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The Toronto Blue Jays go for the series win over the Chicago White Sox in an early Sunday finale, with Trey Yesavage on the mound against Sean Burke.

Toronto’s bats have been quiet, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is trending up, and he headlines a card built around a pitcher this lineup has already roughed up.

Read on for my White Sox vs. Blue Jays predictions and MLB picks for this Sunday, July 19 matchup.

White Sox vs Blue Jays predictions

White Sox vs Blue Jays best bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases (+150)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is heating up at just the right time. He’s squaring the ball up as well as he has all season, hitting for a 41.7% line-drive rate in July that’s up nearly 22% from June.

Now he draws Sean Burke, a right-hander who tends to wobble early in his starts and who coughed up 23 home runs a season ago.

At +150, Vladdy is a strong bet to collect a couple of bases against a starter this lineup has already had plenty of success against.

I’d play this to +120 odds.

COVERS INTEL: Burke ranks in the 50th percentile in barrel rate.

White Sox vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

I’ll start with the Toronto Blue Jays moneyline, since the models give the home side a slight edge, and Trey Yesavage stacks up well against Burke on the other side. 

I’ll double down on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. going Over 1.5 total bases from my best bet, then add Over 8 total runs, banking on Burke’s early-inning wobbles and two well-worked bullpens to push the scoreboard after Saturday’s 1-0 grind.

White Sox vs Blue Jays SGP

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases
• Blue Jays moneyline
• Over 8

White Sox vs Blue Jays home run pick: Nathan Lukes (+950)

Nathan Lukes is my longshot swing on Sunday. He has taken Sean Burke deep before, going yard last season in a game where the Blue Jays battered Burke for six runs. Lukes is more of a contact hitter than a slugger, but he has flashed pop in stretches this year.

Add in Burke’s habit of leaving mistakes over the plate, and this is a live lottery ticket at a high price. I’d keep it to a quarter unit.

White Sox vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Chicago -115 | Toronto -105
• Run line: Chicago -1.5 (+145) | Toronto +1.5 (-170)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-110) | Under 8 (-110)

White Sox vs Blue Jays trend

The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the game total Over in 27 of their last 45 games (+7.35 Units / 15% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for White Sox vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch White Sox vs Blue Jays and game info

White Sox vs Blue Jays latest injuries

White Sox vs Blue Jays weather

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After using pretty much all their pitchers except hitting hero Victor Mederos on Saturday afternoon, the Braves are making a move to get another mop-up arm to the roster.

The 31-year-old Elieser Hernandez is a veteran of six major league seasons, but has amassed -0.8 fWAR in his 303 1/3 career innings. He spent some time in 2024 and 2025 in the KBO, and has been eating innings at an underwhelming performance level for Triple-A Gwinnett for much of this year. His FIP and xFIP are both over 5.00 for the Stripers, so this is purely a, “We don’t care about the results, just eat needed innings” move.

Owen Murphy struggled in his career start yesterday, managing just a 2/2 K/BB ratio and giving up a homer while getting eight outs. Through three outings and 6 2/3 innings, he has a 95 ERA-, 111 FIP-, and 117 xFIP-, which feels oddly familiar for pretty much any pitching help the Braves have attempted to summon from the minors recently. He’ll probably get another shot against major league hitters soon, for the time being, he’s being shuttled off the roster to keep the bullpen fresh in another worst-case scenario.

The Braves play the Rangers in a rubber game a 1:35 pm ET later today, and hopefully they find a way to win. (And not use Elieser Hernandez. Or at least win while using Hernandez.)

Clarke Schmidt took another big step on his road back to the Yankees on Saturday. 

The right-hander threw a one inning sim game against live hitters for the first time in his rehab process prior to Saturday's rained out game in the Bronx. 

Schmidt threw 15 pitches, all of which were fastballs. 

"It was great, I felt good," he told Zach Braziller of the NY Post. "Felt like I was moving really well out there. It felt good to have some competition, compete again and get some cleats on the dirt -- so I was really excited."

Schmidt, of course, has been slowly progressing his way back after he was forced to undergo the second Tommy John surgery of his career last summer. 

The Yankees will continue to ease him in in an effort to avoid any setbacks, but as long as things continue going as planned he could be back in the mix next month. 

He is penciled in to throw another simulated game in five days. 

It remains to be seen exactly how the Yanks will use Schmidt when he is ready to return, but for now, he's open to whatever gets him back helping the club. 

"That's the only thing on my mind right now," he said. "Obviously I care about my career and the long term stuff like that, but for me right now, I know how talented we are -- I've seen the upside of this team throughout the season. 

"Being a part of that and being able to help in any way that I can, when I lay my head down at night it's all that I'm thinking about right now -- how can I be an impact on this team?"

Schmidt was in the midst of a stellar season as a starter being going down with the elbow injury, but he also owns a strong 3.18 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 30 career appearances as a reliever. 

Well, what a day for the Guardians and they went .500, splitting a double-header with the Pirates.

Here’s Nick’s sad recap of a horrible first game in a 7-1 loss and Zach’s happy recap of a mostly horrible second game that turned amazing at the end with a 5-3 win. I can’t say I feel good about Khristian Curtis dominating our lineup for five innings… but they figured things out against the Pirates’ usual relievers. Shoutout to Kahlil Watson who has been really going through it yet put up a good at-bat against a tough lefty and got the game-tying single.

And, of course, Bazzana:

The latest Guardians Weekly features Guardians V.P. of Scouting, Paul Gilespie, talking about their 2026 draft class.

AROUND MLB:

The Tigers won and the Twins and White Sox lost.

Despite having some competitive at-bats, the San Diego Padres just couldn’t get it together, falling short in Game 2 against the Kansas City Royals. They’ll now be staving off the sweep against KC in today’s series finale. Starter Griffin Canning went just 3 2/3 innings, surrendering four runs to the Royals. That was more than enough, as San Diego put up just one run in the third inning.

Yesterday was a tough one for the Padres. The club fell short in Game 1 on Friday night after some incredible performances from the offense and Mason Miller to put the Friars three runs up in the 10th inning. They’d go on to lose the game. The loss in Game 2 felt like San Diego was still shaking off the loss from the night before. They’ll need to regroup to salvage the finale.

Taking the mound

Noah Cameron (KC) v. Germán Márquez (SD)

Like most of the Kansas City rotation, Cameron has seen better days. The lefty owns 4.89 ERA this year after a breakout rookie campaign in 2025 (2.99 ERA, 138.1 IP). He just threw seven innings against the Baltimore Orioles last week, but gave up five runs in the process and earned the loss.

Cameron’s problem has been consistency. (Sound familiar, Friar Faithful?) The left-hander hasn’t been able to locate his pitches well, giving up three or more walks in five of 18 starts this season. He’s walked two or more batters in 11 of 18.

Márquez has looked mostly solid since returning from the IL. The veteran has given up five runs through 12 innings pitched, good for a 3.75 ERA across that time. His last start against the Toronto Blue Jays was tougher, but he made it through four innings having given up just three runs.

The right-hander has faced the majority of the Royals’ lineup before, and it doesn’t look great. Starling Marte and Josh Rojas have the most experience against Márquez (32 combined at-bats) and boast a combined .281 batting average. Hopefully, he’ll be able to quiet their bats this afternoon.

Batter up!

Well, at least Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a home run. The lone run the Friars managed to put up came on Tatis’ sixth homer of the season. Beyond that, the Padres were stymied at every turn by Kansas City’s pitching staff. The club grounded into three double plays, going 1-for-9 with RISP. They’ll need to be better to salvage the series finale.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Jackson Merrill, CF
3. Xander Bogaerts, DH
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Gavin Sheets, LF
6. Ty France, 1B
7. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
8. Freddy Fermin, C
9. Sung-Mun Song, SS

Bogaerts hasn’t had an off day recently and could be penciled in at DH today. That would likely put Song at shortstop, though Cronenworth could move over and rearrange some of the San Diego infield. Either way, the offense needs to score some runs against Cameron.

Relief corps

It wasn’t a bad game for the bullpen by any means. Matt Waldron gave up two runs over 2 1/3 innings before Ron Marcinaccio and Jhony Brito pitched two scoreless frames. That came following Canning’s first regression in quite some time. Thankfully, Waldron saved the ‘pen a bit with his outing.

The Friars will have Kyle Hart, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez available in the series finale this afternoon. All but Hart have been high-leverage options for the Padres to turn to this season. If the offense can get some runs on the board, San Diego shouldn’t have too much trouble staving off the sweep.

In a day marked by Blake Snell’s rehab start, the Dodgers minor league affiliates played five games with two wins and three losses.

Player of the day

Even though he couldn’t help the Drillers secure a win, Zyhir Hope wins our Player of the Day award with a rare two-homer game, reaching 21 on the season. It’s been an outstanding season for Hope in Double-A, with a .910 OPS in a little over 80 games.

Hope has now reached base safely in every game this month and already has eight homers in July, his highest mark for any month this season.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Working his way back from a lengthy absence, Blake Snell tossed 1.1 innings, needing 32 pitches to do so and utilizing the strikeout to record each of his four outs.

For the most part, relievers were effective following Snell, with the primary exception being Paul Gervase, who allowed six runs in the seventh to set up a 9-5 loss for the Comets.

Zach Ehrhard recorded a team-high three hits but didn’t drive anyone home because, ahead of him, leadoff hitter Alek Thomas didn’t reach safely even once. The only home run for the Comets came in garbage time, when Ryan Ward cut the Rainiers’ lead to 9-5 with a two-run shot in the eighth inning. That home run was the only long shot of the game as the Rainiers didn’t need to leave the yard to punish OKC’s pitching, working 12 walks against them.

Double-A Tulsa

With the top three in the order going 0 for 11 with a pair of walks, the Drillers didn’t have enough offensive firepower to avoid the 4-3 defeat against the RoughRiders. Hope did his best solo act, responsible for all two of the team’s RBI with a pair of home runs, but the lack of support proved costly. Hope now has 21 homers on the season.

Starter Adam Serwinowski came into this game with a 7-2 record and suffered his third loss of the year, allowing four runs over five innings with a couple of home runs. The Drillers even got the tying run on in the ninth inning, only to do nothing with it.

High-A Great Lakes

Charles Davalan and Logan Wagner both hit their 13th homer on the season with solo shots in the early stages of what turned out to be a 3-2 walk-off win for the Loons. Davalan was in the middle of the action late in this one as well, earning the walk in the eighth inning that led to the winning run, as it came on a wild pitch with a runner at third. Reliever Davis Chastain, who covered the eighth inning after Zach Root held the opposition to two runs (one earned) in five innings, now has a 7-0 record this season.

Splitting the doubleheader, the Loons suffered a blowout defeat of 11-2 to the Whitecaps, with the only highlight being Cameron Decker’s three-for-three performance, including a triple and a stolen base. Starter Aidan Foeller allowed four runs, and six others came against reliever Seamus Barrett, who now has a 12.06 ERA this year across two levels.

Single-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers first took the lead in this game in the third inning with a Kellon Lindsey home run and never looked back, winning it 9-4. Taking advantage of a productive day from the bottom of the order, Jaron Elkins recorded three RBI from the leadoff spot.

Responsible for the two defensive errors, Mason Estrada allowed two unearned runs in 5.2 innings of work. It was only the second win for Estrada this season on what has been a tumultuous campaign with an ERA north of 7.00.

Transactions

Blake Snell began a rehab assignment with the Oklahoma City Comets.

Saturday’s scores

• Tacoma 9, Oklahoma City 5
• Frisco 4, Tulsa 3
• Great Lakes 3, West Michigan 2
• Great Lakes 2, West Michigan 11
• Ontario 9, Lake Elsinore 4

Sunday’s schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jakob Wright) vs. West Michigan (TBD)
• 1:35 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Tacoma (Nick Hull)
• 4:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Myles Caba) at Frisco (Blake Townsend)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Lake Elsinore (Luis Maracara)

Now that the kids are back on the field, how are they doing? Let’s check on them to see if their trade value is going up.

Omaha 6, Lehigh Valley 2

It would be nice if there were something to get excited about at the Triple-A level. Instead, we’re left with retreads (who really cares what Tommy Pham does?) and guys who just have that Quad-A feel to them. We could lament the lack of relief pitching options again, or the lack of starting pitching depth, but that’s just beating a dead horse. There are some nice moments here, but it’s just kind of boring to see each night. Someone needs to bring some kind of excitement to the level.

Reading 9, Altoona 5

I will continue to be impressed by Bryan Rincon re-establishing himself as something of a prospect this season. Another home run last night brings his season total to 13, a pretty impressive number for a guy that wasn’t known as a power prospect at all in the past. He’ll likely never be a starter for the Phillies or anyone else, but at least being a viable option off the bench can be of use somewhere. Also of note, Raylin Heredia notched his 100th hit on the season last night. He might have an allergic reaction should someone suggest more patience at the plate to him, but he’s had a great season.

Wilmington 7, Jersey Shore 4

I just get depressed looking at this roster. I know they probably won’t do it, but I wouldn’t mind some of the college bats they just drafted get their start here when they get assigned by the team to a roster. It would make this something more watchable since there really isn’t anything to get excited about. Nick Biddison had two hits on the night, including a double, but that’s about it for the BlueClaws.

Clearwater 6, Dunedin 4

Juan Villavicencio homered again for the Threshers, his twelfth of the season, to go along with a triple. It does feel like if someone is going to get moved this deadline, we’re going to hear a lot of his name coming up as someone teams are looking at trying to acquire. He’s been sneaky good for them. Cade Obermueller had a good night on the mound, striking out five in four innings. He’s been much improved of late.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon and with a large contingent of the 2016 championship team in the ballpark, the Cubs played a very good baseball game and won it 6-2. From the various festivities involving the champs to a myriad of interviews, there were so many ties to the championship group. The Lovable Podcast was a significant contributing factor, but the new Champions Gate at Wrigley Field was also front and center. It is a cool idea and a reminder that there is unfinished business for this organization in the forms of more championships to be won. One of the cornerstone franchises of the league needs more than three championships. Never tell me the odds. Just get it done. Win the whole %$^& thing! Mmmkay?

While basking in the glory of better times and a relatively comfortable win, let’s nail our perspective check. Four teams have better records than the Cubs and one team has a matching record. The Cubs would be the first Wild Card by way of a tiebreaker with the Phillies, from whom they’ve won the season series. The team is on pace for 91 wins. The math is going to stop moving as much soon, but won a game, bumped up the pace by a game. That pace has stopped bouncing around so much, as happens this late in the year. That pace really feels like 90 wins, plus or minus maybe two or three. It’s going to take a prolonged slump or hot streak to make a serious move there. For what it’s worth, the Cubs have won 21 of 30, a cool .700 pace.

Taj Bradley is historically a tough pitcher to face, but the Cubs scored one in the first, two in the second and two in the third to give themselves a ton of early breathing room. Matthew Boyd was excellent, yielding just a second inning solo homer. The Twins managed just two runs all day, on a pair of solo homers. Then they had an epic baserunning blunder in the ninth to sabotage their effort to rally for a win against Jacob Webb.

The Cub offense put together 11 hits, four walks and a stolen base in eight innings and turned that into six total runs. Two doubles, a triple and a homer contributed to the scoring. The first run was a solo homer, the second and third scored on the same double. They were both aided by a walk and a stolen base. The fourth and fifth runs both reached on walks. The sixth run reached on a walk. Of the four walks, three directly scored and one was erased on a fielder’s choice, but the runner that reached base on that FC ended up scoring. You can never point out often enough that walks, extra base hits and stolen bases all influence scoring.

Meanwhile Cub pitching allowed eight hits and just one walk. The only two extra base hits were homers. So the Twins really couldn’t muster any real offensive challenge. Particular hat tip to Matthew Boyd who has been very good in his last couple of starts. My confidence with him is definitely rising.

Three Positives plus Pete:

• Boyd gets the top spot. Six innings, three hits, one walk, one run in six innings.
• Nico Hoerner starts the second half off red hot. He had four hits in this one. He drove in one and scored one.
• Pedro Ramirez had two hits, one a double and drew a walk. He drove in two and scored one.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong was hitless in five plate appearances, striking out three times. One of the worst games he’s had in a while. But he also started that wacky ninth inning double play.

Game 98, July 18: Cubs 6, Twins 2 (55-43)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Miguel Amaya (.162). 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Hero: Matthew Boyd (.147). 6 IP, 21 BF, 3 H, BB, ER, 4 K (W 6-1)
• Sidekick: Pedro Ramirez (.125). 2-3, BB, 2 RBI

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.064). 0-5
• Goat: Alex Bregman (-.042). 0-4
• Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.036). 1-4, 3B, R

WPA Play of the Game: Miguel Amaya’s two-run double came with two outs and the second and gave the Cubs a two run lead. (.181)

Reds Play of the Game: Kody Clemens’ solo homer in the second tied the game at one. (.108)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 97 Winner: Seiya Suzuki received 16 of 31 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +21
• Michael Busch +17
• Carson Kelly +15.5
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Trent Thornton +12.5
• Edward Cabrera -9.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Nico Hoerner -12
• Dansby Swanson/Caleb Thielbar -14

Up Next: The third and final game of the series at Wrigley Sunday afternoon. Shōta Imanaga (5-8, 4.17) starts for the Cubs. He’s 1-2 with a 3.79 ERA over his last seven starts (38 IP), so things are trending positively. 26-year-old righty Zebby Matthews (4-6, 4.57) starts for the Twins. Matthews was the eighth round pick of the Twins (234th overall) out of Western Carolina in 2022. He’s just 2-3 with a 6.17 in six road starts. So this feels like the strongest of the three matchups this weekend for the Cubs.

Team News

Pfaadt’s strong start, Arenado’s clutch hit fuel D-backs’ rebound win
“He’s been phenomenal,” Arenado said of Pfaadt. “I mean, totally different pitcher. Just to see the confidence he has out there right now. The times I used to face him was never a comfortable at-bat because he’s got so many pitches and he throws all of them to everybody. It’s just great to see him be competitive out there. And like I said, just a totally different pitcher than earlier in the year.”

https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/brandon-pfaadt-s-strong-outing-leads-d-backs-past-cardinals

That’s more like it: Diamondbacks clean it up to even series vs. Cardinals

As far as the pitch count climbing, Pfaadt said it is a challenge but part of the process.

“I feel good,” Pfaadt said. “It’s still a buildup, so every outing’s longer and that last inning is more and more challenging, but in a good way. I think that’s part of the buildup and part of getting to where we want to be.” https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/thats-more-like-it-diamondbacks-clean-it-up-to-even-series-vs-cardinals

Diamondbacks’ Brandon Pfaadt Turns in Fourth Straight Hot Starthttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/diamondbacks-brandon-pfaadt-hot-start-cardinals

Diamondbacks place Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on injured list again

“I think he had a little bit of an issue there in Dodger Stadium,” Lovullo said. “Tried to play yesterday. Got some imaging this morning. … It’s just above his knee on the inside part of his thigh. We just thought to give him a little bit of a blow, heal that thing up.”

https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/lourdes-gurriel-jr-on-il-for-3rd-time-this-season

Ryne Nelson the reliever? Diamondbacks throwing ideas around to get key pitcher back from ILhttps://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/ryne-nelson-starts-throwing

Other Baseball

Green says Mets fully compliant on AI after report of usagehttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49392589/green-says-mets-fully-compliant-ai-report-usage

Source: Orioles sign righty Kyle Bradish to $90M extensionhttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49393801/source-orioles-sign-righty-kyle-bradish-90m-extension

Bradish inks 5-year contract extension, becomes highest-paid pitcher in O’s history

https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/kyle-bradish-orioles-agree-to-5-year-contract-extension

Jones become third Pirates pitcher to retire 30 straight battershttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49394431/jones-become-third-pirates-pitcher-retire-30-straight-batters

Pirates Re-Sign Dominic Fletcher To Minor League Dealhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/07/pirates-re-sign-dominic-fletcher-to-minor-league-deal.html

Mulder, Darling, Norris, Ginn: A’s righty in rare air after 2nd no-hit bid
https://www.mlb.com/athletics/news/j-t-ginn-takes-no-hit-bid-into-seventh-against-nationals

Skubal maintains his edge to silence Angels after early run support
https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tarik-skubal-strikes-out-nine-in-seven-innings-against-angels

Bazzana belts 1st career walk-off HR to cap Guardians’ comeback
https://www.mlb.com/guardians/news/travis-bazzana-hits-walk-off-home-run-in-guardians-win-vs-pirates

Blue Jays honor 1992-93 back-to-back championship teams with new statue outside Rogers Centre

https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/news/blue-jays-unveil-back-to-back-world-series-statue-at-rogers-centre

Anything Goes

This day in history:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-19

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/July_19

Hunting unicorns is legal in Michigan.

Say what you will about the existence of unicorns, but the Lake Superior State University definitely thinks they’re legit. W.T. “Bill” Rabe established the Unicorn Hunters in 1971 as a PR stunt for the Michigan university. During this time, LSSU offered a unicorn hunting license until Rabe’s retirement in 1987.

Salt used to be a currency.

For ancient civilizations, salt was so valuable that the Romans used it as money. They even paid their soldiers in salt rations instead of money.

Chicken meat is not a main ingredient of chicken nuggets.

The main ingredients for a typical chicken nugget is fat, epithelium, bone, and connective tissue

4 out of 5 children recognize the Mcdonald’s logo at 3 years old.

These kids can recognize the golden arches before they even know their own names.

Saturday saw the Atlanta Braves affiliates win four out of six games that were played, though the most important news is how the rehabbing players looked. AJ Smith-Shawver turned in a great 72-pitch outing, while Ronald Acuna Jr. reached base twice as did Ha-Seong Kim. We also got a great Lucas Braun outing and a very strong one from Zach Royse, while Conor Essenburg homered and we got big games from John Gil, Tate Southisene, Owen Carey, and Dalton McIntyre.

Gwinnett Stripers 5, Toledo Mud Hens 1

Box Score

Statcast

• Ronald Acuna Jr., DH: 1-3, BB
• Carlos Santana, 1B: 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, .278/.435/.444
• AJ Smith-Shawver, SP: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 2.70 ERA
• Blake Burkhalter, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA

AJ Smith-Shawver made another rehab start with Gwinnett, and this was a strong one. Over four and a third scoreless innings he allowed four hits and a walk with five strikeouts and 13 whiffs. AJSS also hit 99.4 MPH with his fastball and owned the top five velocities in this game during his 72-pitch outing. He was relieved by Hayden Harris, who picked up a pair of strikeouts in his two thirds of an inning stint. Blake Burkhalter came in next and picked up two strikeouts during an inning of work, and Ian Hamilton pitched the final inning – allowing the only run to score.

AJSS wasn’t the only big leaguer rehabbing, as Ronald Acuna Jr. went one for three with a walk and Ha-Seong Kim was one for four with a double. Homers though are what led the offense, as Carlos Santana, Brett Wisely, and Jair Camargo each hit one – and those three homers accounted for all five Stripers runs. Santana led the way going two for three with the homer, walk, and two runs scored while Luke Williams and Patrick Clohisy each joined him with two-hit games, Clohisy picking up a pair of doubles, and Williams also with one.

Gwinnett Stripers 8, Toledo Mud Hens 1

Box Score

Statcast

• Jose Azocar, CF: 4-4, R, .257/.306/.353
• Ha-Seong Kim, DH: 1-3, 2B, BB
• Adam Zebrowski, C: 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, .200/.300/.417
• Lucas Braun, SP: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 4.15 ERA

The second game of the day saw Lucas Braun turn in one of the best outings of his season. Over five scoreless frames Braun allowed just one hit and two walks as he struck out three. Rolddy Munoz pitched a scoreless sixth, striking out two. James Karinchak allowed a run in the seventh and final inning, but did strike out batters for all three outs he recorded.

Adam Żebrowski was the star in this one, going two for three with a pair of doubles, two runs scored, and three runs batted in. Jose Azocar went a perfect four for four with a run scored, while Luke Williams doubled, scored twice, and batted two in, and Cal Conley singled, doubled, scored, and picked up an RBI as the bottom four hitters in the lineup carried the Stripers to the win. That’s not to say the top of the order didn’t produce some too, as Patrick Clohisy singled and walked in his three plate appearances, and rehabbing Ha-Seong Kim doubled and walked in four plate appearances.

Columbus Clingstones 8, Chattanooga Lookouts 7

Box Score

• Dalton McIntyre, CF: 2-5, 2B, 2 R, .292/.414/.458
• Will Verdung, DH: 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB, .167/.255/.267
• Ambioris Tavarez, 2B: 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, .184/.295/.321
• Brett Sears, RP: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 11 K, 4.16 ERA
• Tyler LaPorte, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1.78 ERA

It’s weird to call Brett Sears the reliever in this one, but this game was resumed from the day before with a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the first inning after Julio Robaina allowed three runs in two thirds of an inning. Sears came on to start the day and went the next six and a third. Sears did allow four runs on seven hits, but walked none and struck out 11 with 17 whiffs. This was a huge outing for the pen on a doubleheader day, allowing them to not burn through the pen in a big way. In fact his start looked even better than the final line, as two runs and four hits came off him in the top of the eighth inning without him recording an out. Luis Vargas came in and allowed an inherited runner to score and tie the game, but did pick up two strikeouts. Tyler LaPorte picked up the save as he struck out the side in the ninth, and picked up nine whiffs for his inning of work.

Homers by Will Verdung and Ambioris Tavarez accounted for three of the Clingstones runs, and Verdung also singled, stole a base, and batted in a second run. Dalton McIntyre had a productive day as well, going two for five with a double and scoring a pair of runs. Luke Waddell and Carson Taylor each had two-hit games, with the new Brave Taylor picking up a double in his first game in the system. Logan Braunschweig, Jordan Groshans, and Archer Brookman also had base hits in the win.

Chattanooga Lookouts 4, Columbus Clingstones 0

Box Score

• Dalton McIntyre, CF: 1-3, .294/.410/.451
• Logan Braunschweig, LF: 1-2, .194/.257/.214
• Anderson Pilar, SP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 7.71 ERA

It was a bullpen game for the second game. Anderson Pilar started and allowed a pair of runs over two and a third innings, while Owen Hackman allowed two more runs over his inning and two thirds. Samuel Strickland and LJ McDonough followed with a scoreless frame apiece, and that was everything from the Clingstones pitching staff.

The offense couldn’t get anything going here, managing to get shutout on just three hits and no walks. Singles by Dalton McIntyre, Logan Braunschweig, and Carson Taylor accounted for the only players to reach base safely. McIntyre finished the pair of games going three for eight, while Taylor also had a three-hit day, and Braunschweig had two hits of his own.

Rome Emperors 12, Asheville Tourists 5

Box Score

• Tate Southisene, DH: 1-3, 2 BB, R, RBI, .237/.377/.415
• John Gil, SS: 3-6, R, RBI, .248/.343/.387
• Owen Carey, LF: 2-4, BB, R, 3 RBI, .258/.327/.445
• Zach Royse, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 5.40 ERA

Zach Royse turned in a quality start, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over six innings. He also struck out six and got 13 swings and misses. In fact the start would have been even stronger if not for a pair of mistakes, as two homers accounted for all three runs against him. Rehabbing Ray Kerr followed and after walking one struck out the side, before a scoreless inning from Logan Samuels. Tyler Schoff came in and pitched the ninth, allowing the final two Asheville runs to score.

Once again the prospects carried the offense. John Gil led the way, going three for six with a run scored and one batted in, but Owen Carey and Tate Southisene also each reached base three times. Carey went two for four with a run scored and three runs batted in, while Southisene was one for three with two walks, a run scored, and one batted in. Dixon Williams added a double, while Dallas Macias went two for five with a double, and Colin Burgess singles, tripled, and walked in his five trips to the plate. Luis Sanchez joined Gil with a three-hit game, going three for four and scoring three runs, while Colby Jones walked twice. Eric Hartman was hitless in five at bats with a pair of strikeouts, but did walk and score a run.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers 4, Augusta GreenJackets 3

Box Score

• Conor Essenburg, CF: 1-3, HR, BB, R, RBI, .251/.397/.464
• Nick Montgomery, C: 1-1, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, .190/.320/.352
• Carter Lovasz, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 3.58 ERA

Derek Vartanian got the start and lasted four innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts. However the guys that followed were lights out. Adiel Melendez went the next two innings without allowing a base runner and struck out three, while Carter Lovasz pitched two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.

The offense really struggled in this one despite the close score. Conor Essenburg and Nick Montgomery led the way, as Essenburg hit his eighth homer of the season and drew a walk in his four plate appearances. Montgomery was one for one with a double, drew a pair of walks, and batted in a run. Outside of that pair the only hits were singles by Alex Lodise and Cody Miller, though Hayden Friese drew two walks and Juan Mateo had one in the loss.

FCL Braves vs FCL Rays – Cancelled

This game was cancelled due to a wet field. It will not be made up as we are in the final few days of the FCL regular season. After a Sunday off the FCL squad will have four games remaining in it’s season with the playoffs out of reach for them at 17-37.

Happy Sunday everybody! I’m still here, still reporting mostly on injury news! And contract extensions. Inside you there are two wolves, etc.

The Mariners managed to even the series with the Giants last night with a thrilling walk-off win in extra innings that was buoyed by a game-tying three-run homerun by Cole Young. Logan Gilbert will duel Robbie Ray for a series win at 1:10 PST.

In Mariners news…

• Julio made his blessed return from the 7-day concussion IL before yesterday’s game, but it did come with a cost, as infielder Miles Mastrobuoni was DFA’d in the corresponding move. Mastrobuoni has cleared waivers once this season already, but if he does get claimed I hope he finds the playing time he deserves.

Around the league…

• Veteran Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff addressed the media in Milwaukee yesterday to announce that he will be getting season ending surgery. The operation is the same capsule surgery that he got in 2023. Woodruff said that he hopes to pitch again following the second operation, but it is worth remembering that Johan Santana had two separate shoulder capsule surgeries, and he never pitched in the majors again after the second.
• The Athletics entered Saturday with a record of 41-56 and on a ten-game losing streak. So naturally the best way to right the ship is to trade away one of their starting pitchers. Aaron Civale and some cash (the A’s have cash now?) are now part of the Chicago Cubs organization.
• One team’s collapse has been matched by another team’s rise. The Boston Red Sox entered Saturday on an eleven-game winning streak, and have played themselves into being big potential buyers at the deadline. The major area of need for them is shortstop and a strong contender to plug that hole is the Angels’ Zach Neto.
• Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed yesterday that the Dodgers are not expecting Will Smith back with the team before mid-August, and that’s the best case scenario. When asked by Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, Roberts admitted that team is not 100% sure if Will Smith will return this season at all from the neck injury that put him on the IL over a month ago.
• I’m realizing I might be a little too superstitious because if I’m Chase Burns and I’m standing in the room and watched the man I just spent days or weeks negotiating with spill his third cup of coffee all over the fruits of that negotiation, I might call the whole thing off. Sorry man, signs are signs.

• Speaking of contract extensions, the Orioles and pitcher Kyle Bradish agreed to terms on a five year, $90 million contract extension yesterday that will keep the right-hander in Baltimore through the 2031 season.

Nick’s pick…

• Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is ready for football season.

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The Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves will decide their series in a rubber match this afternoon at Truist Park.

The MLB odds have Atlanta as underdogs despite outscoring Texas 21-8 in this series, and my Rangers vs. Braves predictions explain why getting the home team at plus odds is a gift.

Read on for my MLB picks for July 19 in what I expect will be a high-scoring affair.

Who will win Rangers vs Braves today: Braves (+109)

Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, and Michael Harris II will be looking forward to facing Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. 

Lefties are making solid contact against him, with opposite-sided hitters registering a .365 BABIP and 24.6% line-drive rate since June 1.  

Eovaldi’s fastball run rate ranks in the fifth percentile. He generates strikeouts, but is often feast or famine on the mound.

Grant Holmes continues to outperform his metrics. His improved command the past month raises his floor, and he’s allowing just a .261 wOBA the first time through the order. 

The matchup favors the underdog here. Play this to +100.

COVERS INTEL: Grant Holmes is generating a 39.8% whiff rate on his slider, a pitch that he uses 37% of the time — more often than his fastball. 

Rangers vs Braves Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-121)

Seven Atlanta Braves relievers threw nearly seven frames last night. Given Holmes hasn’t gone past five innings in eight of his last nine starts, their tired arms are in for more work.

The Rangers have the sixth-worst bullpen xERA and second-worst xFIP since July 1, allowing the fourth-highest FB% (44.5%) in that span.

Both offenses rank in the Top 6 in July in ISO, wRC+, and wOBA, while striking out at a comparatively low rate. They’re both also posting a FB% of 40% or more.

Sunday’s forecast presents the third-most favorable conditions for dingers, and I’m expecting fireworks as a result.

I’ll take the Over down to -130.

Rangers vs Braves weather

Rangers vs Braves odds

• Moneyline: Rangers -117 | Braves +113
• Run line: Rangers -1.5 (+144) | Braves +1.5 (-150)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-117) | Under 8.5 (+113)

Rangers vs Braves trend

The Texas Rangers have hit the game total Over in 30 of their last 45 games (+15.80 Units / 32% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. Braves.

How to watch Rangers vs Braves and game info

Rangers vs Braves latest injuries

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It’s doubleheader day on the farm for Detroit’s affiliates thanks to rain, smoke and flying pigs squirrels. Toledo, West Michigan and the Complex League club all played two today, so dig in and let’s get through it together.

(F/7) Gwinnett Stripers 5, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

The Mud Hens scored two total runs and lost both games of their doubleheader, but the first one went slightly better, with Toledo notching seven hits and holding Gwinnett to five runs.

A 5-1 loss isn’t anything to cheer about, but let’s consider that the Stripers had Ronald Acuña Jr., Ha-Seong Kim and Carlos Santana at the top of the order, all on rehab assignments. Ty Madden got the start and navigated his way through the order once. He got Acuna and Kim the second time around, but Enmanuel De Jesus took over in the third to face Santana.

De Jesus gave up a single to Santana, and then Brett Wisely took him deep to center field. Sigh.

Up to this point, Toledo only had one hit, a Tyler Gentry double in the second that ended up with him on third after a wild pitch. Max Clark delivered the second hit of the day in the third, another double, but Max Anderson and Gage Workman failed to bring him around.

De Jesus almost got through the fourth, but a double from Kim brought Scott Effross to the mound for Santana, who flied out to Clark in center. The Hens went 1-2-3 in the fourth, and Effross gave up a two-run homer to Patrick Clohisy in the top of the fifth.

Toledo finally put together multiple hits in an inning with Cal Stevenson and Bennett Lee both getting base knocks in the bottom of the fifth. Clark walked to load the bases, but Anderson and Workman came up short again — both striking out this time.

Luke Taggart got the sixth for the Mud Hens and gave up a homer to Carlos Santana. Trei Cruz had a lonely two-out double in the bottom half, which ended up with him stranded.

Taggart went 1-2-3 in the seventh. Stevenson, Lee and Clark went single-walk-single to load the bases again, this time with no outs, and Anderson at least got one run in with a sac fly. Workman grounded out and Corey Julks hit one back to the pitcher to end the rally and the game.

Not the best day for these guys with men on base. Toledo finished the game 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base.

Clark: 2-3, 2B (19), BB

Anderson: 0-2, RBI, BB, 2K

Stevenson: 2-3, R

(F/7) Gwinnett Stripers 8, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

Game Two did not go any better. Toledo only had three hits, without Clark in the lineup, and gave up eight runs despite Acuna and Santana taking this one off.

Again, the lone Mud Hens run of the day came in the seventh, as did two of the team’s three hits. Cruz singled and scored on a Stevenson double. The other was an Andrew Navigato single in the third.

Dylan File just had to tank things for five innings on the mound. No home runs, but Gwinnett got the leadoff man against File in every inning but the second. Funny enough, the second inning was the bad one. File hit the leadoff man, gave up a single and then back-to-back doubles brought three runs across.

File loaded the bases in the fifth with no outs, but it ended up being a one-run inning thanks to a triple play. Toledo was happy enough to trade a run for a double play, but the runner on second inexplicably took off for home and was tagged out easily. So, that’s fun?

Somehow, the sixth was worse than the second for Toledo. Ricky Vanasco walked the leadoff man and got an out before allowing three straight hits to make it 7-0. Jack Little replaced Vanasco after recording the second out, but he gave up an RBI single for the eighth run.

Just a bad day to be a Mud Hen, unless you’re Cal Stevenson.

Anderson: 0-3, K

Stevenson: 1-3, 2B (4), RBI, 2 K

File (L, 5-6): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: Toledo and Gwinnett wrap up the series on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.

(F/10) Richmond Flying Squirrels 7, Erie SeaWolves 6 (box)

No doubleheader for Erie, but the SeaWolves and Richmond Flying Squirrels did need extra innings to decide this one. Erie ended up losing 7-6 in walk-off fashion, but at least it was a battle (unlike both of Toledo’s losses).

Erie got out in front early, scoring a run in the second and third innings. E.J. Exposito hit his 16th home run of the year in the second, and Peyton Graham drove in Patrick Lee with a sac fly in the third. Lee manufactured that run with his baserunning. He walked to open the inning and stole second and third base. Seth Stephenson also walked and stole second (No. 42 on the year).

Things stayed pretty quiet until the sixth, which is conveniently when both bullpens took over. Props to Hayden Minton for holding Richmond scoreless for five frames and allowing just four hits.

Erie made it a 3-0 game in the sixth, scoring a run on a fielder’s choice, but Johan Simon gave all three runs back in the bottom half of the inning. It’s not all on Simon. He had to work around a leadoff error, but any inning with four hits and two extra-base hits is a bad one.

Tyler Owens got the final out of the sixth and pitched through the seventh, but not before giving up the lead on a sac fly.

Justice Bigbie tied things back up in the eighth with an RBI single. Graham scored after stealing his 50th base of the season.

Tanner Kohlhepp took over in the eighth, and back and forth we go. Back-to-back singles around a wild pitch gave Richmond the lead back, and a two-out double made it 6-4.

Erie still fought, though, tying it again in the ninth. Lee singled, stole second and came across on a Stephenson base hit. Graham came up big again, driving in the tying run with a double.

Wandisson Charles went 1-2-3 in the ninth, and to extra innings we go! Bigbie started on second and moved to third on a ground out, but the SeaWolves still went down 1-2-3, setting up the walkoff opportunity.

Charles got the first two outs just fine, but Richmond only needed one base hit to win. Diego Velasquez delivered, and that’s that.

Graham: 3-4, 2B (13), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB(50)

Lee: 1-3, 2R, BB, K, 3 SB(6)

Exposito: 1-4, HR (16), R, RBI, BB, K

Minton: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: Erie and Richmond duke it out to determine the series at 5:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. Jackson Jobe is on the mound.

(F/8) Great Lakes Loons 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)

Game One of the shortened three-game series out of the All-Star Break… was delayed again. This time, the West Michigan Whitecaps and Great Lakes Loons had to wait 30 minutes past the scheduled start time of their doubleheader.

Charlie Christensen (Whitecaps) and Zach Root (Loons) battled it out on the mound, both allowing two runs. Christensen had better command, striking out six and walking none, while Root worked around four walks and four hits with five strikeouts. Christensen also had the edge in hits allowed with just two, but they were both solo home runs.

Both of West Michigan’s runs off Root came in the fourth inning. Stephen Hrustich walked, and Andrew Sojka moved him to third on a single to right field. Juan Hernandez hit one back to Root, which ricocheted off his glove, making the only play to first and allowing the run to score. The other came in unearned on a bad throw to first base that should have been the third out.

Root got through the fifth, but Christensen only went four. Ethan Sloan was first out of the bullpen for the Whitecaps. He worked around a single after the offense tied things up, and Carlos Lequerica did the same in the sixth. Sloan actually started the sixth, but he hit a batter and got pulled before anything got out of hand.

Colin Fields held the 2-2 tie in the seventh, and Jackson Strong couldn’t score in the eighth to put West Michigan ahead. Strong had an odd collision with the umpire while running toward home on a foul ball. He got checked out by the training staff after showing some obvious discomfort in his left foot/ankle, but he stayed in the game.

The game ended in one of the worst ways possible. Thomas Bruss spiked the 10th pitch of an at-bat to allow the winning run to cross. Hopefully, he was allowed to stay in the clubhouse for the second game…

Rainer: 1-3, BB, K

Sojka: 2-4, R, K

Christensen: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 2 HR

(F/7) West Michigan Whitecaps 11, Great Lakes Loons 2 (box)

This one went much better for the Whitecaps, but it looked like another 2-2 deadlock for a bit. Eventually, West Michigan’s offense exploded for nine runs between the fifth and sixth innings for a comfortable 11-2 win.

Cristian Santana got the scoring started in the second, blasting a two-run homer and putting West Michigan out front.

Meanwhile, Carlos Marcano cruised through his first two innings of work on the mound, striking out three of the first four batters he faced. The third inning brought problems, though. A leadoff triple and sac fly made it a one-run game, and Marcano hit the next batter to put the tying run on base. A double and another sac fly brought him in. Here we go again…

Things got a little hairy again in the fourth. Marcano walked a batter and gave up a two-out single, prompting Logan Berrier to come out of the bullpen. Berrier got the strikeout to escape the inning unharmed. Then, the dam burst.

Hernandez walked and moved to second on a bad pickoff attempt. Woody Hadeen lined one to center to give West Michigan the lead back. Samuel Gil tripled Hadeen in, Clayton Campbell walked and Sojka brought Gil home on a sac fly. 5-2, Whitecaps.

Santana opened the sixth with his second homer of the day, a solo shot.

Hernandez walked again, and then Caleb Shpur joined the party withhis first bomb.

Stephen Hrustich just missed a homer with two men on, hitting the top of the wall for a two-run double. Finally, Enderson Delgado recorded his first double with the Whitecaps to bring Hrustich home and the score to 11-2.

Luke Stofel finished the game on the mound. He allowed three hits and walked a batter, but managed to hold the Loons scoreless for two innings.

Gil: 3-4, 3B (2), 2 R, RBI, BB, K

Santana: 2-3, 2 HR (6), 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, K

Marcano: 3.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: West Michigan and Great Lakes finish the series Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 7, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 3 (box)

Malachi Witherspoon got the start for Lakeland. He continues to be hittable, but the stuff is good. Despite allowing three runs over four innings from Witherspoon, the offense and bullpen did enough to pull out a comfortable 7-3 win over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

Witherspoon got into trouble right away, allowing back-to-back singles before recording an out. A double brought both runners home, but he bounced back with a 1-2-3 second.

Gleyber Torres gave the Flying Tigers the lead with a three-run, opposite-field shot in the third. The wind helped it, but he still got good wood on it.

Witherspoon couldn’t hold the lead, though. A leadoff single and double led to a game-tying sac fly, but at least he held Fort Myers there.

Jesus Pinto responded in the fourth with a two-run homer. This one didn’t need the wind — 101.2 mph exit velo, 23-degree launch angle, 400 feet.

Witherspoon hit a batter in the fourth, but he retired the other three without any issues, ending his outing with a strikeout.

Marco Jimenez replaced him in the fifth and worked around a one-out single. Antonio Florido went 1-2-3 in the sixth.

Carson Rucker gave Lakeland an insurance run with a leadoff solo bomb in the seventh — another barrel at 101.6 mph and 28 degrees

Yendy Gomez got the next two innings on the mound. He had to deal with a walk and a base hit in the seventh, and an error extended an otherwise sharp eighth inning.

Rucker hit another home run in the ninth for good measure. All of Lakeland’s runs came on homers today. Luke Hoskins closed things out in the ninth.

Torres: 1-3, HR (1), R, 3 RBI

Yost: 0-3, R, 2 BB, K

Rucker: 3-4, 2 HR (9), 2 R, 2 RBI, K

Pinto: 2-4, HR (5), 2 R, 2 RBI, K

Witherspoon: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: Lakeland and Fort Myers finish the series Sunday at 12:05 p.m. ET.

FCL Yankees 10, FCL Tigers 6 (box)

This one picked up from yesterday after the weather suspended the contest.

Here’s what Brandon wrote yesterday before the stoppage:

One great sign was that right-hander Kelvis Salcedo, who possesses arguably the best stuff in the whole system, threw an inning, beginning a rehab assignment. We’d had no word on his injury, but fortunately it appears he’ll only miss the last few weeks. He threw a perfect inning, striking out the side in the first.

Joey Wimpelberg gave up two in a short outing, and Ryan Hall two more in the fourth, but he did strike out four in two innings of work.

Michael Oliveto and Santiago Pinto each had a double in this one so far, while Cristian Perez continued his FCL reign of terror with two more knocks.

Picking things back up in the fifth, Maddox Long took the mound for the Tigers. He went 1-2-3 with two strikeouts in his first inning of work, but the sixth was a complete disaster… The sequence went home run-double-walk-home run-home run before Leonardo Rossell took over. Rookie ball is so weird…

Rossell mostly did his job, allowing another run to cross on a two-out double and single. By that time, it was 10-5 and pretty much out of reach, barring a miracle. Guillermo Batista drove in one for the Tigers, but that’s all they got

Oliveto: 1-4, 2B (3), R, RBI, K

Rodriguez: 0-2, R, BB

Perez: 2-2, R, RBI

Salcedo: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

FCL Yankees 6, FCL Tigers 2 (box)

Our regularly scheduled contests didn’t go much better. The Yankees led from start to finish, plating three in the first and answering the Tigers’ two-run response with their own two-spot in the second.

Zach Swanson (2024, Round 9) got the start but didn’t make it out of the first. He allowed three hits to the first four batters he faced and saw three bags swiped against him. A fielder’s choice went wrong and allowed a third run to score, and that was it for Swanson. Yoan Valdez struck out a pair after taking over for him.

Michael Oliveto (2025, Round CB-A) hit his first professional home run to make it 3-2, but those were the only runs scored by the Tigers.

Owen Hall took over in the second inning. It didn’t go well. A leadoff error and back-to-back singles made it 4-2 and set up a double steal with men on the corners, which brought another home.

Hall was better in the third, facing the minimum thanks to Oliveto catching the runner stealing. He worked around a leadoff double in the fourth and somehow got through the fifth unscathed, despite hitting the first two batters. Again, Oliveto bailed him out, picking off the runner at second. Hall did strike out six batters, though, so it’s not all bad.

Johnathan Rogers had the sixth. He hit the leadoff man and gave up an insurance run on a double right after. Leonardo Leon worked around a pair of walks in the seventh before the game finished.

Coming Up Next: The FCL Tigers are back at it on Monday at noon ET against the FCL Blue Jays. Both DSL Tigers clubs also play at 11 a.m. ET.

Kodai Senga has been showing some positives since the Mets moved him into a bullpen role, but the results weren’t there again in his latest appearance Saturday afternoon. 

Senga entered in relief of Sean Manaea after the left-hander ran out of steam trying to dance his way out of a two out jam in the bottom of the fifth.

He lost a battle with the first batter he faced, walking him on eight pitches to load the bases, but then settled down and struck out Derek Hill with a forkball to end the threat.

Things didn’t go as well for the righty in the sixth, though. 

The Phillies immediately put a man in scoring position with a Bryson Stott triple, then back-to-back walks loaded the bases again before Bryce Harper ripped a two-run single to right. 

Senga retired the next three batters to escape without further damage, then he allowed a single leading off the seventh before a rain delay brought his day to an end.

While the velocity was there for him coming on in relief he wasn’t exactly effective, allowing two runs on three hits and as many walks across just 1.2 innings of work.

“His stuff is good, the fastball was up to 99,” interim manager Andy Green said. “But there’s better outcomes needed -- he’s aware of that, he wants that, and we want that for him.”

Senga has allowed multiple runs in all but two of his 12 outings on the season, and his only clean appearance came his last time out against the Red Sox. 

His ERA now sits at 8.85 to go along with a 1.84 WHIP. 

One has to figure the leash is only getting shorter with Senga’s ineffectiveness now continuing in relief.  

The Detroit Tigers clinched their first series win coming out of the All-Star break late Saturday night with a 7-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. Tarik Skubal tossed a gem and the offense found its groove, powering the team to a shutout victory.

On Sunday, AJ Hinch’s squad goes for the sweep with right-hander Casey Mize on the mound. The 29-year-old had thrown a pair of quality starts before a rough outing in Detroit heading into the Midsummer Classic, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out five Philadelphia Phillies en route to his sixth loss of the season.

When Mize saw the Angels earlier this season, his start was cut short due to right groin tightness after tossing four frames of shutout ball, allowing a pair of hits and a walk while striking out six. The Tigers went on to win that game, 4-0.

Opposite him for Los Angeles is right-hander Ryan Johnson, who has struggled in his second year of major league ball. The 23-year-old’s two games so far in July saw him post a 5.00 ERA and 7.21 FIP, serving up a trio of homers along with four walks and seven strikeouts over nine innings of work; his team lost both outings.

Here is a look at how the two match up on paper for Sunday afternoon’s matinee affair.

Detroit Tigers (46-52) vs. Los Angeles Angels (38-61)

Time (ET): 4:07 p.m.
Place: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California
SB Nation Site: N/A
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 99: RHP Casey Mize (4-6, 2.79 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Johnson (1-4, 6.75 ERA)

MIZE

JOHNSON