The third stop on the Dodgers’ long road trip comes on Friday with a series opener against the New York Mets at Citi Field in Queens.
Roki Sasaki starts for the Dodgers, while left-hander Sean Manaea on the mound for New York.
These two teams met back in April at Dodger Stadium, and the Dodgers swept the three-game set.
After taking an old-fashioned Texas whoopin’ on Tuesday night, the White Sox will try to bounce back this evening and secure their 18th series win of the season. Even with last night’s 10-0 drubbing, Chicago still enters play in the thick of the AL Central race, though the Guardians’ win over the Twins means the Good Guys now find themselves tied for first place with roughly two-thirds of the season in the books. Tonight presents an opportunity to quickly erase the memory of yesterday’s blowout and regain sole possession of the division lead.
Anthony Kay gets the ball for the South Siders, carrying a 6-4 record, a 4.24 ERA, and a 1.37 WHIP. Kay’s Baseball Savant profile suggests his raw arsenal is better than his overall results, but he’ll need to execute against a Rangers lineup that piled up 18 hits just 24 hours ago. The lefthander averages 95.5 mph on his fastball, placing him in the 69th percentile, and generates an above-average chase rate while producing a respectable number of ground balls. His path to success is fairly straightforward: pound the strike zone early, use his changeup to neutralize Texas’ right-handed hitters, expand the zone once he’s ahead in the count, and, most importantly, avoid the crooked inning. If Kay consistently falls behind hitters, a Rangers offense swinging the bat with confidence could make him pay.
Here’s how Skip Schumaker’s club will line up against Kay:
The Rangers will counter with an opener, as former White Sox old friend lefthander Tyler Alexander gets the starting assignment. Signed as a free agent during the offseason, Alexander is making his fourth opening assignment of the year. The veteran has quietly been effective, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.79 ERA and 1.31 WHIP across 44 appearances and 42 innings, though opponents are still hitting .270 against him. With Chicago sending out another left-handed heavy lineup, it’s no surprise Texas is looking to gain an early platoon advantage.
The bulk of the innings are expected to belong to righthander Cal Quantrill, who enters at 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Quantrill doesn’t overpower hitters, relying instead on limiting walks, mixing his pitches, and inducing manageable contact. His 5th-percentile strikeout rate means the White Sox should have plenty of opportunities to put balls in play. The key will be staying disciplined, refusing to chase his offspeed offerings early in counts, and capitalizing when he leaves pitches over the heart of the plate. If Chicago strings together quality at-bats, this is a matchup that should produce scoring opportunities.
Miguel Vargas continues to be Chicago’s hottest regular since the All-Star break, slashing .286/.318/.476 with a .794 OPS over his last five games. Colson Montgomery has been just as productive, hitting .267/.353/.533 with an .886 OPS during that same stretch, returning to the lineup tonight after getting Tuesday off to rest the shin contusion he suffered on Monday. Edgar Quero is also back and behind the plate after being recalled from Charlotte to replace the injured Kyle Teel.
Will Venable sends them out like this:
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT from Globe Life Field. The game will air on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000.
Probable pitchers: RHP Kyle Bradish (6-9, 3.61 ERA, 106 Ks) vs. LHP Eduardo Rivera (0-0, 2.89 ERA, 9 Ks
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
The first two games in Boston have been a kick in the teeth for an Orioles team (and fanbase) that came into Beantown riding high. A seven-game win streak and a spot two games back of a Wild Card berth has turned into a two-game losing streak and a four-game gap between the O’s and the playoffs.
In Game 3 of the series and Game 2 of today’s doubleheader, the Orioles will look to finish the job after coming up just short in Monday’s series opener and today’s Game 1. Monday felt as much like a playoff game as any Orioles game since 2024, with the O’s and Sawx trading leads back-and-forth and Tyler O’Neill coming inches away from tying the game in the top of the 9th. Today’s earlier loss was once where the O’s dug themselves an early hole and, despite outhitting the Red Sox 11-9, the Baltimore bats couldn’t complete a comeback against the Boston bullpen.
Tonight’s matchup marks not only the chance to salvage an important game against a division/playoff spot rival, but the first start for Kyle Bradish since signing his record extension. The $90M man faced Boston once previously this season, finishing with a line of 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB and 3 Ks in a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox in Camden Yards.
Bradish has been a significantly less effective pitcher away from Baltimore this season, posting a 4.06 ERA on the road compared to 3.20 in Camden Yards. The 29-year-old has also struggled historically at Fenway, surrendering a 13.50 ERA and a .304 batting average against in three starts at the American League’s oldest park. He was more successful in his last visit to Boston, tossing six innings of two-run ball with nine strikeouts—though that came back in 2023. Bradish will hope to get the better of the Red Sox’ All-Star Willson Contreras, who comes into the matchup 2-for-4 with two homers off the Orioles’ righty.
Opposing Bradish is rookie left-hander Eduardo Rivera. The towering 23-year-old out of Puerto Rico is making his fourth career start and is coming off his first rough outing, having allowed three runs over 2.1 innings last time out vs. Tampa. Rivera hasn’t lasted long in any of his previous appearances, averaging just over three innings per start and never pitching into the 5th inning.
The O’s can hopefully show a patient approach, drive up Rivera’s pitch count and get him out of the game early. Baltimore comes into the matchup 25th in team OPS vs. left-hander starters, and will be without Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basall0—both of whom have hit left-handers well.
The Cardinals muster but three hits all game, but one of them was a well-timed solo HR by JJ Wetherholt. Meanwhile, Hunter Dobbins and a trio of relievers combined to throw a much-needed shutout. Riley O’Brien gets his 26th save after striking out the side in the ninth, albeit with a couple walks to add a little drama.
With the win, the Cardinals break a four-game losing streak and climb back to 3 games over the .500 mark.
Detmers and Dobbins both come out sharp in the early going. Of course, neither of these line-ups will remind us of Killer’s Row. Dobbins works around a few singles but avoids making things worse by throwing strikes and no free passes. Detmers seemed a little sharper in that he avoided traffic a bit better, but the first 3 innings ended up scoreless.
In the fourth, the Cardinals got to Detmers a bit with two walks, but a GIDP upended that. K’s and GIDP really seem to pile up when you are offensively struggling, don’t they? On the Cardinal side, they finally break through in the 6th with a solo HR by Wetherholt (only their third hit). Once done, the other Jose Fermin relieved Detmers.
Meanwhile, Dobbins just cruised through six innings of shutout ball, giving up six hits, striking out 5 batters and, notably, no walks. 86 pitches. A very nice start.
As we rolled into the late innings, the parade of relievers took over and the Cardinals nursing a 1-0 lead. No worries, right? On the Angels side, their outstanding bullpen throttled the Cardinals for the third consecutive game. Oh, wait, the Angels bullpen isn’t that good? Hmmm…
Luis Gastelum got the seventh inning and fared well with 1 K and no runs. Soriano got the eighth inning against the top of the Angel line-up. A quick K and a pop out created some positive momentum for the beleaguered bullpen, and a 3-1 putout avoided any suspense.
One of the New York Rangers’ most notable moves of the 2026 NHL Draft was their selection of goaltender Danai Shaiikov in the third round.
The selection of Shaiikov marked the first time the Rangers drafted a goalie since Talyn Boyko in 2021.
Being drafted to the NHL is a moment that all young hockey players dream of. Shaiikov comically experienced that moment.
“I was surprised. I honestly was in (the) bathroom when I got picked,” Shaiikov revealed. “I came back, everybody (was) clapping, looking at me.”
Aside from Dylan Garand, the Rangers don’t have a ton of goaltending prospects to complement Igor Shesterkin and newly acquired Joonas Korpisalo at the NHL level, so Shaiikov instantly becomes one of the team’s most intriguing young goalies in the pipeline.
The 19-year-old goaltender expressed his excitement to join the Rangers’ organization, while underplaying the significance of being the first goalie drafted by the franchise since 2021.
“I’m just happy to be here,” Shaiikov said. “It’s an honor to be in such a legendary organization.”
The Kazakhstan native played for the Gatineau Olympiques in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League this past season, recording an 18-26-2 record, .903 save percentage, and 2.78 goals against average in 50 games in his role as the starting goaltender.
While he idolized Sergei Bobrovsky as a young boy, Shaiikov confessed that his style of play is more comparable to that of Shesterkin.
“I was saying that Bobrovsky is my idol, but I compare myself more to Shesterkin,” Shaiikov said.
Shaiikov is expected to return to the QMJHL for the 2026-27 season.
Go Rays!
Sign up for a user account and get:
Game three of four. The Braves haven’t won a home series against the Padres since 2018, and it doesn’t look too promising here, either. But, you never know!
Sign up for a user account and get:
This is game 102. Which is good, because a 60 game win streak might just get them into the playoffs.
There are a couple of roster moves:
Kevin Gausman can block any trade to the Reds, Brewers, Tigers, Mets, A’s, White Sox, Pirates, and Mariners. I don’t know if that will cause a problem trading him.
Line ups:
Please score some.
Shohei Ohtani wrapped up long toss in the Citizens Bank Park outfield Wednesday afternoon, turned and headed for the two-story bullpen stairs.
Ohtani had initially been scheduled to take the mound for the Dodgers Wednesday against the Phillies. But, with the date of his next pitching start up in the air, his bullpen session still drew a lot of eyes.
Ohtani threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since receiving an Orthovisc injection in his left knee to lubricate the joint. The side session of about 30 pitches, running through multiple pitch types, was similar to a normal between-starts bullpen, pitching coach Mark Prior said.
“It looked good,” Prior said. “Feels good. We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow.”
Read more:Dodgers beat Phillies, manage Justin Wrobleski with long postseason run in mind
Asked if Ohtani said his knee was feeling 100%, Prior said they didn’t get into specifics.
“Just said, ‘How did you feel throwing?’ He said it felt great,” Prior said.
Ohtani, who was in the lineup Wednesday as the designated hitter, was not made available to comment before the game.
It’s still unclear when Ohtani will pick up pitching duties again. But manager Dave Roberts ruled out Ohtani starting on the mound this weekend against the Mets.
“It’s day by day with him,” Prior said. “We’re present today. He threw a bullpen, see where he comes in … Friday, since we’re off [Thursday]. We’ll make determinations after that.”
This bullpen session was a chance for Ohtani to test his knee, which before the injection seemed to be aggravated by pitching.
Read more:Dodgers beat Phillies, manage Justin Wrobleski with long postseason run in mind
“It’s a big sign,” Roberts said. “Because the grass, the flat ground, all of that stuff is well and good, the arm is fine. So it’s more of getting down the slope, throwing over your front side. That’s kind of the big test. Usually the bullpens are right around 88 (mph), so we’ll see where he’s at.”
Ohtani has already been out long enough that the Dodgers will have to be mindful of his workload whenever he rejoins the rotation. His last start on the mound was July 3 against the Padres.
“I still think it hasn’t been so long that the equity that he’s built up with the pitch count is that much compromised,” Roberts said. “But with that, I can’t foresee him running out there and throwing 100 pitches his first outing.”
If he’s sidelined for too long, he could have to gradually build up with each start. But it’s hard to pinpoint where that delineation lies.
“I think the easy answer is to say every pitcher is different,” Roberts said.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Yankees came oh-so-close to completing another late comeback, only to stall out after Ben Rice’s game-tying three-run homer and eventually lose in extras. They still have a chance to split the doubleheader and win the series as they take the field less than three hours after the final out of Game 1, and they’ll do so as Max Fried makes his long-awaited return from injury.
Max Fried last pitched on May 13th against the Orioles, and had to depart after three innings with noticeably lowered velocity on all his pitches. It was later revealed that he had suffered a bone bruise in his left elbow and was shut down for over a month. He made just one rehab assignment start last Friday for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks on 52 pitches. Rather than make a final rehab start, the doubleheader convinced the Yankees to activate Fried off the IL to start the nightcap, where he will be on a pitch count of around 60. At the time of his injury, Fried was 4-3 in ten starts, with a 3.21 ERA (132 ERA+), 2.71 FIP, and 50 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.
Fried will face off against Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler. The 23-year-old righty isn’t very subtle, mainly trying to blow you away with a four-seamer that averages 99 mph. He backs up that heater with a slider and a changeup. Expect the Yankees to have a patient approach against the pitcher with the highest walk rate (13.1-percent) of any starter in baseball. In 18 starts, Chandler is 3-8 with a 4.77 ERA (92 ERA+), 4.59 FIP, and 85 strikeouts in 94.1 innings.
The Yankees make three changes to the line from the day game. Anthony Volpe replaces José Caballero at shortstop which should ease tensions with this umpiring crew after the incident involving his pitch clock manipulation earlier today. Paul Goldschmidt gets the start at first moving Ben Rice to DH and Spencer Jones to the bench. Ali Sánchez replaces Austin Wells behind the plate.
The Pirates also make three changes to their lineup with the lefty Fried on the mound. Marcell Ozuna comes in to DH, moving Ryan O’Hearn to first and Tyler Callihan to the bench. Jared Triolo replaces Jacob Gonzalez at shortstop despite the latter homering off Gerrit Cole while Baby Bomber alum Rafael Flores Jr. subs in for Henry Davis at catcher.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, SportsNet Pittsburgh
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | YES, SportsNet Pittsburgh (PIT)
Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
Sign up for a user account and get:
Here’s the Twins lineup:
Here’s the Guardians lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
A game that started as a pitcher’s duel devolved into a crushing loss as the Colorado Rockies dropped the series finale 8-0 to the Washington Nationals. The Rockies are now 3-11 with a -29 run differential in rubber matches and have also suffered their fourth shutout of the season.
There has been a lot to be impressed about when Gabriel Hughes has taken the mound this season, and he didn’t disappoint once again. Making his third start of the season, Hughes faced a tough Nationals lineup full of left-handed bats.
The day started off well for him as he retired the side in order in the first inning, including gathering a pair of strikeouts. The Nationals got their first two hits to start the second inning as CJ Abrams poked a ball up the middle and Dylan Crews blooped a ball to center field that fell for a hit. Unfazed, Hughes retired the next three batters to end the inning.
He returned with another 1-2-3 third inning, gathering his fourth strikeout of the day. The fourth inning is when he hit a bit of a snag in efficiency. Hughes had averaged about 15 pitches per inning to that point, but the Nationals ran up his pitch count with an abundance of foul balls while collecting a single and a walk. Still, he escaped without any damage to keep the game scoreless.
The seal was finally broken in the top of the fifth inning when Jorbit Vivas hit a hanging curveball to right field that banged off the out-of-town scoreboard for a triple. Hughes retired the next batter for the first out of the inning, but James Wood then hit a changeup to deep center field for a sacrifice fly and give the Nationals a 1-0 lead.
Hughes gave up a leadoff single in the sixth inning, prompting his removal with Abrams stepping up to the plate. He ended up going five innings, allowing just the one run on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He continued to pound the zone, throwing 60 of his 88 pitches for a strike. The Nationals were mostly taking defensive swings as Hughes’ cut fastball continued to look good, and his curveball was working as well. He kept pace with Cade Cavalli pitch for pitch to give the Rockies a chance to win.
“Gabe’s pitching great,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He gave us a chance to win.”
“What worked today was fastball, curveball, changeup,” Hughes said after the game. “But I think the biggest thing was attacking the zone.”
Speaking of Cavalli, he baffled the Rockies offense as they couldn’t figure out a way to break through against him.
In the second inning, Kyle Karros had a single with one out and moved up to second base when the ball was bobbled in left field. Unfortunately, Willi Castro bounced into a fielder’s choice that stranded Karros between second and third for the second out of the inning. Edouard Julien then struck out to end the threat with a runner on second.
In the third inning, Jake McCarthy had a one-out double but was stranded after Mickey Moniak flew out and Hunter Goodman struck out. TJ Rumfield then led off the fourth inning with a double. However, Cavalli struck out Cole Carrigg, issued a walk to Karros, and struck out both Castro and Julien to end the inning.
Goodman got a leadoff single in the sixth, but that’s all the Rockies were able to muster against Cavalli as he tossed six shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out eight against two walks.
After Brennan Bernardino navigated the sixth inning for the Rockies to keep the game 1-0, things went off the rails for the Rockies in the seventh inning.
Jimmy Herget entered the game and struggled with his command. Daylen Lile drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a ground ball from Keibert Ruiz. Herget then issued a walk to Vivas to put runners on first and second. Nasim Nuñez hit a sharp ground ball to left field that scored one run, but Mickey Moniak misplayed the ball, allowing a second run to score and putting Nuñez on second.
With the Rockies now trailing 3-0, Herget managed to get Wood to line out but couldn’t say the same of Luis Garcia Jr., who blasted a hanging sweeper to center field for a two-run homer. The Rockies turned to Zach Agnos out of the bullpen, and the messy inning continued.
Agnos surrendered back-to-back hits to José Tena and Abrams. Then, Crews hit a ball into center field to drive in a run. However, multiple throwing errors allowed a second run to score and made it possible for Crews to end up at third base and give the Nationals a 7-0 lead before Agnos retired Lile to end the inning.
Matters didn’t necessarily improve in the eighth inning for Agnos as he surrendered another run on three straight hits to give the Nationals an 8-0 lead before getting a crucial double play and a ground out.
He then stayed out there for the ninth and, although he gave up a double and hit a batter, he prevented any further damage.
“Sloppy,” Schaeffer said of the Rockies defensive efforts.
The Rockies offense as a whole struggled as they had just six hits compared to Washington’s 14. Between facing Cavalli and the Nationals bullpen, the Rockies struck out 10 times with four walks and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Nationals, on the other hand, went 5-for-17 with RISP and were led by Abrams four-hit day.
The Rockies will head to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers for a three-game series. Tomoyuki Sugano (9-4, 4.76 ERA) will make the start for the Rockies while left-hander Shane Drohan (5-3, 3.20 ERA) will start for the Brewers.
Sign up for a user account and get:
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!
The Houston Astros have officially signed both of their first-round picks from the 2026 MLB Draft. The Astros selected OF Logan Hughes from Texas Tech with 17th overall selection and RHP Jack Radel from the University of Notre Dame with the 28th overall pick. The announcement was made by Astros Director of Amateur Scouting Cam Pendino.
Hughes, 21, a left-handed hitting outfielder, batted .375 (75×200) with 68 runs, 16 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, 70 RBI and a 1.245 OPS in 55 games with the Red Raiders this season. Hughes was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection and a 2026 Baseball America Second Team All-American. He spent two seasons at Texas Tech, recording a combined .350 (144×411) batting average with 120 runs, 29 doubles, five triples, 37 HR, 128 RBI and a 1.176 OPS in 107 games. Prior to Texas Tech, Hughes spent one season at Stetson, where he batted .292 (50×171) with 49 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 34 RBI and a .913 OPS as a freshman.
Radel, 21, went 8-3 with a 3.29 ERA (32ER/87.2IP) in his junior season at Notre Dame. He also recorded 116 strikeouts, a .206 opponent batting average and a 1.03 WHIP in 15 starts for the Fighting Irish, including two complete games and one shutout. Radel was a First-Team All-ACC selection and was named to the 2026 ACC Championship All-Tournament Team. In three seasons at Notre Dame, Radel combined to record a 3.71 ERA (87ER/211IP) with 215 strikeouts and a 1.12 WHIP.
The deadline for teams to sign their draft picks is July 27.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Salvador Perez tied the franchise home run record and Lane Thomas hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the seventh to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
Kansas City right-hander Seth Lugo (4-6) held the Giants scoreless till the sixth inning, when he gave up a leadoff walk and hit the next batter. Runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Drew Cavanhaugh, and Luis Arraez knocked the game’s first run across with a sacrifice fly to center.
The Giants struck again in the seventh with an RBI triple from Jung Hoo Lee and RBI double from Willy Adames to extend the lead. Lugo exited after the inning, giving up three hits and two walks. He also had five strikeouts.
Vinnie Pasquantino extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a double in the seventh inning. He was called safe after sliding past the bag. The call was confirmed and Giants manager Joey Vitello was ejected after arguing the call.
On the next at bat, Perez hit his 14th home run of the season and 317th of his career to tie the Royals’ franchise record. That signaled the end of right-hander Landen Roupp’s day. He allowed four hits and two runs and struck out seven.
The Royals pieced together the tying run with three straight singles, the third coming from pinch hitter Nick Loftin. The Royals loaded the bases with two outs and two scored on Thomas’ single to right center.
Royals closer Steven Cruz gave up a two-out home run, but popped out the final batter to earn his first career save. San Francisco lefty Sam Hentges (1-3) took the loss.
Giants RHP Grayson Rodriguez (3-3, 8.23) will face Angels RHP Logan Webb (5-7, 3.87) on Thursday. The Royals and Tigers have not announced starters for Thursday’s series opener.
Eric Lauer faces Aaron Nola as the Dodgers wrap things up against the Phillies.
Sign up for a user account and get: