. Aaron Boone made sure to highlight the adjustments Jones is making to opposing pitchers’ strengths and weaknesses with each game of big league experience under his belt. With Cody Bellinger likely one more rehab appearance away from rejoining the major league team after a month-long absence, Jones’ recent performances are making it very difficult for the Yankees to justify demoting him when Bellinger returns. In 55 games, Jones is slashing .229/.306/.425 with seven home runs, seven doubles, 21 RBIs, and a 104 wRC+ across 170 plate appearances.

ESPN | Jorge Castillo: The Yankees maintained optimism that Max Fried’s absence with a recurrence of the left elbow bone bruise that cost him over two months would require a far shorter stint on the IL this time around. It appears that is the case, with the lefty already scheduled to throw off a mound for the first time on Saturday after suffering the injury on Tuesday. Fried said the key during his time out will be refining his mechanics — which he admitted he has been “fighting… a lot this year,” — to allow his arm a full proper follow through, which he believes should prevent a future setback. Fried has a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts and needs to ensure a complete recovery given his paramount importance to making a deep postseason run.

MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: We received conformation that Ryan McMahon was placed on the 10-day IL with a sprained left thumb, Max Schuemann taking his place on the active roster on Friday. McMahon suffered the injury when he jammed his thumb into second base on a slide getting thrown out trying to stretch a double in the second inning of Thursday’s win over the Orioles, the third baseman eventually departing in the eighth following a pair of uncomfortable ABs. McMahon and Boone remained optimistic that the injury will require a minimum IL stint, José Caballero expected to take over primary third base duties in his absence.

USA Today | Gabe Lacques: George Lombard Jr. has been in the big leagues for just two week, but he already has made an impression on his teammates and coaches. The star rookie has already accumulated more fWAR (1.3) in 14 games than the man he replaced, Anthony Volpe, accrued in 56 games. Aaron Boone praised the work he does behind the scenes to be ready for every matchup, while Jazz Chisholm Jr. called Lombard a “veteran at shortstop,” despite being just 21 years old. Lombard credited the welcome he received as a kid in the Dodgers clubhouse when his father was their bench coach, and would use those opportunities learn through observation about the lifestyle, preparation, and routine needed to post at the big league level day in and day out.

MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: The Yankees announced that they had agreed a minor league deal with right-handed pitcher Eli Morgan, who will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Morgan was recently designated for assignment by the Royals and elected free agency. Morgan spent the first four years of his career with the Guardians as a middle-inning reliever—some fans might remember him facing the Yankees in the 2024 ALCS—but serious elbow and shoulder injuries limited him to just 26.2 innings with the Cubs and Royals over the last two seasons. In six big-league seasons, Morgan has made 184 appearances (19 starts), pitching to a 4.25 ERA (97 ERA+), 4.45 FIP, and 282 strikeouts in 292 innings.

CHICAGO — Luis Robert Jr. returned to his roots Friday, but the vibe sure had changed since his departure.

A White Sox team that had become something of a punchline in recent seasons was first in the AL Central, firmly in position to bring rare October baseball to this city’s South Side.

“This is a team that will always have a special place in my heart,” Robert said through an interpreter before going 1-for-3 with a double in the Mets’ 6-4 loss to the White Sox on a walk-off home run at Rate Field. “I keep tabs of the results of the games, and I am really proud to see how they are performing this season.”

Robert, 29, played his first six major league seasons for the White Sox before the Mets acquired him in a January trade that included Luisangel Acuña departing Queens.

But Robert’s experience with the Mets has mirrored his last seasons with the White Sox, in which he spent significant time on the injured list and played for teams well removed from the playoff race by August. Robert spent nearly three months on the injured list this season with lumbar disc herniation before rejoining the team July 20.

Robert entered play with an underwhelming .652 OPS. And the Mets, despite 11 victories in 15 games, began the day 58-70 and 10 games behind in the race for the NL’s final wild-card spot.

“This season has been pretty similar to how other parts of my career have gone, where I have been hurt, where I have been off the field,” Robert said. “But right now I think the most important thing for me is to finish the season strong and go out there and try to be the best version of myself.”

The Mets tried to trade Robert before the Aug. 3 deadline, but were unsuccessful. It has left Robert as a spare part who is receiving playing time as Juan Soto rehabs a calf strain.

Rookies Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing are pieces in the team’s future, and Soto remains a fixture with his record $765 million contract. It has left Robert in the position of knowing the Mets are unlikely to exercise their $20 million option on him for next season.

“When you are talking about the young guys, you are talking about guys who have a really bright future, who are really impactful,” Robert said. “And then you have Juan Soto, who is a veteran, who is going to be here for a while. I think from the perspective of the outfield construction, [the future] is really bright.”

The present includes Robert sometimes in left field — a position he played Sunday for the first time in his major league career after appearing exclusively in center. Robert returned to left field for Friday’s series opener.

“I have only played one game there and honestly I can say it was pretty easy,” Robert said. “I didn’t get any balls hit to me, no fly balls, no ground balls. I hope there can be a little more activity or I can be a little more a part of the game out there.”

The White Sox lost at least 100 games in each of Robert’s final three seasons with the club. Included was a 2024 nightmare in which the White Sox set a modern major league record with 121 losses.

But an infusion of young talent, along with the signing of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, has helped revive the franchise.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” Robert said of the White Sox success. “Before I got traded in the offseason, I saw the moves they were making, the necessary moves to improve the team and that is what they are doing.”

The Dodgers are hopeful Andy Pages’ season isn’t over.

But after he was drilled in the hand by a 100 mph fastball on Friday, the All-Star’s status is suddenly in some doubt.

According to manager Dave Roberts, Pages suffered a fracture on the back of his hand in the Dodgers’ 5-4 walk-off win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.

Roberts said Pages is expected to return this season, but could be sidelined for up to 4-5 weeks.

“It’s just really unfortunate, obviously,” Roberts said. “I would expect him back, knowing him, on the earlier side … But I feel for him because he was having such a good year and he likes to play. But yeah, we’ve got to move on and hold down the fort until he’s back.”

Pages had been having a breakout campaign in 2026, emerging as one of the majors’ best center fielders with both his bat and his glove.

Offensively, the 25-year-old entered Friday hitting .272 with 21 home runs, 80 RBIs and a career-best .797 OPS in his third MLB season. Defensively, his plus-18 mark in defensive runs saved was fifth-best in the majors at any position, and behind only Ceddanne Rafaela of the Boston Red Sox among center fielders.

Without Pages –– who will be further evaluated this weekend to see if surgery on his injury is required –– the Dodgers will have to scramble to find a replacement in their lineup.

Kiké Hernández is the most obvious option, as a veteran bat with ample center-field experience in his career. However, he has played only 16 games this season because of injuries, and has gone just 4-for-30 at the plate since most recently returning from the IL last month. As a right-handed hitter, the Dodgers might also prefer him in more of a platoon role.

Switch-hitting utilityman Tommy Edman is another center field option for the Dodgers, and is under consideration to factor in at the position moving forward, Roberts said. However, the team has largely used him at only second base and left field so far this year, and might be hesitant to give him regular starts in center following his ankle surgery this offseason.

In the minor leagues, the Dodgers’ only 40-man roster member with extensive center field experience is Alek Thomas, a five-year MLB veteran who was traded to the Dodgers earlier this season after being designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Thomas, a left-handed hitter, has hit .297 in 54 games in triple-A this year.

The Dodgers do have a deep crop of outfield prospects, including James Tibbs III and (in Double-A) Josue De Paula. Nevertheless, they are both primarily corner outfielders with defensive question marks at that. Another triple-A prospect, Zach Ehrhard, is having a productive season in Oklahoma City, but would have to be added to the 40-man roster in order to be called up.

“We’re going to huddle up tonight and see who we bring,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to be mindful of the defense, certainly in center field … We’ll piece it together. I’m not sure right now, but I do think that the main thing is locking down center field.”

Ideally, whatever plan the Dodgers come up with will only have to be short-term.

Roberts said he didn’t expect Pages’ timeline to change depending on whether or not he needs surgery. He reiterated his expectation of having the slugger back in time for the beginning of a postseason in which the Dodgers will be pursuing a third-consecutive World Series title.

For now, however, the team will have to wait and see, only able to hope Pages’ hand recovers quickly enough.

Cam Schlittler was always going to be a tough assignment. They managed six hits and three walks off him, which under most circumstances you’d have to say was a good day, but couldn’t push more than one across. The Jays pitching staff was in some sense even better, allowing just four total hits and five walks for a 1.000 WHIP. The Yankees capitalized on their opportunities and the Jays didn’t, though, and so the loss.

The Jays got off to a good start, with two singles and a walk among the first four batters. Unfortunately there was also a double play in there, and they couldn’t capitalize.

That set the tone. They went quietly in the second and third. In the fourth, they stranded back to back singles. Finally, in the fifth, they managed to get one across on a Brett Bateman double, an error, and a ground ball that made its way through.

That would be their only run. Bateman did his part, tripling in the seventh, while Jesus Sanchez and Brandon Valenzuela would double in the eighth and ninth, respectively, but they cashed none of thwie opportunities.

Meanwh, Mason Fluharty had a tough first, issuing a pair of walks. Spencer Arrighetti took over and got out of the jam. In the next inning, though, he gave up a pair on A leadoff Trent Grisham walk and a Spencer Jones two run homer. As it happened that would would ultimately have been enough. A single, walk and sac fly added an insurance run in the fourth.

Nothing much happened from there. The Jays had some hits but couldn’t threaten seriously

Jays of the Day: nobody

Less So: Arighetti. Lukes, McAdoo, Arig

It’s a matinee tomorrow, with first pitch at 1:35pm ET. Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.42) squares off against Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.56).

If all goes well, Cody Bellinger would rejoin the Yankees lineup Sunday.

The outfielder came through his first rehab game feeling fine according to manager Aaron Boone, after Bellinger served as designated hitter and went 1-for-3 Thursday.

In his follow-up, he played six innings of left field for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. If he encountered no issues, the plan was for Bellinger to take an off day Saturday and then be an option for the series finale against the Blue Jays in The Bronx.

Presuming he is activated Sunday, Bellinger would have missed four weeks and one day, returning on the early side from a Grade II hamstring strain that had called for a 4-6 week absence.

A team that has been without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton and now is without Ryan McMahon would welcome back a much-needed bat.

There has been curiosity concerning whose roster spot Bellinger would take, with both the optionable Spencer Jones and the not-optionable Amed Rosario possibly in danger.

But as McMahon hit the injured list Friday with a thumb sprain and Max Schuemann was recalled, Schuemann became the most likely roster-crunch victim.

Boone hinted as much when asked if the club had considered bringing up Anthony Volpe rather than Schuemann to replace McMahon.

The manager said Volpe was “in the conversation” but cited Schuemann’s defensive flexibility and the impending return of Bellinger to explain the move.

The club probably did not mind altering Schuemann’s routine for a couple days to summon him to the majors and might have minded bringing up Volpe — who is learning second base with SWB — for just a weekend.

In the Yankees’ 3-1 win, Brent Headrick allowed a two-out triple to Brett Bateman but bounced back to strike out George Springer to escape the seventh, furthering a stretch in which he has not allowed a run in 38 of his past 43 games.

Paul Blackburn then entered and pitched around a one-out double to Jesús Sánchez.

“It’s been awesome,” Boone said of the setup men who have emerged as significant pieces.

After Austin Wells caught nine innings Thursday and with a day game set for Saturday, the catcher was out of the starting lineup Friday.

He pinch hit in the seventh and flied out.

Ali Sánchez (0-for-2, two strikeouts) started for the first time since Aug. 13.

The Yankees signed righty Eli Morgan to a minor league deal after the 30-year-old was designated for assignment by the Royals last week.

Morgan had pitched to a 5.12 ERA in 19 ¹/₃ big-league innings with Kansas City this season.n

Before the game, the Yankees held a moment of silence for Tommy John, who died last Saturday at 83.

CHICAGO — Austin Warren thought his season was over last month and he was potentially headed to Tommy John surgery.

That made his return to the mound for the Mets on Wednesday a moment he could appreciate. The right-hander proceeded to pitch a scoreless seventh inning against the Padres with two strikeouts.

“I didn’t like falling behind and being in a full count with every batter,” the reliever said Friday before the Mets’ 6-4 loss to the White Sox at Rate Field. “But I will take the results. I am excited to be back with the guys and competing again.”

Warren, who was among the team’s most effective relievers in the first half, prepared for the worst after alerting the team he was dealing with forearm discomfort in July.

But an MRI exam indicated he didn’t need surgery.

Warren was shut down from throwing for six days and then began a gradual throwing progression that led to his return.

“I probably should have said something earlier,” Warren said of the discomfort in his last few outings before his shutdown. “That’s just a boneheaded mistake on my side.

“But I am glad the results came back the way they did and it wasn’t worse. It could have been worse if I kept pitching through it.”

He returned to a completely different bullpen than the one he departed, following the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

“It was definitely different walking out to the pen the first night,” Warren said. “But I feel like everyone is stepping up and doing their job. That is all we can ask for right now.”

Bo Bichette started at DH and homered as interim manager Andy Green shuffles the spot following Jorge Polanco’s placement on the injured list and impending season-ending ankle surgery.

“Given where we are without Polanco or a consistent DH, I think you will see that [spot] passed around a little bit more in order to refresh guys,” Green said.

Carson Benge, with his 15th homer Wednesday, joined Darryl Strawberry as the only Mets rookies in franchise history to reach that total and also steal at least 15 bases.

Benge is the only MLB rookie this season with at least 15 homers and 15 stolen bases.

Players Weekend features three themes this year, celebrating off-field interests, charities and causes, and the people who helped the players succeed. The Cubs leaned into category number two tonight, giving away a game to Seattle as an act of charity. Even the 2026 Seattle Mariners can still win the occasional game they don’t deserve. It’s still baseball after all.

The Cubs began by making things feel hopeless, with Pete Crow-Armstrong hitting a leadoff home run, Michael Busch hitting a hot-shot line drive for a double, and Alex Bregman pulling a fastball for a two-run dinger. The Cubs’ 3-0 lead before the Mariners had even set foot in the batter’s box set up a win as a nice feel-good story for Seattle.

After a characteristic lifeless first inning from the offense, Cubs starter Matthew Boyd did his hometown squad a solid by giving Josh Naylor a couple chances at his favorite high fastballs. Naylor took the second out to center field to get on base. Cubs catcher Carson Kelly then declined to challenge either of two strikes that were erroneously called balls in the course of Taylor Ward’s walk. Then, knowing that Cal Raleigh is chasing fastballs at his forehead lately, Boyd left one for him at the letters. Swinging a Players Weekend bat painted to look like a dead fish because he is not afraid of easy metaphors for his season, Cal crushed the cookie into the bullpen to tie the game at 3-3.

Cole Young and Brendan Donovan teamed up for another run on a pair of singles. The 2026 Mariners have been so demoralizing that taking a one-run lead was received by their fans like winning the division. What a gift from the North Siders.

From there, the Cubs’ hitters decided it was their turn to chip in. Upon seeing the Mariners infield defense trying to screw things up with a pair of bad throws in the top of the third, Chicago’s next batters struck out on three pitches and hit a ball directly to the Mariners’ only reliable infielder, Cole Young. When Michael Busch forgot himself and turned a sharp line drive into a hustle double, Bregman and Happ very generously let a couple meatballs sail by while chasing two-strike pitches for a pair of punchouts.

With the offense unable to stop themselves from getting into scoring position in every inning but the second, the Cubs defense gifted the Mariners an insurance run in the fifth just in case Chicago scored by accident. Multiple Gold Glove winner Nico Hoerner airmailed a throw to let the light-hitting Brock Rodden get aboard; Matthew Boyd balked him to second; and PCA declined to hustle toward a water balloon into shallow center, allowing Rodden to score and give the Mariners a 5-3 lead.

But the Cubs’ three runs was all they’d score off Emerson Hancock, who danced around traffic all night, leaving after 5.2 with almost as many hard-hit balls as whiffs. The bulk of their 1 for 16 with RISP came against Hancock.

It did seem like it was coming a little too easy though, with Gabe Speier following Hancock with a strikeout and a very nice double play he started. So the Cubs made it at least seem like beating them would be hard. Facing Eduard Bazardo in the eighth, Happ brought the score back within one on a missile to the J-Rod Squad. They even let the drama build by loading the bases with two outs. This gets to the one actually good thing the Mariners did.

Seeing Bazardo fall behind 1-0, with the bases loaded in a one-run game, Cal challenged the next pitch.

As I understand it, this is within the ABS margin of error yet remained a ball, putting Bazardo down 2-0. When Bazardo put another pitch within a hair’s breadth of the same spot, a reasonable person might not have challenged. But the situation demanded a mix of confidence and aggression, and Cal challenged again.

So instead of 3-0, the count flipped to 2-1, and Bazardo took the give to spin it into a game-saving, inning-ending strikeout. For that gutsy but necessary challenge, Cal wins tonight’s Sun Hat Award. But the Cubs wanted to make it extra dramatic and let the Mariners have a walk-off. So even though he was down 0-2 after being late on 101- and 102-mph fastballs, Bregman took Andres Munoz deep for his second dinger of the night to tie the game at 5-5.

Come the 10th inning, it was Dan Wilson’s turn to get bailed out. Despite his sending Seranthony Dominguez to the mound, the Cubs didn’t score. With a ghost runner and zero outs, Dan even challenged a non-call of a HBP, apparently trying to get a runner who doesn’t matter on base to set up a double play. But Cubs’ pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn had executed with enough precision to avoid hitting the batter, ultimately letting him get the bunt down to move the runner to third. With Julio unable to get the ball past the pitcher either, the runner was still at third, now with two outs. For reasons passing all rationality, rather than pinch-hitting for the worst hitter on his roster, Dan Wilson left in Leo Rivas. But the Cubs wanted to give the little guy a win and let him walk it off on a little dink into the triangle.

So the Mariners got a freebie tonight thanks more to the Cubs’ largesse than their own competence. But they may win tomorrow more legitimately, for the Aceman cometh.

Those who were at Dodger Stadium on a gorgeous Friday night seemed to be in for an all-nighter.

They have Tommy Edman to thank for getting home a bit earlier.

With two outs in the 10th, Kiké Hernández on third and Kyle Tucker on first, the second baseman hit a walk-off single against Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed reliever Gregory Soto, earning the Dodgers a 5-4 win.

“Just tried to get something up,” Edman said in an on-field interview after the game.

That’ll work.

The Dodgers have won four consecutive games for the first time since late July and are inching closer to playing like a first-place team after enduring a worrisome 5-11 stretch that ended with their sweep of the Colorado Rockies this week.

“I think our guys are kind of reinterested, you know, collectively,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Friday’s win.

Read more:Dodgers president Stan Kasten reiterates 'Dodgers are not being sold'

Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up five hits and two runs over 6⅓ innings, striking out nine and walking one in his latest strong outing.

And the Dodgers’ offense continued to look disciplined at the plate, especially after outscoring the Rockies 24-15 over three games.

“Well, I think that our overall swing percentage, [I’m] guessing, was considerably lower; our chase percentage, I’m guessing, [was] considerably lower; quality of contact, considerably higher, which makes sense,” Roberts said of the promising stretch in Denver.

“So, those are components for me that I think are sustainable.”

All the Pirates could score against Yamamoto was a pair of RBI singles — one in the first and one in the third — from Pirates designated hitter Nick Gonzales.

Muncy gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the first after launching a 100-mph sinker from Pirates right-handed starter Bubba Chandler 392 feet to right, also scoring Shohei Ohtani, who was on after a walk. And with two outs and the bases loaded in the third, Betts delivered an RBI single up the middle to score Hunter Feduccia from third and Ohtani from second.

Chandler, who gave up four hits and four runs with six strikeouts, was pulled after four innings.

The Pirates gave the Dodgers a scare after right-handed reliever Kyle Hurt gave up a tying two-run homer to center fielder Oneil Cruz in the eighth, which was enough to send the game into extras.

But Edman, as he’s done well throughout his Dodgers tenure, stepped up when needed. And in the top of the 10th, Evan Phillips earned the win after getting Henry Davis to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.

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Injury updates

Will Smith faced live pitching for the first time since June, and Roberts said that the plan is to activate the catcher during the first week of September.

“Today was a good day for Will,” Roberts said. “Taking at-bats. He’ll catch a couple bullpens today. He’ll do a couple more lives. ... He still needs to get his legs back under him before we feel confident that he can take down a major league game and feel good coming out of it.”

Roberts added that Smith is “gonna play in the postseason” and that there is enough time for him to reach 100% strength.

Tyler Glasnow will likely be activated during the Dodgers’ upcoming road trip to Atlanta.

“I just saw him. He had a great outing — his last rehab outing,” Roberts said. “I’m not sure which day we’re gonna pencil him in against the Braves, but if all of things check out, it’ll be that [series].”

Ohtani will return to the mound at some point this season.

“It’s gonna happen,” Roberts said. “[Ohtani] threw another bullpen. ... I think that there’s going to be a live or two, and then he’ll be on the mound. I just don’t know when we’re going to do that with the scheduling.”

Dalton Rushing is “pain-free” and close to facing live pitching, according to Roberts, but the catcher is “unlikely” to return to catching this season.

“I hope I’m wrong,” Roberts said. “But he’s determined to go through the process, the progression, the build-up and get back. And we’ll see where we’re at.”

Roberts didn’t rule out the possibility of Rushing being activated as a designated hitter down the line.

And Andy Pages was replaced in center field by Kiké Hernández in the fifth after being beamed in the left hand by Chandler in the third. In the seventh inning, the Dodgers announced Pages had a left-hand contusion.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.