The Atlanta Braves lost a disappointing game one to the New York Mets last night and we looking for a rebound behind Martín Pérez who struggled against the Mets in July. Interestingly, Pérez faced the same opponent he did last month, Nolan McLean who pitched a great game.
Pérez had a solid first inning. In the past Francisco Lindor had absolutely dominated him, and so had Bo Bichette. Lindor singled but Francisco Lindor got Bichette to ground into a double play to end the top of the inning. The first did not go any better for the Braves as McLean sat them down in order.
For some reason the Mets had Luis Robert hitting cleanup, so he led off the second with a pop up. Initially it looked like Jim Jarvis made a great play to get Benge out, but after review he hit a single. After another induced pop up, things got a little messy with a walk to Alvarez. Pérez was able to settled down and strike out off-season acquisition Polanco to end the top of the second. It looked like the Braves may get something going in the second when Harris led off with a single, but then he was caught stealing followed by two more outs.
Pérez got through the third unscathed in terms of runs. He walked his nemesis Lindor, but that was the only offense by the Mets. The third was another inning much like the second. Yastrzemski led off with a walk to look like the Braves may get some offense, but then that was the only base runner.
Pérez continued to look sharp in the fourth. Benge had his second single of the night off of him, but Pérez sat down the rest of the hitters to include a strikeout to Alvarez, avenging the walk he gave up earlier. The Braves continued to look anemic in the fourth. Even Harris, the only payer with a hit to this point for the Braves, struck out. The side was retired. Pérez avenged his teammates in the fifth though, and did he exact same thing. The Mets were sat down in order.
The Braves finally broke through with a single swing of the bat when Albies smoked a no doubter to the chop house on the second pitch he saw to make the score 1-0. It was the only offense of the inning, but it was all that was needed.
In the sixth, we saw some more strand rate magic for Martín Pérez. After a Lindor groundout he gave up a walk followed by a single to put runners on the corners, but then got Benge to ground into a double play, preventing any runs. It is a good thing he did, because yet again the Braves were sat down in order in the sixth.
Didier Fuentes came in to pitch the seventh. Martín Pérez avenged his last start against the Mets with 6.0 innings of four hit ball that were all singles and lowered his season ERA to 2.96. Fuentes sat down all three hitters to include a strikeout. The Braves finally looked like an offense that wanted to win in the seventh after McLean was removed. Olson walked and then advanced on a wild pitch, Harris moved him over to third on a groundout. Albies then walked. Dubón then did what he does best, have clutch contact by recording a sac fly to make the score 2-0. Lane Thomas then came in to pinch hit and walked. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, but then Robert made a fantastic leaping grab at the wall to rob Riley of a two RBI double.
Dylan Lee came in to pitch the eighth and did Dylan Lee things by retiring the side to include a strikout to lower his ERA to 1.99. The eighth inning is where the Braves iced it. Jarvis was retired but then Baldwin walked. Acuña hit the balled extremely hard, but Robert made another fantastic read on the ball. Then, Matt Olson stayed red hot and hit an absolute tank of a two-run bomb to make the score 4-0. His HR went 423 feet.
Harris singled and Albies did his signature pop up to end the eighth. Iglesias came in the game and had no problem sitting down three hitters with a four run lead. He had struggled some this season in those situations so it was nice to see him come through.
The key to the game was Martín Pérez limiting hits and the offense coming through against the bullpen. The Braves look to do it again tomorrow.
The Mets dropped just their second game of the road trip on Tuesday night, losing to the Atlanta Braves, 4-0.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- Locked in a pitcher’s duel with Braves starter Martin Perez, Nolan McLean appeared to have the upper hand as he didn’t allow a hit through the first four innings and was getting through Atlanta’s lineup efficiently and with relative ease thanks to the Braves’ aggressiveness at the plate.
-- Unfortunately, the Mets’ blistering offense came to a screeching halt and was unable to get past Perez, despite good career numbers up and down the lineup against the veteran, as the left-hander matched McLean’s zeros.
-- The game turned on a dime in the fifth inning when Met killer Ozzie Albies broke up the no-hitter, the shutout and the scoreless tie when he turned on an 0-2 fastball by McLean for a solo bomb leading off the frame.
The home run was Albies’ 20th of the season and his 25th career home run against the Mets in 119 games – the most he’s hit against one team. Albies also entered the day hitting a ridiculous .366 with a .869 OPS on an 0-2 count, far better than his career .201/.206/.295 slash line.
-- McLean quickly regrouped and retired the next three in order before going back out for the sixth and retiring the side. The right-hander’s night was done after that, following just 85 pitches (53 strikes), his only blemish being the home run, which was enough to give him the loss.
-- New York’s bullpen wasn’t as sharp as McLean with Jefrey Yan walking three in the seventh and throwing a wild pitch while allowing a run to score in 0.2 innings. Chayce McDermott came in to get the final out and after uncorking a wild pitch of his own, he got Austin Riley to fly out to deep center field with Luis Robert Jr. making a nice catch at the wall.
McDermott wasn’t so lucky in the eighth, allowing two runs to score on Matt Olson’s league-leading 35th home run of the season, which gave the Braves a 4-0 lead on just two total hits.
-- The Mets weren’t much better, tallying just four hits on the night – two from Carson Benge. Atlanta’s bullpen pitched three perfect innings in relief of Perez, who got the win.
Game MVP: Ozzie Albies
Albies' long ball against McLean was the big hit in this one.
Aug 11, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Jim Jarvis (74) throws for a double play in front of New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After putting up a total of 13 runs last night, the Mets and Braves had a much lower scoring affair in game two of this three game series, with the Atlanta going over NewYork 4-0.
Nolan McLean and Martín Pérez engaged in a pitchers’ duel, with neither having dominant stuff tonight, but both doing what they could to keep the offense to a minimum. The Mets put runners on in each of the first four innings, but Pérez was able to keep them from coming around to score.
Both teams were kept off the board until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Ozzie Albies led off with a solo home run. That solo home run was the only hit given up by McLean, who had six strong innings, allowing just the one hit/one run, two walks, and struck out three. McLean was efficient with his pitches, throwing 85 over his six innings.
The Mets’ best chance to score happened in the sixth inning, when Bo Bichette walked and Luis Robert Jr. singled to put two on with one out. However, Carson Benge grounded into a double play to end the inning without incident.
Another run crossed the plate for the Braves in the seventh, with Jefry Yan on the mound. Two walks, a wild pitch, a ground out, and a sacrifice fly plated the second run of the game. After issuing his third walk of the inning, Yan was pulled from the game for Chayce McDermott. The first pitch tossed by McDermott was a wild pitch, pushing the runners to second and third. A long fly ball off the bat of Austin Riley found its way into Robert’s Jr’s glove at the wall to end the inning.
After the Mets were blanked in the top of the eighth, McDermott was back out for his second inning of work. With two outs and one on, McDermottt hung a breaking ball and Matt Olson hit it so far that you could barely hear Braves’ fans racist chants where it landed. With that one swing, the Mets were now down 4-0.
Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth inning to close the book on the game, handing the Mets their MLB-leading 13th shutout loss. Tyler Mahle will face Zac Thornton in the rubber game tomorrow evening.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 11: Jo Adell #7 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates a solo home run in the eight inning while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 11, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Like seemingly every other game in recent weeks, the Cleveland Guardians fell short of a victory. They put up runs, they out hit their opponent, but they weren’t able to string together anything significant to gain victory over the Tigers.
Tanner Bibee took the mound for Cleveland and ended up going 6.1 innings. Bibee gave up six runs, five earned, on five hits and two walks. He struck out four batters. The unearned run came in the bottom of the seventh with Matt Festa on the mound. José Ramírez missed a catch, allowing the inherited runner to score. Matt Fest closed the seventh inning, striking out a batter.
Franco Aleman came on in the bottom of the eighth and made quick work of the Tigers. He did walk a batter, but he also struck out one and retired the side in 14 pitches.
The Guardians got on the board in the top of the third. With one out, Chase DeLauter hit the second pitch of the at bat a whopping 424 feet into the seats in right center.
In the top of the seventh, Steven Kwan drew a one out walk. Chase DeLauter reached on a single right and both runners advanced a base on a passed ball. José Ramírez hit into a groundout, scoring Steven Kwan to bring the Guardians within two runs of the Tigers.
The next inning, Jo Adell hit a solo home run 428 feet to center to kick off the inning.
Cleveland pieced together the makings of a rally in the top of the ninth. Steven Kwan hit a lead off single. With one out, José Ramírez drew a one-out walk. Stephen Vogt went to rookie Angel Genao to pinch hit for Rhys Hoskins. Angel Genao worked a six pitch walk to load the bases. Jo Adell hit a sac fly to deep enough in the right field to score Kwan from third.
The Guards were still 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, but the offense had a base runner in every single inning. Like Twitter user MichaelHook_CLE phrased it, this team seems to be playing at their floor. There are some categorical improvements in the offense since the trade deadline additions, but it feels like the pieces are taking their sweet time to fall into place.
The Tigers and Guardians face off again tomorrow with another 6:40 PM EDT start.
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 10: Kyle Isbel #28 of the Kansas City Royals rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Monday, August 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
You know, the Royals and the Dodgers have, basically, the same base uniform. What’s up with that? The same blue, the same home script, the same grey away uniform. Thankfully, the Royals have some uniforms and colors that are legitimately different (IE, powder blue, and #PurplePower City Connect jerseys). Unfortunately, while they may have the better uniforms, the Dodgers have the better…everything else, just about.
Well, mostly. I went to Dodgers Stadium a few years ago. It was fun, I saw Shohei hit a home run, yada yada. But the traffic was horrific. It took us an hour and a half to go from our hotel near LAX to the Dodger Stadium parking lot. That’s a 20-mile distance. Imagine the drive from Oak Park Mall to Kauffman Stadium taking an hour and a half. Ew. Public transit is good.
In any case, Blake Snell is pitching, and the Royals will have their work cut out for them.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 11: Kevin McGonigle #7 of the Detroit Tigers hits a two run double in the fifth inning in front of Patrick Bailey #16 of the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park on August 11, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a successful 7-2 West Coast road trip, the Tigers came home for a crucial three-game series against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians. A solid-enough team pitching performance, nice defence, and timely hitting — with runners in scoring position, no less! — ended up with a 6-4 win which got a little tight at the end.
Drew Anderson, who is now definitely part of the rotation, got his second start in said role. His previous start went well, sprinkling three hits across 3 2/3 innings in Seattle. Out of the bullpen he’s been pretty good, striking out a little more than one per inning and getting plenty of ground balls. The goal is to stretch him out to a full start; he probably wasn’t going to go the distance or anything, but maybe 70 pitches or so would be about his limit.
Old nemesis Tanner Bibee got the start for Cleveland. He had a 4-11 record coming into tonight’s game but his ERA and WHIP are better this year than last year, in which he went 12-11; thus, won-loss records don’t mean a whole lot. He’s spent his entire career in Cleveland, and when you look at his results against his AL Central rivals, the Tigers have easily the worst OPS-against (a meagre .597). I mean, Bibee’s no slouch, either: his career WHIP is a nifty 1.165.
Zack McKinstry made a nice running catch on the first batter of the game.
Anderson got into a speck of trouble in the top of the second: the recently-acquired Jo Adell walked to lead off the inning, and Travis Bazzana singled. But then he reached back and struck out the next three batters; the middle one, Patrick Bailey, looked at what he thought was ball four, but Anderson himself challenged the call and got it overturned. You don’t see pitchers challenging calls too often, but there you have it, and the Tigers would successfully challenge several pitches all night.
In the bottom of the second the Tigers got on the board: Riley Greene got hit on the right knee and took his base, and Spencer Torkelson followed with a double to the left-centrefield wall. Greene came around to score all the way from first, but he felt some hamstring tightness and was replaced in the field for the third inning by Ben Malgeri.
Chase DeLauter evened the score with a long home run to the right-centrefield bleachers with one out in the top of the third. Like a hyperactive squirrel, he would be tough to contain all evening.
Scary moment in the bottom of the third: Kevin McGonigle was at the plate, and an up-and-in Bibee sinker sure didn’t sink, as it took quite a move for McGonigle to move his head out of the way. The ball ricocheted off something, and his helmet went flying… but, as it turns out, the ball hit McGonigle’s bat, and it was just a scary foul ball.
Anderson’s pitch count was climbing, and at the end of the fourth inning he’d hit 70 and he got the handshake. His final line: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K. The walks are a bit annoying, but otherwise that’s not bad at all, especially against such a pesky team as the Guardians. He mixed both a slider and a sinker into his repertoire, which he didn’t really need as a reliever. Jacob Waugespack took over in the fifth and gave up a two-out single to DeLauter but promptly stranded him; meanwhile, Bibee was settling in, retiring a bunch of guys in a row since the Torkelson double.
However, with one out in the bottom of the fifth, Max Clark singled the other way and Javier Báez singled up the middle. McKinstry lined-out for the second out, but McGonigle doubled to the right-field corner to score both Clark and Báez for a 3-1 lead.
Gleyber Torres followed with a single up the middle of his own for a 4-1 lead, and holy mackerel, have the Tigers broken Bibee’s magic spell he seemed to have cast upon them?!
Waugespack carried on into the top of the sixth, and after a Nathaniel Lowe single and another Adell walk, he got into some trouble of his own. Chris Fetter paid a visit, and of course, within the next six pitches: foulout to the catcher, soft lineout to right, foulout to left field on a nice running catch by Malgeri. It ended up being a nice shutdown inning after the Tigers scored three runs, and you’ve gotta love that.
Drew Sommers, who has looked good lately, took over for Waugespack in the seventh. After striking out Brayan Rocchio, Steven Kwan walked and DeLauter collected his third hit of the night, a single to right field. Sommers’ first pitch to José Ramírez went off Dillon Dingler’s glove, allowing the runners to move up a base; Ramírez then grounded out with the infield back to trade a run for the out at first base. That was it for Sommers, and Kyle Finnegan came in to face pinch-hitter Rhys Hoskins, who grounded out to Báez at shortstop to end the inning with a 4-2 score.
With one out in the seventh both Báez (huh.) and McKinstry walked, and that was the end of Bibee’s night. On the first pitch from Matt Festa, Báez and McKinstry took off on a double steal; the throw to Ramírez at third clanked off his glove, allowing Báez to score and McKinstry moved up to third.
McGonigle then singled, scoring McKinstry for a 6-2 lead; he took off to steal on a foul ball by Torres, so he was in Festa’s head, and this was proven on the next pitch when Festa balked and McGonigle advanced to second. Alas, Torres struck out and Dingler fouled-out to first, but those insurance runs sure were nice.
Finnegan pitched the eighth and Adell smashed a long leadoff solo home run to narrow the gap to 6-3. Bazzana followed with a long flyout to right, and you had to wonder if Finnegan would finish the inning as his control seemed to elude him. After a groundout to second and a walk it was indeed the end of Finnegan’s night, as Tyler Holton — who has been used a lot lately, but had retired 15 straight hitters coming into the contest — was brought in to deal with Rocchio. He hit a grounder to Báez’s right; Báez scooped it up and bounced a throw to McKinstry, now playing second base, to get the forceout and end the inning, and that’s sixteen batters in a row retired by Holton.
After a quick bottom of the eighth, Kenley Jansen was summoned for the save, which ended up being quite the adventure. Kwan led off with a single to left, because of course he did, but Jansen got the dangerous DeLauter to pop up to Báez for the first out. He walked Ramírez, and pinch-hitter Angel Genao, a rookie doing very well, batted for Hoskins. Jansen missed with a couple of pitches by a wide margin, and ended up walking Genao as well to load the bases, as several different body parts of various Tigers fans clenched-up real tight-like. Adell then hit a fly ball to right which was deep enough to score Kwan and narrow the gap to 6-4 with two out. Against the next batter Bazzana, Jansen was chucking shoulder-high cutters to go 3-0 on him, but after a foul ball Bazzana hit a grounder to second for the third out. Various body parts un-clenched, everyone took a deep breath, and that was the ballgame. Somehow, Jansen was credited with the save, and the Tigers continue to test their theory that having great high leverage relievers isn’t actually important.
Coming into tonight’s game, Spencer Torkelson’s August may have been bereft of home runs but he was 12-for-34, for a .353 batting average and a .788 OPS.
By OPS, though, Torkelson’s June has been his best month this year: 103 plate appearances, 6 home runs, and a .797 OPS.
Coming into tonight’s game, the Tigers had the best run differential in the American League at +87. (Yes, that’s better than any team in the AL East, too.)
A solar eclipse will take place on August 12; if you’re in Greenland, Iceland or Spain you might see a total eclipse, but for the northern US and Canada it’ll only be a partial eclipse. I’m in Toronto and it’ll peak here around 1:40 pm EDT, and it’ll only be a small bite out of the Sun’s disk, but that’s still pretty fun. As always, don’t stare directly at the Sun, and wear ISO-certified eclipse glasses.
On this day in 3114 BCE, the Long-Count Mesoamerican Calendar, often known more simply as the Mayan Calendar, started. Remember back in 2012 when there was a minor hubbub about the world ending because this calendar was reaching the end of its cycle? Well, like every other world-ending prophecy that has been floated over the millennia, that one was a load of malarkey too.
In a push toward returning Anaheim to the name of his hometown Angels, Assemblyman Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) last March introduced what he called the “Home Run for Anaheim Act.”
Five months later, the bill has cleared both houses of the state legislature without a single vote against it. Gov. Gavin Newsom has two months to sign the bill into law, barring a veto that would be surprising because of the lack of opposition.
The bill does not mandate the Angels — playing under a Los Angeles name in Anaheim’s city-owned stadium — revert to the Anaheim Angels name.
Angels owner Arte Moreno has twice reached deals with the city to develop the land, only to see the city walk away both times. In the last deal, he rejected the city’s request to rename the team the Anaheim Angels.
Moreno has shown no public interest in a third negotiation with the city, and the Angels’ current stadium lease extends through 2032, with the team having options to extend the lease through 2038.
By year’s end, the city has said it anticipates the release of a long-awaited property assessment, which is expected to show Angel Stadium needs hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades to remain viable for the long-term. The city and team may not agree on who should pay for them, and real estate development around the stadium could be part of the solution for funding a new or renovated stadium.
Moreno turns 80 this week. Should he decide to sell the Angels, the city could use the exemption as leverage in discussions with a new owner. Any new owner could have leverage of his own: Once the Angel Stadium lease expires, the owner would be free to move out of Anaheim.
The bill required five votes between the Assembly and Senate. The final vote came on Monday on a consent calendar, the place for matters considered so routine that no legislator even wishes to discuss them.
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 5: Nick Martinez #28 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 5, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Matt Savoie enters an important season as his contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season, and he becomes an RFA. By this time next summer, his team will be talking with the Oilers about the first long-term contract of his NHL career, and recent deals around the league suggest the price of young forwards is climbing faster than it has in years.
The salary cap is rising, and several players in similar stages of their careers have signed contracts that would have seemed crazy a few seasons ago. Ville Koivunen signed for $4 million for eight years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Collin Graf signed for $4.25 million at three years with the San Jose Sharks, Cole Sillinger took took 4.624 for three years with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jet Greaves signed for $5 million for three years with the Blue Jackets, and Jamie Drysdale took $6.5 million for four years with the Philideplphia Flyers.
And those are the contracts under $10 million. Savoie has not produced at that level, so those contracts are not direct comparables to where he will sign. They are an illustration of where the market has moved for promising talent entering their early twenties. Teams are paying for the years ahead as much as production that's already been produced, particularly when they believe the player is capable of becoming a fixture in the top six.
Edmonton has held that belief since acquiring Savoie from Buffalo. His junior résumé has 263 points in 283 WHL games between Winnipeg and Moose Jaw. Buffalo drafted him ninth overall because of how well he could produce. The Oilers acquired a player they believed still had another level to reach, and his first full NHL season did little to discourage that.
Savoie enters training camp as one of the candidates to skate alongside Leon Draisaitl, with Kasperi Kapanen also expected to compete for that role. As well as the potential to play on McDavid's wing depending on how the lineup shakes out. A productive year beside one of the league's best centres would raise his value.
That's also why both parties might want to consider signing this summer. The Oilers could maybe get a better deal on the premise of saying "we know you have a bright future, but we can't exactly pay you too large of a sum for things you haven't done yet." And Savoie might want to sign before all the money gets spent on McDavids next extension, if there even is one.
There is another element unique to this negotiation. Savoie grew up in nearby St. Albert, played much of his minor hockey in the Edmonton area and still has family and close friends in the community. Hometown connections often become part of the discussion when players reach the point where they can choose where they want to spend the prime of their careers. Oilers fans have always embraced local players, and the possibility of seeing another Alberta product commit to the organization for much of his twenties would undoubtedly resonate with this community.
A contract in the range of eight years with an average annual value between $4 million and $5.5 million would compensate him well for what he has done for the organization and what he can do. That projection assumes Savoie secures a regular top-six role and continues to build on the progress he showed during his first full NHL season.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 05: Carson Whisenhunt #88 of the San Francisco Giants throws a pitch during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on August 05, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game home series against the Houston Astros tonight.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, who enters tonight’s game with a 7.25 ERA, 5.64 FIP, with 20 strikeouts to 15 walks in 22.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-0 loss to the Texas Rangers last Wednesday, in which he allowed four runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in three and a third innings.
He’ll be facing off against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.53 ERA, 4.33 FIP, with 63 strikeouts to 32 walks in 58.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Astros’ 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays last Wednesday, in which he allowed three runs on three hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
Jefferson Rojas continues to impress in his new organization.
The Mets' new No. 1 prospect had himself a day at the plate on Tuesday night with Double-A Binghamton. The infielder went 3-for-5, including a home run, his first with the Mets organization.
After getting the scoring started with a first-inning solo shot, Rojas hit back-to-back RBI doubles in his next two at-bats.
In six games since arriving in Binghamton, Rojas is 7-for-23 with three-hit games in two of his last three games.
Billy Amick, another new Mets prospect, went 2-for-5 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. In his eight games since being traded to the Mets organization, Amick is 10-for-29 with five home runs.
Jefferson Rojas tonight for Double-A Binghamton:
3-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 2B
Rojas was acquired from the Cubs in the deal that sent Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to Chicago
Up with the Triple-A club, Jonah Tong made his latest start and was very effective.
The right-hander allowed a run on four hits and three walks while striking out six batters in his four-plus innings of work (94 pitches/53 strikes). He worked around a leadoff double in the first inning but was victimized by the home run ball in the second, allowing a solo shot to Bennett Hostetler on a changeup down in the zone. He allowed a double immediately after, but worked around it. Tong also worked around two walks in the third inning.
Tong's fourth inning was his "easiest" inning, getting the first two batters out before Maximo Acosta was thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double.
Syracuse's defense failed Tong in the fifth. Ronny Mauricio's fielding error allowed the leadoff runner to reach before a throwing error by Andy Ibanez at third put two runners on with no outs. Tong walked the next batter to load the bases before he was pulled.
Austin Warren came on to strike out the next three batters to end the threat and put a bow on Tong's night.
Tuesday was a good start for Tong, who is looking to make his way back to the big leagues. Mets interim manager Andy Green talked about Tong's progress this season and what he needs to show to warrant a call-up.
If the right-hander continues to show progress as he did on this night, he may force the Mets' hand.
Guests by the pool at the home of Wayne Beal in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 1973. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
ROCKIES
DIAMONDBACKS
Jake McCarthy – LF
Lars Nootbaar – LF
Kyle Karros – 3B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Cole Carrigg – CF
Gabriel Moreno – DH
Hunter Goodman – C
Ketel Marte – 2B
Willi Castro – 1B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Mickey Moniak – DH
James McCann – C
Jordan Beck – RF
Tim Tawa – 1B
Connor Norby – 2B
Ildemaro Vargas – SS
Ezequiel Tovar – SS
Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
Tomoyuki Sugano – RHP
Mitch Bratt – LHP
A nice little break for the bullpen yesterday. The early surge from the offense meant that Torey Lovullo did not need to push Michael Soroka further than necessary, and was able to hand the ball off to Zack Littell for the rest of the game without worrying. It helped that the Rockies were being very aggressive, and the double-plays behind him were also very helpful. In the end, Zack needed only 45 pitches to record 14 outs. That’s among the most economical long relief outings in franchise history. Here’s the list of all those over two innings, but less than ten pitches per inning. You have to go back to Mike Koplove (25 pitches for 8 outs) in 2005 to find a lower P/IP ratio.
The limited pitch count does also mean Littell won’t need as much recovery time. With an off-day guaranteed on Thursday, he should probably be good to go again, when we start the road-trip on Friday, which goes through Atlanta and Boston. That’s going to be a tough one, and it’ll be nice to everyone in our bullpen fully rested and available for action. Towards that end, it’d help if Mitch Bratt can deliver the same kind of performance tonight he did last time out: seven innings of one-hit, shutout ball against the Padres at Chase Field last Wednesday. The Rockies should be slightly easier – OPS+ of 94, compared to 95 for San Diego – so, fingers crossed.
Lars Nootbaar back to the top of the order. So far, he hasn’t exactly been the offensive force we expected: 3-for-2o, though does have more walks (5) than strikeouts (3). Him and Max Kepler seem almost to be involved in a race to the bottom, attempting to make Arizona fans look forward to the return of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The $42 million Lourdes signed for, covering the 2024-26 season isn’t looking like a great investment. With one-quarter of a season left, he’s been just a total of 1.9 (bWAR or fWAR, it doesn’t matter). Looks like paying Gurriel $5 million at the end of the year to go away, is going to be close to a no-brainer.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 8: Kyle Harrison #52 of the Milwaukee Brewers delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on July 8, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a rough start to the series yesterday, the Brewers are looking to bounce back in game two against the Padres. They will try to do that behind Kyle Harrison tonight.
The revolving door of the bullpen continued moving as they made another roster move before today’s game. Bryse Wilson is back on the roster just three days after being designated for assignment and one day after electing free agency. He signed a one-year contract and is back on the active roster for tonight’s game. To clear a space for him, Lyon Richardson was designated for assignment. Also, Drew Rom was selected off waivers by the Athletics.
Kyle Harrison makes his second start since returning from the IL tonight. This is his second start against the Padres this season. He pitched five shutout innings on May 14, allowing just five hits and striking out seven. Harrison is coming off another five-inning start last Wednesday, where he struck out 10 and allowed only one hit and one walk. He finished that start with eight straight strikeouts, but cramps prevented him from continuing that one.
For the Padres, Walker Buehler makes the start. He has a 5.07 ERA and 4.37 FIP over 23 starts and 108 1/3 innings this season, along with 95 strikeouts compared to 45 walks. In his last start against the Diamondbacks, he pitched just four innings and allowed one run and struck out three. The Brewers missed him the first time they played the Padres, and last faced him in 2024 when he was with the Dodgers. In three previous career starts, he has a 2.93 ERA and a .211 batting average allowed over 15 1/3 innings.
With the Brewers still hurting on the left side of the infield, they are going with a less traditional lineup for today’s game. Brice Turang will make his first start at shortstop since 2023 tonight. Meanwhile, Jihwan Bae will play second base and bat ninth in his first Brewers start. Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Jake Bauers are batting second through fourth. William Contreras and Christian Yelich move up to fifth and sixth in the lineup, and Luis Lara and David Hamilton round out the lineup. Joey Ortiz gets another day of rest, but was available if needed yesterday.
First pitch is at 8:40 p.m. It will be on Brewers.TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 10: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres stands on-deck in the fourth inning during the game against the Houston Astros at Petco Park on August 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Milwaukee Brewers (74-45) at San Diego Padres (63-57), August 11, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST
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DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 5: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies pitches in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Coors Field on August 5, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
